NEW YORK (AP) -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is being criticized by some community leaders over comments he made while discussing a lawsuit seeking to prevent the city from closing 22 poor-performing schools.
Appearing on his weekly radio show Friday, Bloomberg criticized the teacher's union and the NAACP, two plaintiffs in the suit. He then attacked parents who continue to support those schools, saying some of them "never had a formal education'' and "don't understand the value of education.''
Zakiyah Ansari, a parent organizer with the Alliance for Quality Education, another plaintiff in the suit, called the mayor's comments "insulting.'' She told The New York Times that just because you're poor doesn't mean you're uneducated or "don't know what's best for your kids.''
Bloomberg spokesman Marc LaVorgna said the Mayor believes that schools that are failing students should be replaced with schools that work.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Bloomberg Criticized For Comments On School Parents
/ CBS New York
NEW YORK (AP) -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is being criticized by some community leaders over comments he made while discussing a lawsuit seeking to prevent the city from closing 22 poor-performing schools.
Appearing on his weekly radio show Friday, Bloomberg criticized the teacher's union and the NAACP, two plaintiffs in the suit. He then attacked parents who continue to support those schools, saying some of them "never had a formal education'' and "don't understand the value of education.''
Zakiyah Ansari, a parent organizer with the Alliance for Quality Education, another plaintiff in the suit, called the mayor's comments "insulting.'' She told The New York Times that just because you're poor doesn't mean you're uneducated or "don't know what's best for your kids.''
Bloomberg spokesman Marc LaVorgna said the Mayor believes that schools that are failing students should be replaced with schools that work.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
In:
Featured Local Savings
CBS News New York
San Francisco Unified teachers' strike ends after tentative agreement reached
Rogers Park tenants say they're being sued for defamation by their landlord
Hundreds march in Concord on Valentine's Day in support of undocumented immigrants
Bondi's Culver City comments during House testimony were "bananas," mayor says
Kids needed as extras when "Mayor of Kingstown" returns to Pittsburgh
Minneapolis faces $203M "in impact" from Operation Metro Surge, city says
Denver accepting bids for new license plate reader service provider
CPS special ed assistant charged with putting 8-year-old student in chokehold