N.Y. principal out after students stormed halls protesting pro-Israel teacher
NEW YORK — The principal at Hillcrest High School, where hundreds of students last month stormed through the halls as they targeted a Jewish teacher for attending a pro-Israel rally, is out after coming under fire for the way he handled the disturbance at the school in Jamaica Hills, Queens.
But it will be a soft landing for Scott Milczewski, who is taking a job in the public school system’s central offices, the New York Daily News has learned. His last day at Hillcrest will be Friday.
“This is a difficult decision for me to make,” he said in an email after dismissal on Wednesday, “but I look forward to pursuing this new opportunity. I am grateful that in this new role I will be able to impact and affect teaching and learning in a meaningful way across the city.”
An estimated 400 young people flooded the Hillcrest corridors Nov. 20 to protest the Jewish staffer, who shared a photo of herself on social media at an off-campus protest, according to viral social media videos. The disturbance forced a lockdown, while the teacher was moved to another floor of the building to meet with police.
“Some of you may have heard today that we made a leadership change at Hillcrest High School, which I think given where we are at this moment was something that was needed for the school,” Schools Chancellor David Banks told the Panel for Educational Policy.
A petition calling for Milczewski’s ouster had reached close to 230 signatures by the time his departure was announced.
“The violence at Hillcrest High School did not start overnight,” read the description.
“He did not suspend students or hold them accountable in any way. Although he claimed to implement restorative practices, there were no trained staff or a program in place for restorative circles. Over the years, minor issues escalated into significant problems.”
A vote of no confidence was administered by the city’s teacher union chapter at Hillcrest, according to the petition.
Banks hinted the city will also be making announcements about its discipline code.
“We’ve heard from school leaders across the city that somehow or another over these last decades, they feel as though their hands were tied behind their back. Kids can do whatever they feel like doing, and we have no control or power over that. That is not going to happen on my watch,” he said.
The chancellor is also forming an interfaith advisory group to guide its response, he announced to the panel.
Milczewski will start as the city’s director of teacher development and evaluation, a position within the Department of Education’s Division of Teaching and Learning, according to the memo. His new salary was not immediately available.
His departure comes after five years at Hillcrest, where Banks graduated in 1980 and has visited several times since stepping into the system’s top role.
“(I) just want you to understand how important Hillcrest is to me personally,” Banks told the panel last month.
“Part of the reason I’m Chancellor today, ’cause I got elected as the vice president of the senior class at Hillcrest High School. And I kid around when I say this, but it’s not that far from the truth. To this day, it remains probably one of my proudest accomplishments.”
During Milczewski’s tenure, more Hillcrest students graduated on time, including those with disabilities or who don’t speak English at home, according to his email. He oversaw the school as it renovated its auditorium and gym, and partnered with Northwell Health for career opportunities.
“Together our students, staff, and parents worked tirelessly towards the continued improvement of Hillcrest,” Milczewski said, “and I am proud of the accomplishments we have achieved together.”
The city’s Department of Education had no further comment than the memo.