Report: City probes BX principal accused of targeting black students, staff

<p>Explosive allegations concerning a Bronx principal are prompting an investigation by the city, according to a new report.</p>

News 12 Staff

Feb 11, 2018, 3:16 PM

Updated 2,273 days ago

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Explosive allegations concerning a Bronx principal are prompting an investigation by the city, according to a new report.
           
According to the Daily News, the Department of Education has launched a probe after complaints from staff and students about Patricia Catania, the principal of Intermediate School 224.
Those members of the student body and staff allege that Catania “targeted black teachers and students for abuse,” according to the Daily News.
An English teacher claims the principal barred her from teaching black history lessons at the Mott Haven school.
The Daily News also reports that students and teachers organized a protest against the principal where they turned up to classes wearing all black, and dozens signed a petition calling on the principal to allow the black history lessons to continue.
The New York state Education Department reports that more than 90 percent of the school’s more than 350 students are Hispanic or black.
It's at least the second time a Bronx educator has come under fire recently for what has been called troubling education practices.
On Tuesday, education advocates and parents marched on City Hall, demanding better teacher training when it comes to slavery education.
That was after a Bronx teacher at Middle School 118 reportedly gave a lesson about slavery by telling students to lay on their backs and asking them how it feels to be a slave.


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