Page 2 - Suzan Sumer News Today

New York City has been spending heavily on sending drag queens into its public elementary schools, dropping more than $200,000 on appearances since 2018. 

The SEED program is part of a broader effort backed by roughly $200 million in federal relief funding to provide students with disabilities extra services outside of the traditional school day to address pandemic disruptions.

One principal said her team made a spreadsheet to keep track of kids who were impacted in some way – whether they witnessed it, passed through the station, or lived nearby – in order to connect them to additional support.

Fewer than 35% of eligible students have received extra tutoring and services through the academic recovery program — with many sitting out because of transportation problems, too-long school days or schools phasing out sessions.

Schools are grappling with how to respond as the area’s tight-knit community of Muslims from Gambia and other West African countries is reeling.