""A day after families and leaders from over 200 charter schools marched across the Brooklyn Bridge, powerful state lawmakers demanded an investigation into the event, saying they believed it was an inappropriate political rally despite organizers' claims to the contrary. New York state senators John Liu, of Queens, and Shelley Mayer, of Westchester - the chairs of their chamber's education committee who have both historically opposed charter school expansion - expressed concerns about the schools potentially pressuring families and staff to attend or face repercussions.""
""Canceling classes during a school day and forcing families and students to engage in a political rally is an egregious misuse of instructional time and state funds," Liu and Mayer wrote Friday to Education Department Commissioner Betty Rosa and State University of New York Chancellor John King. "Our state provides public dollars to charter schools to educate students, not for political activism or for influencing elections," the letter continued."
More than 200 charter schools participated in a Brooklyn Bridge march that prompted state lawmakers to call for an investigation. State senators John Liu and Shelley Mayer raised concerns that some schools may have pressured families and staff to attend and that classes were canceled for the event. The senators asked the Education Department and SUNY to determine whether any state laws were violated and to reclaim state funds if violations occurred. Success Academy, a rally organizer, canceled classes but said it did not seek to influence the mayoral race and instructed speakers not to mention candidates.
Read at Chalkbeat
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