The Department of Education will revamp a controversial Queens school diversity push in the wake of fierce parental backlash, it announced Wednesday.
Alongside WXY Studio, a consulting firm, and a “working group” of community members, the DOE had planned to unveil a racial classroom integration plan in District 28 by June after a series of upcoming community meetings.
But DOE slowed the pace after a sizable faction of parents complained that the process was not adequately transparent and that they feared being force-fed a plan against their will.
Officials said that recommendations would now be pushed off until December to allow for significantly more public engagement.
The DOE also revealed the identities of those selected to serve on its diversity working group after previously declining to do so.
Officials had argued that they wanted to shield members from potential harassment and pressure from parents skeptical of the plan.
A member of Queens Parents United, a group of district residents critical of the DOE’s approach, offered mild praise for the deceleration but remained leery.
“It’s good that they have made this small effort,” said Jean Hahn. “But they still have not addressed how they selected the members of the working group. This is supposed to be a community effort but they still won’t tell us how that process worked.”
Hahn also noted that the DOE’s announcement came down just hours before Mayor Bill de Blasio’s appearance at JHS 190 Russell Sage in the heart of District 28 Wednesday night.
The integration push has grated against many parents at the coveted Forest Hills school, and Hahn questioned why the community meeting was being held during the DOE’s winter break.
“It’s just another example of how they operate,” she said. “They know most families are away right now.”
But in a letter to district parents, the DOE vowed it was sincere in seeking out as much parental input as possible and stressed that no element of the plan has yet been established.
The DOE said the new process will include parent information meetings at every district middle and elementary school.
An additional six public meetings will be held after those events take place prior to any set of final recommendations.
“We look forward to helping the community share their voices about how to better propel all of District 28’s students to success,” wrote Deputy Chancellor Josh Wallack in the letter.
Backers of the diversity push argue that schools in the district are not racially representative of the area as a whole, with blacks and Hispanics often clustered in lower-performing classrooms with lesser resources.
District 28 is 30 percent Asian, 28 percent Hispanic, 22 percent black and 18 percent white.