Race, Class and P.S. 20's Controversial Principal
This weekend the Local’s Andy Newman followed up the extensive blog reporting on P.S. 20 he’s been doing with an article about Sean Keaton, the elementary school’s love-him-or-loathe-him principal. The story describes Keaton, who missed the Fort Greene school’s graduation last week—he was barred from attending by Dept. of Ed officials owing to assault charges…
This weekend the Local’s Andy Newman followed up the extensive blog reporting on P.S. 20 he’s been doing with an article about Sean Keaton, the elementary school’s love-him-or-loathe-him principal. The story describes Keaton, who missed the Fort Greene school’s graduation last week—he was barred from attending by Dept. of Ed officials owing to assault charges he’s facing for allegedly beating up a teacher’s union rep—as being at the center of a race-class divide: “In the resurgent brownstone bastions of Fort Greene, Boerum Hill and the fringes of Park Slope, affluent parents with one set of expectations for their children’s education — progressive, hands-on, emphasizing freedom — are clashing with longtime, working-class residents who prefer stricter, more structured educational models like the one Mr. Keaton favored, leaving principals caught in the crossfire…At P.S. 20, some of the conflict has been tinged with race: Mr. Keaton is black, as are three-quarters of the students, while many of the families who said they found him hard to work with are white. Much of it has to do with class. Some comes down to personal style: Even many of Mr. Keaton’s supporters say he can be abrasive and inclined to escalate rather than defuse tensions.” In a poll of Brownstoner readers a couple months ago that ran before the assault charges, 47 percent of you said Keaton should be removed from the school; 17 percent said he should stay; and 36 percent said you didn’t know enough about the issue to have an opinion one way or the other.
As Cultures Clash, Brooklyn Principal Faces Assault Charges [NY Times]
PS 20: It’s a Long Story [The Local]
Time for PS 20 Principal to Get The Boot? [Brownstoner]
Photo from the Bridge & Tunnel Club.
CSA, if this represents some kind of tribal “victory” for the other guy, i guess you lost? are you the victim here? you’ve somehow lost out because an out-of-control and possibly unstable individual has been removed as the head of your kid’s school? incredible.
“Knickerbocker, pls see WHat @ 12:47. Never thought a guy who claims to love the old Brooklyn would love the new suburbia.”
Hey Dumbass don’t twist my words! The idiots retards put themselves in to dumbass position! Moving to a neighborhood and want to change everything well move to Park Slope because PS 321 is the best School in the world, Oh I forgot you can’t afford Park Slpoe, Sorry…
The What
Someday this war is gonna end…
Yes, denton. Why didn’t he stay there???
“As a result, I have had to consider the worst fate I can imagine – suburban living. ”
Knickerbocker, pls see WHat @ 12:47. Never thought a guy who claims to love the old Brooklyn would love the new suburbia.
You moron, what. Nobody cares whether he is black or white.
TIME FOR YOU TO STFU.
“The union rep got what he deserved. He’s a real tough guy when it comes to little kids. He has a history of assaulting students. Since 2000, he has attacked/physically disciplined 3 students.”
See now we are getting somewhere! Why was the Union Rep on school grounds?????!!!!!
He attacked CHILDREN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This clown attack kids but everyone is all over the Principle because he is Black! Case F***** Closed. See Hypocrites you skirts are showing! F**** Losers LMMFAO!!!!
The What (Got stomped in The Face, LMMFAO!!)
Someday this war is gonna end…
As would be typical, it seems that whenever unions are involved there are injustices that would never occur “in the real world.”
And some people wonder why I rant on unions.
The union rep got what he deserved. He’s a real tough guy when it comes to little kids. He has a history of assaulting students. Since 2000, he has attacked/physically disciplined 3 students.
The fact that he the school union rep speaks to teachers unions as a whole.
The idea that he is a kindergarten teacher, given his rap sheet, is utterly appalling.
I am in this district and have a 2 year old, so I have been asking other neighborhood parents about PS 20 for awhile.
The biggest issue (prior to the assault) seemed to be about inclusion vs. exclusion of parents. Keaton was a ‘my way or the highway’ administrator, so if you questioned his methods, you were shut out of the process. This alienated many parents (all races, the real FG divider is wealth), and appeared to be the primary reason PS 11 (the other district school) has 7 – 8 new kindergarten classes, while PS 20 only has 2-3.
Yes, there is a racial component to this, but the bottom line is that Keaton had no interest in keeping all the people happy all the time, and created a division amongst parents in the area. This worked for him until he went (way) too far, and now he must face the consequences of his actions.
Unfortunately, my kid (and those other FG kids that are 2-5 years old) are the bigger losers, since the district school is in shambles. Moreover, there are hundreds of new kids about to move into all those new apartment towers they just built in the area. For obvious reasons, I am not optimistic that the City will find a workable solution.
As a result, I have had to consider the worst fate I can imagine – suburban living.