The choice of a Manhattan family advisory board to complete a non-binding quality calling for an investigation into the inclusion of transgender athletes on the girls ‘ basketball team has drawn scathing criticism and served as a powerful political talking point for Mayor Eric Adams and Schools Chancellor David Banks as they fight to keep control of the city’s public school system.
The contentious solution was approved by Community Education Council 2 on Wednesday evening by an 8- 3 ballot of an elected parent-led expert group for Lower Manhattan and the Upper East Side.
The group education council’s resolution, which was passed by an 8-to-3 vote, criticizes the city’s public schools ‘ policy that allows kids to play on sport groups that match their gender identity, and asks that the Department of Education form a committee to review and make changes recommendations.
David Bloomfield, an education plan professor at Brooklyn College, called the quality” a constitutionally meaningless, cruel, and discriminatory actions that subjects female nonconforming students and adults to increased risks of abuse, violence, and suicide”.
Since most community education councils are advisory bodies, their resolutions do n’t have direct policy implications. The elected bodies, mainly composed of parents of students, you simply voting on one problem: school district zoning changes. Usually, they’re limited to advising the Department of Education.
The decision may have no legal bearing, but it has potential political significance, especially given that it comes at the same time as the state legislature is considering changing its municipal control system for school governance.
Local elected leaders swiftly condemned the solution. In a post on Threads, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine warned that” the MAGA movement has come to Manhattan” and said he was “outraged” by the decision.
Levine wrote that the CEC has reneged on its obligation to address the real issues facing our institutions. Rather, they are wageing a culture war against our most vulnerable children in an effort to gain interest from the right-wing advertising. Truly disgusting”.
Assembly Members Deborah Glick and Tony Simone, state senators Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher said any endeavor to ban trans women from playing sports was “flatly illegal.”
” As dictated by our individual rights laws, transgender people, including transgender women, have the same freedom and possibilities as every other New Yorker”, the declaration reads. It is extremely revolting that a quite backward and dangerous quality is being proposed in a school district that encompasses many of Manhattan, including the neighborhoods of Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, and Greenwich Village, the birthplace of the contemporary LGBTQ civil rights movement.
Following a Nassau County ban on transgender girls and women from playing on girls and women’s sports teams at county-owned facilities, which led to the state attorney Letitia James issuing a cease-and-desist order, the Manhattan community education council issued a resolution.
An argument for mayoral control?
Supporters of mayoral control, which gives City Hall effective control over the city’s public school system, may benefit from the outcry over Community Education Council 2’s anti-trans resolution.
The New York City mayor has the authority to appoint the majority of the members of the Panel for Educational Policy, which serves as the city’s school board.
The law, which was first passed by the state legislature in 2002, was originally scheduled to go into effect in 2009 but has since been extended indefinitely. Most recently, the Legislature granted a two- year extension in 2022. Albany is once more forced to make a decision about the future of school governance in New York City because mayoral control is currently scheduled to expire on June 30.
The right-wing takeover of school boards across the nation has already been used as a talking point by Banks, the chancellor of schools, to support the preservation of mayoral control.
” Across this nation you’re watching community councils, school boards, removing books, banning books, preventing Black history from being taught”, he said during a press conference last week.
Community education councils will regain control over school policy if the law granting mayoral control of public schools is not extended by June, according to banks. On a daily basis, he said, he deals with “CECs who are engaging in negative behavior”.
But Bloomfield said that Banks ‘ description is inaccurate. If no action is not taken by June, the old school board would have control over school policy, which would necessitate new elections. Far from being empowered, the currently- constituted community education councils would be disbanded.
Community control
According to City & State’s education policy experts, the controversy surrounding Community Education Council 2 is likely to have an impact on the ongoing debate over whether to extend mayoral control.
This controversy is a perfect illustration of how community control can be used as a Trojan horse for dangerous policy goals, according to Jonathan Collins, a professor of political science and education at Columbia University’s Teachers College.
He said that under certain forms of community control, where the community education council would function like a traditional school board,” they would have power over policies, personnel, and budgeting decisions” and have a larger say over the schools in their districts.
Collins said that the Legislature should strive for an “equilibrium” between community and centralized control. We do want community input on school decisions and practices, but he added that there should be some central authority to provide important safeguards for minority groups. Central authority can also maintain some degree of continuity and balance between the various community districts. In other words, you empowered communities, but we need a centralized balance check to maintain equity”.
According to Bloomfield, the professor of education policy at Brooklyn College, community education councils are particularly vulnerable to being snatched up by right-wing organizations.
It demonstrates the dangers of low turnout elections being held by a motivated minority, especially since, with broader powers, community education elections would be open to all registered voters, not just parents but the general public, with less vested interest in schools and more interest in pushing other political agendas, he said. It’s a chance that lawmakers and even opponents of mayoral control might not be willing to take.
Conservative takeover
Maud Maron, a member of Community Education Council 2, and co-founder of the conservative parents ‘ organization” Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education,” is one of the main backers of the resolution. Former congressional candidate Marion has previously received criticism for her anti-trans views. She most recently spoke at a Moms for Liberty event in Manhattan. She reportedly stated in a private group chat in 2022 that” there is no such thing as trans kids.”
Maron’s group swept last year’s low- turnout community education council elections. It won 115 of the 147 races for citywide and community education councils, according to Chalkbeat. A majority of Community Education Council 2 is now under the control of Marion and her allies.
Maron responded directly to criticism of the resolution on Thursday, saying in a post on X that the elected officials who oppose it” cannot tolerate the mere request that female athletes have a seat at the table to discuss the impact of radical gender concepts on their lives, privacy &, sports opportunities.”
” The injuries are real. You should be able to acknowledge that female athletes should be able to discuss their concerns as QUITELY.”
However, another voter in favor of the resolution informed City & State that Maron’s concerns about trans girls were n’t shared by other district parents.
” The community does not want this”, said Sara Schacter- Erenbur, who was appointed to Community Education Council 2 by Levine.
Schacter-Erenbur reported finding no complaints about trans girls playing on sports teams after reaching out to the Public School Athletics League and other vendors who promote athletics in city public schools.
” Upcon discussion with ( the Public School Athletics League ) and other providers who also go by the gender inclusion policies, no parent has ever complained”, she said. ” There have been no complaints. Therefore, it is false to say that this is something that people are concerned about.
Hoylman-Sigal agreed that the parents ‘ opinions were n’t taken into account when the community education council was elected. He said,” I’m of the opinion that the vote from last night in no way represents the vast majority of parents in CEC2.
The debate in Albany
Senate Chair John Liu, a state senator from New York City, stated to City & State that his support for an extension of mayoral control would not be affected by the controversy surrounding the anti-trans resolution.
The ability of Community Education Councils to vote on a variety of non-binding, advisory resolutions will have little of an impact on the discussions surrounding mayoral control of public schools, he said.” While this effort to undermine standing NYC Public School policy to allow all students the chance to play sports is discriminatory and irresponsible, it is.
Instead, he intends to largely base his decision on the findings of a study being conducted by the state Education Department on the effects of mayoral control.
Hoylman-Sigal claimed to have “been a supporter of mayoral control in the past,” but that” the jury is still out” regarding whether he will support an extension. Hoylman- Sigal indicated that, in contrast to Liu, he would take into account the community education council’s anti-trans resolution when making his decision.
” It does raise the question of whether devolution of power to local boards would be beneficial,” Hoylman-Sigal said. ” It certainly raises the question”.
