Bloomberg Criticized For Comments On School Parents

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.

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