A school in Brooklyn is facing criticism from concerned former staff members and the general public after the release of a video that allegedly shows an assistant teacher belittling a first-grader for fumbling a math problem. The video, which was "recorded surreptitiously" in 2014 before being anonymously leaked to the New York Times, shows Success Academy charter school teacher Charlotte Dial screaming at the student before ripping up her homework in front of the class:
The video was shared with the Times by a former staff member in November, shortly after her exit from Success Academy. As questions regarding the school's discipline policies started to arise, Dial was suspended by Success pending an ongoing investigation. However, less than two weeks later, Dial returned to her position just as the charter group dismissed the incident as merely an "anomaly." Carly Ginsberg, who briefly taught at Success Academy Prospect Heights, actually recounts several instances of witnessing similar "humiliation," including one instance in which a student cried so hard she puked. "It felt like I was witnessing child abuse," Ginsberg tells the Times.
"I felt sick about the teacher I had become," Jessica Sliwerski, a former Success Academy teacher and assistant principal, says of her experience with the school system. "I no longer wanted to be part of an organization where adults could so easily demean children under the guise of 'achievement.'" Though some parents have spoken out in support of Ms. Dial and argue that the video should not be taken as indicative of her usual teaching style, independent reporting from the Times paints a far more murkier picture of Success Academy's history.
In fact, as reported by Capital New York, the Success Academy charter school network was sued by a family alleging discrimination against their son due to "learning disabilities." The suit, in which the family is requesting compensatory damages, was filed in federal court earlier this month.
