FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM OCTOBER 21, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Queens offi cials, parents protest elimination of Gifted and Talented program
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Several Queens lawmakers were joined
by a group of concerned parents outside
of P.S. 203 Th e Oakland Gardens School
on Friday, Oct. 15, to protest the elimination
of the Gift ed and Talented program,
which has been widely criticized for exacerbating
segregation in the nation’s largest
public school system.
“I’m afraid for my youngest child next
year if the G&T program is cut,” said
Bayside resident Jie Liu, a parent of two
children who are in the program. “I think
they should expand the program citywide,
and not cut it because a lot of kids
want to get a better education and more
opportunities.”
Another parent, Amy Tse, of Fresh
Meadows, says she is fi ghting for all
children, who have diff erent learning
capabilities.
“Children learn at diff erent levels. It’s
really hard, and I know this from personal
experience to service kids with
varying levels from where they’re at in
one classroom with 30 kids — it’s near
impossible,” Tse said.
Jie and Tse were among the lawmakers
gathered outside of P.S. 203, located
at 53-11 Springfi eld Blvd., for a press
conference organized by City Council
Democratic nominees Sandra Ung and
Linda Lee, who criticized Mayor Bill de
Blasio for scrapping the G&T program
without consulting parents, educators and
stakeholders in the community.
De Blasio announced the end of the
G&T program on Oct. 8, that will be
replaced with accelerated learning for
individual kids beginning in third grade
that won’t separate them into special
classes.
According to the mayor, G&T students
will remain in their programming without
disruption to their learning, and the city’s
new plan, Brilliant NYC, will be phased
in for grades one through three. Starting
with kindergarten in September 2022,
accelerated learning will be off ered to all
65,000 kindergarteners.
Teachers will receive training to provide
individualized instruction for students.
“Th ere is no one-size-fi ts-all solution,”
Ung said. “Our students learn at diff erent
paces. Th ere are kids who excel and need
more help, and we need to make sure we
accommodate all those diff erent levels of
learning. Th e teachers will be given all of
that burden to run these classes.”
Lee is calling for an expansion of G&T
programs in every school district.
“We need to expand opportunities.
In District 20, we do not have a G&T
program and that’s an issue,” said Lee,
whose son attends P.S. 203. “Every student
should not have to travel far to get a quality
education. We should also think about
the services to family members, making
sure they have aft er school programs and
tutoring that they need.”
Congresswoman Grace Meng shared
Lee’s sentiments, citing a few school districts
that have multiple G&T programs
or none at all.
“Th ese programs should be more equitable
for every single child in every neighborhood
regardless of socioeconomic status,”
Meng said. “Th e G&T curriculums
enrich our kids and provide them with
crucial opportunities that help them excel
and reach their full potential inside and
beyond the classroom.”
Senator John Liu, chairperson of the
Senate’s Committee on NYC Education
and a graduate of the G&T program at
P.S. 203, said the elimination of the G&T
program has sent thousands of families
and students into limbo and uncertainty,
as a new mayoral administration is
taking place.
“It is politics at its worst and it’s a reminder
of the terrible legacy that de Blasio will
leave behind as we boot him out from City
Hall on Dec. 31,” Liu said. “Th e G&T program
has to remain an option since it recognizes
that children learn at diff erent
rates and should be given the opportunity
to learn as much as they can within the
confi nes of the city’s public schools.”
Meanwhile, Councilman Barry
Grodenchik said the city’s plan has no
input from the most important people
— parents, children and educators who
weren’t involved in the process.
“It is dead on arrival here in New York
City. My dear late mentor, friend and former
boss, Claire Shulman, used to say you
can kill anything. Well, this plan is going
to be killed, and I can guarantee you that. I
have no doubt about that,” Grodenchik said.
Rockaway residents fi nd work opportunities during local job fair
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
With the borough’s unemployment rate
at 9.4%, state Senator James Sanders held
a job and career fair at the Hammels
Houses in the Rockaways on Monday,
Oct. 11, to provide an array of employment
opportunities to community members
of all ages, education levels and
interests.
As of Sept. 5, several federal unemployment
benefi t programs expired, leaving
jobless New Yorkers with more modest
state unemployment benefi ts, or no
aid at all, Sanders explained. Nearly
10% of the city’s population, or about
800,000 people, have fallen into that
category, leaving families across his
district struggling to make ends
meet.
“We have been fl ooded with calls
seeking unemployment help since the
start of the pandemic,” Sanders said.
“As a Marine Corps veteran and the
state representative for this community,
I believe in
leading from
the front, so
I am bringing
employers
here, practically
to the
doorstep
of the
people who need work
the most.” Sanders hosted a
multitude of different
employers
from various
professions
seeking
to hire peop
l e
from the community with good-paying
jobs with opportunities for stability
and advancement. Employers at the
Fall Career Fair & Job Expo included
Rockaway Development & Revitalization
Corporation, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital,
NYC Parks, Helmets to Hardhats and
the Police Athletic League, among many
others.
Senkhet Frazier, a Far Rockaway resident
and volunteer with Fathers Alive in
the Hood (FAITH), was hired on the
spot by the Police Athletic League as
an outreach coordinator.
“It was a great day for the community.
It was a pleasure to bring
resources to the very neighborhood
where I was born, grew
up and now represent in government,”
Sanders said. “I was
pleased at how receptive people
were as I just handed them fl yers.
I plan to continue to help
people with employment and
the economy struggles to
bounce back from the coronavirus
pandemic.”
Photo courtesy of Sanders’ offi ce
State Senator James
Sanders (r.)
congratulates
Far Rockaway
resident Senkhet
Frazier, who was
hired on the spot
at the Hammels
Houses job fair.
Photo by Carlotta Mohamed
Queens lawmakers and parents protest the termination of the Gifted and Talented program in New York City public schools at P.S. 203 in Bayside on
Friday, Oct. 15.
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