Parent leaders elected to an advisory panel on education policies are resisting Schools Chancellor David Banks’ demands they hold meetings in-person, citing ongoing threats over their support of a cease-fire in Gaza.
Members of Community Education Council 14 said they’ve recently received threatening voicemails and even a package of feces in the mail because of their November declaration calling for a cease-fire. Some parents have said the council’s advocacy is “completely inappropriate,” and allege the council has booted Jewish or pro-Israel attendees from recent virtual meetings.
The ongoing controversy prompted Banks to summon council members to the Education Department’s headquarters Wednesday over their refusal to comply with a law requiring their meetings be in-person and open to the public.
But after the hours-long sit-down with Banks’ lieutenants, members of the council based in north Brooklyn stopped short of agreeing to follow the law.
“Our issue continues to be that there is no recourse for the danger we are currently in,” said council President Tajh Sutton.
The ongoing dispute comes one week after Banks delivered a speech promising to meet the moment “head-on” and touting new resources for educators to navigate “difficult conversations” with students about Israel’s war against Hamas. Hours after the council refused to follow Banks’ orders, there was a large pro-Israel protest at education department headquarters.
Members of Community Education Council 14 and the pro-Israel protesters both said Banks’ response to the war had been lacking.
“We made it very clear that we’re not just going to jump into an in-person meeting because the compliance conversation can’t happen without the safety conversation, and [education department officials] do not have an adequate response,” Sutton said, explaining why the council was not yet ready to return to in-person meetings.
An offer from the education department to send police to upcoming…
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