Parents of students who attend P.S. 11 say they want their parent coordinator back because without him, nothing gets accomplished.
Charles Woods was fired from his position as parent coordinator at P.S. 11 back in June. According to Woods, he lost his job because he didn?t see eye to eye with the school?s principal.
?We have a principal who is not about parent empowerment. It's about keeping parents in the dark about what their rights are,? Woods says.
Parents say there are a lot of problems at the school, such as safety hazards, misuse of funds and a lack of programs for special education and ESL students. According to parents, these were all issued Woods was working to fix.
When parents heard Woods was fired, they gathered signatures for a petition and took action. The head of the PTA reached out to Superintendent Dolores Esposito three weeks ago. The only response from Esposito was an e-mail.
?Please be patient and you will get a proper response from our office,? the message read. News 12 The Bronx also reached out to Esposito, but no calls were returned.
Now, parents say they?ve waited long enough.
?Without Mr. Woods, there would be nothing,? one parent says. ?We wouldn?t have a community. Without him, there?s nothing at all.?
After serving the school for five years, Woods won?t be present on the first day of school this fall ? unless parents can convince Esposito to give him his job back. A meeting has been scheduled for Aug. 4 to discuss the issues at hand.
The Department of Education says it is taking the allegations seriously and is investigating.