and keep her away from administering her hatred for the poor anywhere.
It is shocking that the Department has not remedied this situation and has not permitted kind-hearted donors to give the "poor" kids a carnival.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=
Shame, Carmen Farina
Betsy Combier
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| PS 120 in Queens held its carnival for students whose families could shell out $10 -- but banished those of modest means to the auditorium. |
A carnival owner and other would-be benefactors — including a real-estate developer and the wife of an NBA star — want to throw a free carnival for all the kids at Flushing’s PS 120.
But all week, Principal Joan Monroe, whose cold-hearted policy of excluding from the school’s May 21 carnival all kids who didn’t pay a $10 entry fee was exposed by The Post, did not return phone calls from people who wanted to make it up to the disappointed youngsters.
The deep-pocketed donors included Gary Pincus, owner of Send in the Clowns, the entertainment company that staged the carnival, and Long Island real-estate developer Daren Hornig, who both offered to pay for a bigger and better carnival that would not cost any child a cent.
It was only on Friday, after The Post contacted City Hall, that a staffer in the mayor’s Community Affairs Office finally called Hornig.
“They’re going to assist in setting up a date,” an elated Hornig said. “I’m very optimistic we’re going to make something happen.”
Pincus said he will donate another carnival with the same seven rides, including giant inflatable slides, a bounce house and obstacle course, along with a DJ, games, ice cream and popcorn.
Pincus, who puts on parties for the New York Mets, said team contacts have also offered to help, perhaps with a visit by their big-headed, big-hearted mascot, Mr. Met.
All 1,000 kids in the school will be invited, Pincus said.
Pincus said he charged the school a discounted $4,500 fee for the May 21 carnival. The parents association which sponsored the event made a profit of more than $4,000, which it said would pay for other school expenses.
Many Post readers were shocked by the principal’s strict no-pay, no-play rule. About 100 kids were forced to sit in the auditorium within earshot of the music and shrieks of delight from outside — and some cried or thought they were being punished. Even kids who went were saddened because friends were left out.
Nadia Bonner, wife of San Antonio Spurs star Matt Bonner, contacted The Post to find out how she could help.
“I’m willing to cover the cost of the whole party,” she said. “It broke my heart.”
Department of Education officials would only say that the District 25 superintendent is “considering the proposal” to hold another carnival.
“We are grateful for this generous offer,” said Department spokeswoman Devora Kaye . Kaye said excluding children from a school celebration because they didn’t pay violates department regulations.
Meanwhile, the Chinese-American Planning Council and Queens Assemblyman Ron Kim announced Friday they will host a free carnival in downtown Flushing this summer and invite all area children.
“The recent incident at PS 120 is simply unacceptable and we will not sit idly while all those children may be deeply traumatized,” Kim said in a statement.
, May 24, 2015But all week, Principal Joan Monroe, whose cold-hearted policy of excluding from the school’s May 21 carnival all kids who didn’t pay a $10 entry fee was exposed by The Post, did not return phone calls from people who wanted to make it up to the disappointed youngsters.
The deep-pocketed donors included Gary Pincus, owner of Send in the Clowns, the entertainment company that staged the carnival, and Long Island real-estate developer Daren Hornig, who both offered to pay for a bigger and better carnival that would not cost any child a cent.
 |
| Principal Joan Monroe |
It was only on Friday, after The Post contacted City Hall, that a staffer in the mayor’s Community Affairs Office finally called Hornig.
“They’re going to assist in setting up a date,” an elated Hornig said. “I’m very optimistic we’re going to make something happen.”
Pincus said he will donate another carnival with the same seven rides, including giant inflatable slides, a bounce house and obstacle course, along with a DJ, games, ice cream and popcorn.
Pincus, who puts on parties for the New York Mets, said team contacts have also offered to help, perhaps with a visit by their big-headed, big-hearted mascot, Mr. Met.
All 1,000 kids in the school will be invited, Pincus said.
