Disney World trip for homeless children funded by NYC Department of Ed manager's family.
Six NYC Department of Education staff members are accused of using city-funded trips for their own families, according to investigators.
According to a report, a New York City Department of Education manager and five other employees used city funds intended for homeless students to bring their own families on excursions to Disney World and other locations.
The SCI for New York City schools claims that the workers' actions prevented disadvantaged children from going on trips to the Magic Kingdom, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Boston, Rocking Horse Ranch Resort in upstate New York, and Frost Valley YMCA campground between 2016 and 2019.
Linda Wilson, the regional manager for the NYC Department of Education’s Queens Students in Temporary Housing, encouraged her colleagues to take their families on city-funded excursions, as she did with her two daughters, according to the SCI report released this month.
Investigators claimed that some spots on trips were occupied by the families of DOE employees, despite the rule that employees are not allowed to bring their families on trips, even if the DOE is reimbursed.
The report claimed that Wilson allegedly obtained permission slips by forging the names of students.
According to the report, Wilson believed that students would be visiting colleges when he scheduled some of these trips. However, the investigation revealed that Wilson would actually travel to other destinations instead of visiting schools.
In June 2018, Wilson allegedly accompanied students on a trip to Syracuse University. However, the university claimed that Wilson never visited the school. The investigation later revealed that Wilson had actually taken a detour to Niagara Falls instead.
In 2018, Wilson discovered that someone had disclosed their actions to others within the DOE, causing her to cancel a trip to Philadelphia. Subsequently, she is said to have told her colleagues, "What happens here stays with us."
One employee accused Wilson of instructing them to lie to investigators about bringing family on work trips, which led to workers blaming him for the policy.
The employee stated that everyone should adhere to the same story that we did not take our children on the trip.
Several Temporary Housing workers, including Program Manager Shaquieta Boyd, Family Assistant Joanne Castro, Family Assistant Mishawn Jack, Family Assistant Virgen Ramos, and Community Coordinator Maria Sylvester, were accused by other students of bringing family members on their trips.
In January 2023, the SCI finished its investigation and advised Chancellor David Bank to dismiss all six staff members and demand compensation from the DOE.
An SCI spokesperson informed the newspaper that the cases were not pursued for criminal prosecution because of "insufficient evidence."
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