District 3 is headquartered at 154 West 93rd Street, the Joan of Arc building (Google Maps)
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A newly published video of the February 10 Community Education Council District 3 meeting reveals the specific remarks an adult participant made while students were giving testimony — comments that Superintendent Dr. Reginald Higgins has condemned as “racially offensive and rooted in anti-Blackness.”
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In the video, posted to the CEC3 website, a woman who thought she was muted can be heard saying: “They’re too dumb to know they’re in a bad school. It’s like, if you train a Black person well enough, they’ll know to use the back — you don’t have to tell them anymore.”When the remarks were made, multiple attendees could be seen on the Zoom call with visibly horrified reactions.
The comments were made during a discussion about the possible relocation of several Upper West Side schools, including the Community Action School. A student from the school was speaking at the time the remarks were made.
In response, a man who appeared to be the moderator said: “Allyson Friedman, what you’re saying is absolutely hearable; you’ve got to stop.”
Click play to listen (the recording stops at around the 43 second mark; also, try listening on desktop if you’re having trouble hearing it on mobile):
Following our initial report, ILTUWS received two separate tips from meeting attendees identifying the speaker as Allyson Friedman, a parent of a Center School student and a professor at Hunter College.
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Both tipsters described the comments as targeting students at the Community Action School, whose student body is predominantly Black and Latino.After receiving the tips, we reached out to Friedman for comment. We have not heard back from her.
One attendee told ILTUWS that Friedman “insinuated that students of color couldn’t learn as well as white students” and “said the students should be taught to vacuum because they’ll end up being cleaning people when they grow up.” The attendee added that Friedman was “immediately called out by two women, one of color, who were on via Zoom.”
A second attendee provided a similar account, saying Friedman “called the students at Community Action School duds, insinuated that they aren’t able to learn as well as other students and said they would end up with cleaning jobs anyway.”
Both tipsters said Friedman’s only apology came roughly 40 minutes later in the meeting chat, where she wrote: “Deepest apology for the inappropriate comment — Zoom mishap.”
We were also emailed a screenshot of Friedman’s profile picture for the chat, which closely resembles this professional profile page.
In a February 18 email to the District 3 community, Dr. Higgins directly named the nature of the harm.
“During our recent Community Education Council meeting, an adult participant made comments that were racially offensive and rooted in anti-Blackness,” Dr. Higgins wrote. “These remarks demeaned an entire predominantly Black and Latinx school community, disrespected the student presenter, and caused real harm to those present.”
He added: “I want to acknowledge the deep hurt this incident caused, particularly to our Black students, families, and staff. Naming this harm directly is essential: Black students were targeted, disrespected, and made to feel unsafe in a space that should have uplifted and protected them.”
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Dr. Higgins said the meeting video has been redacted to protect the identity and privacy of the student who was speaking, though the offensive comments remain audible. He outlined several steps the district has taken in response, including direct follow-up with the individuals involved, support for impacted students and staff, reinforcement of meeting norms, and what he described as “a renewed commitment to equity, including actions that specifically confront anti-Blackness.”The superintendent also said the district will implement additional measures to prevent future incidents, including training for parent leaders on Zoom security settings and facilitation controls, and ongoing engagement with Black families.
CEC District 3 has announced that a formal statement regarding the incident will be discussed and voted on in public at its next meeting on March 3, in accordance with Open Meetings Law. The meeting will take place at the Joan of Arc Building, 154 West 93rd Street and on Zoom. It’s also listed on the CEC3 website (scroll down a bit on the home page).
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