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The principal of Park Slope Collegiate, a secondary school in Brooklyn, said she is being improperly investigated for engaging in communist activities and for recruiting students to advance her political causes. In response, the principal, Jill Bloomberg, filed a lawsuit against the city’s Department of Education, reports WNYC.org.
Bloomberg’s suit argues that the original lawsuit against her was retaliation for recent, negative comments about the Department of Education.
The principal told reporters on Monday that “my [political] activities have been so public and so transparent” that it is an “absurdity” to think she would be secretly trying to promote a political cause, explained WNYC.
Bloomberg is evidently known, on her campus, to speak about the issues of racial justice and specifically for calling on the city’s school leaders to address segregation, said WNYC. And it was following her criticism about the Department of Education, in which she presumed discrimination. Claiming that the DoE had allocated fewer resources for sports teams to her mostly black and Latino students than it did to another school in the building that enrolled more white students, according to her legal complaint.
Shortly after, the Office of Special Investigations began looking into claims made by an anonymous tip: that Bloomberg engaged in communist activities through the Progressive Labor Party and recruited students “to participate in organizational activities, including marches for her political organization,” according to court documents filed by the city, said WNYC.
Those city documents show that Bloomberg is facing an investigation on several grounds, but primary among them was the accusation that Bloomberg’s husband filmed a documentary for an organization associated with the Progressive Labor Party, and that students and staff at the school “were included in the documentary without their authorization.” The city also says that there may be a conflict of interest, because the documentary was screened at the school, reports WNYC.
There are other allegations, including that a mandated course is not being taught and that “students who voice opinions different from those of plaintiff are not allowed to express them,” said WNYC.
The lawyers for Bloomberg are yet to address the city filing, says WNYC.
On Monday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Bloomberg’s attorneys called the investigation dangerous because of its vague allegations. Bloomberg, school staff and parents said the investigation is also creating a chilling effect at the school on speech related to social justice. The hearing was attended by nearly a hundred of Bloomberg’s supporters, explained WNYC.
According to WNYC, the city explained that the Office of Special Investigations had a responsibility to examine the claims, which would violate academic policy if true. According to city regulations, educators must “maintain a posture of neutrality” when it comes to political organizations and candidates. There is nothing explicitly about political speech in the regulations.
Bloomberg is asking the court to stop the city’s investigation while her lawsuit continues. A ruling is expected on Wednesday, said WNYC.
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