East Village Schools Split Along Racial Lines Under City Policy

East Village Schools Split Along Racial Lines Under City Policy

January 30, 2012 6:46am | By Julie Shapiro, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

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EAST VILLAGE — When Martha Kessler decided to send her son to the East Village Community School six years ago, one of the biggest draws was the tiny school's diversity.

The stately brick building on East 12th Street sits within easy walking distance of both million-dollar condos and public housing projects, and the school admitted plenty of children from both worlds through a process that prioritized racial and socioeconomic diversity.

But to Kessler and other parents' dismay, that careful balance did not last for long.

In 2007, the city put an end to the diversity-based admissions policies at the East Village Community School and other elementary schools in the neighborhood. Since then, the East Village Community School has seen a rapid influx of white and high-income families, according to parents andDepartment of Education figures.

"Our school has radically changed since they stopped looking at ethnicity," said Kessler, 47, an East Village resident who is co-president of the school's PTA and has two children there.

"I think it would be better for my kids to be exposed to a range of people."

While several schools in District 1 — which stretches from Chinatown up to 14th Street — have seen a drop in diversity since the city forced the district to change its admissions policies, the impact is clearest at the East Village Community School.

Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20120130/lower-east-side-east-village/city-policy-segregates-east-village-schools-parents-say?utm_content=chiefcharley472%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=East%20Village%20Schools%20Split%20Along%20Racial%20Lines%20Under%20City%20Policy&utm_campaign=Cops%20Dangle%20Gun-Wielding%20Suspect%20Outside%207th-Story%20Harlem%20Windowcontent#ixzz1kyXpsHt7