NYC School Officials Took Kids on Trips Meant for Homeless Students: Report

NYC School Officials Took Kids on Trips Meant for Homeless Students: Report

Six employees of New York City's public school system were found to have taken their own children or grandchildren on trips to Disney World, New Orleans, and other destinations using funds intended for homeless students, according to a recently released report by the Special Commissioner of Investigation for New York City Schools.

The report, which was completed in January 2023 but only made public on September 9, 2024, details how these employees abused a program designed to provide enrichment opportunities for students living in shelters and temporary housing.

The investigation, sparked by a whistleblower's complaint in 2019, revealed that Linda Wilson, the Queens regional manager for the office supporting students in temporary housing, took her children on trips funded by grants meant for homeless students and encouraged other employees to do the same, instructing them to remain silent about it.

"What happens here stays with us," Wilson is quoted as saying to one staffer.

Wilson has denied the allegations, calling the investigation a "witch hunt." However, the report cites evidence, including forged permission slips and the use of an outside agency to avoid Department of Education oversight, to support its findings.

The special commissioner's office has recommended that Wilson and the other implicated staff members be fired and required to reimburse the school system for the expenses of their family members' trips. The Department of Education has confirmed that all staff involved are no longer employed by the city's public school system.

The investigation revealed that some trips, meant to be college tours, did not include actual visits to the intended campuses. A group including Wilson and one of her daughters, along with other staff and their children, ate lunch at Syracuse University during a trip in June 2018 but did not tour the campus. They instead left and went to Niagara Falls, according to the investigation.

The report highlights a disturbing pattern of abuse of resources intended for vulnerable students. It raises serious questions about accountability and transparency within the city's Department of Education.