Parents gathered at City Hall on Thursday to decry rampant violence and bullying at city schools.
Organized by the Families for Excellent Schools advocacy group, the protesters called for an independent monitor to ensure that the DOE addresses spiraling school-safety fears across the city.
Several parents said their children had been mercilessly abused while at school and blamed the DOE for failing to effectively curb the chaos.
Ronald Williams said his then 6-year-old son was attacked at a Bronx school in 2014.
“How dare the public-school administration give up their responsibility to protect our kids,” Williams said. “It makes me so angry that our city isn’t trying to caring for our children.”
Williams also blasted a recent policy shift that makes it harder to suspend troublemakers.
“Instead, the mayor has decided to focus on keeping bullies in classrooms by making it harder for teachers to suspend students,” Williams said.
The protest comes on the heels of a class-action lawsuit filed against the DOE by parents complaining about allegedly declining safety.
The case, filed in Brooklyn federal court, also called for the establishment of an independent monitor.