Irene Chu, a member of the Community Education Council and mother of a fifth grader, is furious at the New York Department of Education for hosting a family forum during a nearly impossible time.
According to the NY Post, a deputy named Hydra Mendoza, brought from San Francisco by chancellor Richard Carranza, is planning a “Chinese Family Forum” on the last day of school from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The last day of school also happens to be an early dismissal, which means parents will have to pick their children up from school early. Chu says this will make it difficult for parents to attend the forum. It will also be impossible for working parents to attend this event.
“It’s such an insult and very disrespectful to our community,” Chu told the NY Post.
Local politicians have also criticized the Mendoza’s plan. State senator John Liu called this plan racist, Resonate reports. Chu also feels that the Asian American community is being attacked.
This incident also emphasizes frustration amongst the Asian American community in New York City for placing too much focus on African-American and Hispanic students. The mayor and chancellor hope to remove a single admissions test which will cut the number of Asian Americans getting admitted into specialized high schools.
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Doug Cohen, a spokesman for the DOE, says that the forum time was chosen with Asian American community advocates “to accommodate families who work in the evening.”
Despite criticism from members of the Asian American community, the DOE has not changed the forum time.
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