Stay updated with breaking news from Suzan Sumer. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
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.