Pincus said he charged the school a discounted $4,500 fee for the May 21 carnival. The parents association which sponsored the event made a profit of more than $4,000, which it said would pay for other school expenses.
Many Post readers were shocked by the principal’s strict no-pay, no-play rule. About 100 kids were forced to sit in the auditorium within earshot of the music and shrieks of delight from outside — and some cried or thought they were being punished. Even kids who went were saddened because friends were left out.
Nadia Bonner, wife of San Antonio Spurs star Matt Bonner, contacted The Post to find out how she could help.
“I’m willing to cover the cost of the whole party,” she said. “It broke my heart.”
Department of Education officials would only say that the District 25 superintendent is “considering the proposal” to hold another carnival.
“We are grateful for this generous offer,” said Department spokeswoman Devora Kaye . Kaye said excluding children from a school celebration because they didn’t pay violates department regulations.
Meanwhile, the Chinese-American Planning Council and Queens Assemblyman Ron Kim announced Friday they will host a free carnival in downtown Flushing this summer and invite all area children.
“The recent incident at PS 120 is simply unacceptable and we will not sit idly while all those children may be deeply traumatized,” Kim said in a statement.
More pictures of the kids who paid having fun:
No pay, no play! Poor kids banned from school carnival
LINK
No party for the poor.
PS 120 in Flushing held a carnival for its students Thursday, but kids whose parents did not pay $10 were forced to sit in the auditorium while their classmates had a blast.
But more than 100 disappointed kids were herded into the darkened auditorium to just sit or watch an old Disney movie while aides supervised — the music, shouts and laughter outside still audible.
Kids whose parents weren’t able to pay the $10 admission fee sit out the carnival in the school’s auditorium.
The must-pay rule excluded some of the poorest kids at the elementary, where most parents are Chinese immigrant families crammed into apartments and “struggling to keep their heads above water,” staffers said.
“It’s breaking my heart that there are kids inside,” one teacher said.
The teacher hugged a 7-year-old girl who was “crying hysterically.”
“She was the only one from her class who couldn’t go, so she was very upset,” the teacher said.
The girl told others, “My mom doesn’t care about me.” But the teacher said parents possibly did not see or understand the flier that went home or didn’t have $10 to spare.
“Are we being punished?” one child asked an aide in the auditorium as kids sat there with no movie playing , a staffer said.
Principal Joan Monroe tacked up a list of the number of students per class: “How many attending, Paid,” and “How many not attending, Not paid.”
On Thursday morning , Monroe used the school loudspeaker to remind teachers to send in a list of kids who did not pay.
While teachers were handed a bag of little stuffed animals to give kids who paid for the carnival, one withheld them until she could add her own gifts for the half-dozen or so kids in her class who didn’t go.
“I think everybody should have gotten a prize, regardless,” she said. “They’re still part of our school community.”
The teacher hushed excited kids when they returned to class — some with bags of popcorn — after the carnival.
She had them put it away and do a quiet activity, so those who took part in the fun couldn’t talk about it and hurt those left out.
Another teacher was sickened by the inequity.
“If you are doing a carnival during school hours, it should be free,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s one kid or 200 sitting in the auditorium. They all should have been out there.”
Frank Chow, president of the parents association that sponsored the carnival, said Monroe insisted that kids whose parents didn’t pay could not partake.
“She was saying it’s not fair to the parents who paid,” Chow said. “You can’t argue much, I guess. The school is under her.”
The carnival cost about $6,200, including fees to a carnival company, Send In the Clowns, and reaped a $2,000 to $3,000 profit, he added.
“I wish we just charged parents the cost, not to make extra,” Chow said.
The profit is earmarked for the pre-K, kindergarten and fifth-grade moving-up parties, he said.
PS 120 families also have paid annual PA dues of $15 per family. That money will be spent on window air-conditioning units, Chow said.
Monroe did not return calls and an email from The Post.
1 comment:
If it's a "pay" thing and not a "school" thing for the kids at school, why didn't they hold it on a Saturday instead? I'm thinking this was done purposely to embarrass the poor kids.
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