“Who called me a liar?” Reggie Mayo said. Then he stormed out of a meeting with parent critics.
That’s what critics said after school officials canceled a planned meeting with them Monday night.
School officials declined to give their side of the story to the press.
Schools Superintendent Mayo and school construction chief Sue Weisselberg showed up to the public library on Elm Street Monday night for a scheduled meeting with the parent activist group Teach Our Children (TOC).
The meeting was called to address Spanish translation in the schools — an issue the group highlighted in a protest last week. The group argues that as the school system moves forward with ambitious school reform plans, a quarter of parents are being left behind because of a Spanish language barrier.
Monday’s meeting was never translated, however: It was aborted just minutes after it began and school officials refused to comment on what happened.
In the language of the parent activists, they were snubbed by school officials who broke a promise to help Spanish-speaking parents get involved in their kids’ education.
In the language of school officials pushing reforms that aim to include parents, Teach Our Children is too far outside the margins to collaborate with: The group doesn’t play by the rules, and it disrespects school officials; so there will be no discussion.
According to TOC parent leader Nilda Aponte, Mayo showed up at 6:25 p.m. for a meeting that was set for 6 p.m. at a basement conference room of the public library. He was greeted by five teachers and one TOC staffer, Megan Fountain.
“Who called me a liar?” was the first thing Mayo asked, according to Aponte. She said she tried to get started with the meeting.
“Who called me a liar?” Mayo repeated, according to Aponte.
Mayo was referring to a meeting last Monday at the school board, where TOC parent leader Alberto Nieves accused Mayo of breaking a promise to provide Spanish translators and Spanish-language materials at parent orientation night.
“Mayo promised translation and it didn’t happen,” Nieves told the board. “He lied to us.” Mayo was not at the meeting.
Nieves came forward to Mayo Monday and identified himself.
Mayo refused to meet with the group unless Nieves left the room, according to TOC.
“Either Alberto leaves, or I leave,” Mayo announced. With that, he left the meeting before it even began.
That’s the story TOC told. The school district wouldn’t tell its side of the story.
“At this time we have no comment,” wrote schools spokeswoman Michelle Wade in an email Monday night on behalf of Mayo. Weisselberg also declined comment. Mayo did not return a reporter’s phone call.
In Mayo’s absence Monday, TOC members lingered over a pot of coffee and pizza and held a meeting on their own. Then they spoke with the press.
Nieves said his comment was “not a personal attack.” He said his statement was simple: Mayo made a promise and broke it.
According to TOC, Mayo made a promise at an Aug. 5 meeting with TOC to provide translators at parent orientation nights for schools, as well as to translate school documents and the district website into Spanish. Nieves said he showed up on parent orientation night at Bishop Woods later that month and was offered no translator and could not find a Spanish-language copy of the school policy handbook.
Monday’s incident compounded a sense of disappointment in the school district, parents said.
“The reason we had the meeting was to address an important issue” of translation, said Nancy Carranza, a parent in the group. She said TOC parents are volunteering their time to find a way to get more involved with their kids’ education.
Mayo used the “accusation” as “an excuse not to meet and get to work on a very important issue,” Carranza charged.
“For him to walk out on us is a huge disappointment,” she said.
Aponte, who has four school-aged children, came to the meeting equipped with a folder of materials she said the school has failed to translate. By federal law, schools must translate notices to parents.
Aponte paged through a folder of documents she said were sent to a Bishop Woods parent only in English. They included: A report card, an invitation to parent orientation night, and a policy handbook. The school translated most documents in a school orientation packet, but Aponte said she found one that was overlooked.
In interview last week, schools Chief Operating Officer Will Clark maintained that the district is in full compliance with translation requirements. He said all orientation materials are provided in Spanish, as is the policy handbook of each school. He questioned the veracity of Nieves’ statement.
Clark said TOC uses obstructionist tactics, makes “disingenuous” claims and has routinely opted to protest in front of the press instead of collaborate with school officials.
Clark added that the school district has added a Google translator feature to its website, so that parents can translate the web pages into any language of their choice.
The automated translations are wrought with errors and leave a lot to be desired, Aponte said Monday.
“You can’t just translate word by word,” she said.
Some previous stories about New Haven’s school reform drive:
• Reformer Moves Inside
• After Teacher Vote, Mayo Seeks “Grand Slam”
• Will Teacher Contract Bring D.C. Reward?
• What About The Parents?
• Teachers, City Reach Tentative Pact
• Philanthropists Join School Reform Drive
• Wanted: Great Teachers
• “Class of 2026” Gets Started
• Principal Keeps School On The Move
• With National Push, Reform Talks Advance
• Nice New School! Now Do Your Homework
• Mayo Unveils Discipline Plan
• Mayor Launches “School Change” Campaign
• Reform Drive Snags “New Teacher” Team
• Can He Work School Reform Magic?
• Some Parental Non-Involvement Is OK, Too
• Mayor: Close Failing Schools
• Union Chief: Don’t Blame The Teachers
• 3‑Tiered School Reform Comes Into Focus
• At NAACP, Mayo Outlines School Reform
• Post Created To Bring In School Reform
• Board of Ed Assembles Legal Team
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The google translator is pretty rough...but it generally gives you the gist of meaning...especially English to Spanish and vice versa.
Wow...what a battle...I can't figure out who is more reactionary...TOC or RM.
...our tax dollars at work...