Francisco Garabitos received a hero's welcome at last night's Community Education Council 9 meeting at CIS 166 on East 164th Street.
That's the same Francisco Garabitos who barricaded himself inside a classroom at MS 328 in Morrisania last Friday, and allegedly threatened to blow up the school.
"Francisco, thank you for coming," said John Moncrief, a CEC 9 council member. "It's an honor to be here with you."
A furious Garabitos, who says he's facing 3-6 month in prison, spoke for 10 minutes or so about his ordeal, why he did what he did, why he's now being unfairly treated, and what needs to be done differently at the school. You can get the gist of his position by reading the press release below, which was handed out at the meeting. (For the record, he denies making any reference to a bomb.)
Garabito (pictured) was warmly received by the Council because his protest was directed at the school's principal, and in essense at the city's Department of Education itself.
Indeed, the three-hour meeting was essentially one long tirade - delivered by CEC council members, parents and advocates - against the DOE and mayoral control of schools, which comes up for review in June.
See here and here for opposing views as to whether or not mayoral control has been a success.
Garabitos' press release. Click to enlarge.
That "press release" is written which the literacy skills of a fifth grader!
ReplyDeleteI know Garabitos. I worked with him. He is a nut. For years he threatened teachers and students with physical violence. He stole teachers property. He cemented laptops to tables. He was disliked by students, teachers, and administration.
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