(11/30/07) THE BRONX – A major trip for P.S. 70’s chess team, the Bronx Bombers, has been canceled, and parents are directing their anger at the school’s principal.
The team, which is the same team the movie?
The Knights of South Bronx? was based on, was scheduled to leave Thursday for Houston, TX for a national tournament. Parents of the students on the team say the trip has been in the works for about a year, and they want answers as to why it has been called off at the last minute.
To not go to nationals, it would be “well not tragic that’s like a hurricane,” Emmanuel Khodra, a fifth-grader at P.S. 70, says. “But it wouldn’t be right because we need to keep the tradition alive.” The Bombers have cleaned up in competitions over the last decade.
Parents blame Principal Kerry Castellano. They say she has already changed her mind about three times as to whether the children would be allowed to attend the tournament. Parents claim Castellano is using the trip to settle personal differences she has with the Chess Coordinator Jonathan Alejandro, who is also the chapter head of the teachers union.
The parents also say that money is not an issue. There is an anonymous donor, they say, who would pay the $15,000 for both the chess team and parents to attend the tournament.
Castellano defends her decision. She issued a written statement saying that she is in full support of the chess team, but is bound to all judicial responsibilities and protocols for the safety and well-being of students.
Alejandro countered this, saying that because of the anonymous donor, safety wouldn’t be an issue.
“He’s paying for each parent to go with each child. That way, the safety issue is resolved because you have the parent with you,” Alejandro says.
Parents and students hope Castellano will change her mind again before Thursday. They say it is still a possibility, because the reservations for the trip are already booked and the anonymous donor has already agreed to pay any late fees the team may have incurred.
Video : http://news12.cv.net/video/FX1130UT.wmv
Wow. What safety issues? That would be a shame if the P.S. 70 team didn’t make it to Nationals.
I sent an email to Joel Klein Chancellor of The New York City Department Of Education. I have asked him to help resolve the situation and help the children go to the tournament. I used the link below:
http://schools.nyc.gov/ContactDOE/ChancellorMessage.htm
Michigan Chess Dad
Wow, this is quite sad and hurts the children. I hope this can be resolved soon.
This principal must be consulting with Burt Lafferti, Sami Sloani, Bret Mottersheadi, and Harriet Paini. They’re good in destroying chess.
I am an employee at the school. This principal has gone off the deep end. She has let her title get the best of her, and she thinks that whatever she says goes.
Besides taking the chess trip away from the students, she has eliminated all of the top classes as well. She has come into an inner-city school to destroy the dreams of minority children. GET RID OF HER!!!!
Now we all know what’s wrong with the New York City Department of Education. This principal is a disgrace and needs to be removed from the school. What will she take away next? Mr. Chancellor, where are you getting your principals from..Dial-a-Principal?
These kids have been working every morning before school and three days a week after school, and compete every saturday in chess tournaments to practice for this Tournament. They have a great chance to win one or more of the Elementary sections. It would be a shame if these kids cannot participate just because of a vengeful principal.
I hope Chancellor Klein gets wind of this sad story and helps make it right. No person should have the power to destroy the dreams of these kids.
This is exactly the way Castellano (principal PS 70) runs her school. I teach there and can’t tell you how many careers she’s tried to harm because of personal conflicts. Basically if you have an opinion you need to keep it to yourself. She has tried to break our union and
Alejandro has fought for teacher’s rights. Castellano does not care about anything or anyone if her personal feelings are involved. It’s insane to suggest sending these kids to the tournament without their coach. Suffer the children.
It would be a great help if the public made their voices heard. Email the chancellor and help these kids.
Why is that no one is questioning why the chess coach is being investigated in the first place. People so easily judge and spread blame. Not everything is so black and white. I am sure there is more to the story and there was was a substantial reason for the trip to be put in jeopardy. Why would a principal want to put students in the middle of a so-called conflict. Convincing 10 out of 13 students to boycott the trip is what I find disturbing. This man has used his students to battle his allegations.
The coach is being investigated because Principals can say and do what they want! They have the backing of Klein to do this until a major lawsuit happens or a “tragedy” I see Principals in this sytem getting away with murder.
Your implication that Mr. Aljandro is putting his students up to this is disgusting. The parents back him. Are you saying he is manipulating the parents too?
I have been the victim of a vindictive Principal and I know what they can do and how they do it. I am an upstanding citizen and US Coast Guard veteran and a 20 year veteran of the DOE and no “serious” charges have ever been brought against me but my principal is trying and trying.
Do you think it is fun to live this way? Do you think Mr. Alejandro wants to spend his energy addressing these alleged charges or working with the chess team?
Are you an Adminstrator?