Ding Dong! Swinton is gone from Port Richmond HS

Can't believe Port Richmond did in a year what Law couldn't do in 7. Good for them.... Former teacher at Swinton's old school

Port Richmond parents, staffers and students have complained about Swinton’s management, charging that she de-funded popular programs and spent $400,000 to hire friends.... NY Post

You see, the DOE doesn't give a crap if she spent 400G to hire her friends or de-fund programs or treat teachers, kids and parents like crap. They were about to appoint her permanently.

This was sent from a contact at the school:

https://m.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/breaking-news/school-principal-busted-for-interstate-insurance-scam-104128.aspx

NY Post's Susan Edelman:

Alleged insurance scammer principal finally ousted from job

The Staten Island principal charged with felony insurance fraud has been bounced from her job, The Post has learned.
Oneatha Swinton, interim acting principal of Port Richmond HS, was caught registering her luxury cars at the Pennsylvania home of a city vendor she had hired — a scheme first exposed by The Post in November.

“The decision to remove Ms. Swinton was made in the best interest of the school community,” said city Department of Education spokesman Doug Cohen.
Swinton was a no-show at Monday’s commencement ceremony for 394 graduating seniors.
“She wanted today to be about you, the graduates, and didn’t want anything to take away from your special day,” Assistant Principal Andrew Greenfield told the crowd.
Swinton’s name was mentioned a few times during the ceremony, but there was little reaction, said parent Joann Nellis: “There was no cheering, there were no boos.”
Greenfield, a Port Richmond assistant principal since 2001, will take over as acting principal until a new leader is chosen, the DOE said.
Port Richmond parents, staffers and students have complained about Swinton’s management, charging that she de-funded popular programs and spent $400,000 to hire friends.
After release of criminal charges against Swinton by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office, a group of school leaders sent a letter to Chancellor Richard Carranza demanding her “immediate removal.”
The DOE would not say whether Swinton, who remains on the city payroll, has been assigned to a new post.

Video: Parent Activist on Abusive Principal Oneatha Swinton, Arrested Yesterday

"She will remain as interim acting principal at the school while we review the charges," said a spokesman for the Department of Education.  "We treat these matters with the utmost seriousness and will ensure it's appropriately addressed." ... Staten Island Advance, June 22, 2018

Today is Port Richmond HS interim acting principal Oneatha Swinton day at Ed Notes as we put up a series of reports on the breaking story. Swinton, who was arrested yesterday in Pennsylvania for insurance fraud, came to Port Richmond as a principal who abused teachers and parents at her old school in Brooklyn's John Jay campus at the School of Journalism, didn't change her stripes at Port Richmond.

One of the founders of MORE and GEM, a strong fighter against racism in his political work, was the chapter leader at the Brooklyn school and posted this response:

I had the “pleasure“ of teaching at her school for five years. Can’t cheat karma :)

I mention racism because Staten Island politician Debbie Rose has defended Swinton by charging the critics were racist.

A leading parent from Swinton's old school -- the PTA President was Annette Renaud. As a black woman abused and physically assaulted by Swinton and put in the hospital in 2016, Renaud rejects these charges of racism. (We will have more details of this assault which was ignored by OSI - until this past month when the DOE probably learned that something was going on that would take Swinton down and is trying to cover its ass.)

Here is the first video I posted on FB of Annette outside the Delegate Assembly where she handed out a leaflet to raise the issue in the hope the UFT leadership would take strong action.



Later, I will put up another video of Annette in front of the DA and in Brooklyn at the location of the PEP meeting which seemed to have been moved - with more news stories.

Here is a short video I made of a large group of parents and teachers who attended the April PEP meeting:

Video: PEP April 25, 2018 - Port Richmond HS Protest Principal

https://vimeo.com/267774737



And here is the Staten Island Advance story from yesterday:

https://www.silive.com/news/2018/06/interim_port_richmond_hs_princ.html

Interim Port Richmond High School Principal Oneatha Swinton was arrested for insurance fraud, authorities said. (Staten Island Advance/Annalise Knudson)

By Mira Wassef

mwassef@siadvance.com

NY1 Reports on Abusive Port Richmond HS Principal Oneatha Swinton

See below for the June 13 NY1 report on the principal.

Ed Notes has covered the Port Richmond story. Here is a short video I shot at the PEP:

Video: PEP April 25, 2018 - Port Richmond HS Protest Principal

https://vimeo.com/267774737 

 

People from the school have been in touch through an intermediary. Swinton has a bad rep from her old school at the John Jay Campus in Brooklyn and supposedly has brought along a number of her cronies. One of the MORE people had been chapter leader at the Brooklyn school and said she was awful. Yet, she will probably get appointed, thus continuing the tradition of putting in DOE slugs.

I am urging people who are willing to take a stand against abusive principals publicly to show up and sign up to speak at PEP meetings directly to the chancellor. Tell your stories for public consumption. The next PEP is next Weds, June 20 at Prospect Hts campus.

I'm also working with James Eterno on a plan to gather people from various high schools together to come up with joint strategies and maybe joint actions, including how to get people in their own schools on board. This summer we will hold some behind the scenes meetings. At the June 22 ICE meeting we will talk about the feasibility.

New details have emerged about the interim acting principal at Staten Island's Port Richmond High School.

Oneatha Swinton was appointed to PRHS as interim acting principal last July. Now the city Education Department is considering making her temporary appointment permanent, despite multiple complaints made by parents and teachers.

Swinton previously was principal at John Jay high school in Brooklyn.

When she left the Education Department's Office of Special Investigation had been looking into complaints by parents, alleging on cronyism and transparency.

That inquiry continues and others have since launched, including one looking at allegations she drives a car registered to a Pennsylvania address also used by an Education Department contractor.

Other complaints allege spending more than $400,000 on unnecessary positions for her friends and inflating grades to boost graduation rates.

Parents and teachers say they also have filed complaints with the governor's office which referred them to the state Education Department. That agency declined to comment as did Swinton. 

City Councilwoman Debi Rose downplays the concerns, telling NY1, "How many people that are in positions of power that are under investigation have been under investigation? And I don't think it's fair until you know, all of that's been, gone through the process and been decided."

NY1 has learned that two other principals considered for the position were told they would not get the job back in April, leaving only Swinton as a potential candidate.

Still, despite the ongoing investigations the Department of Education insists that the selection process continues.

Acting Port Richmond principal likely to win post amid probes

By Amanda Farinacci  |  June 13, 2018 @11:59 AM

Video at

Acting Port Richmond principal likely to win post amid probes

By Amanda Farinacci  |  June 13, 2018 @11:59 AM

http://www.ny1.com/nyc/staten-island/news/2018/06/13/new-details-in-controversy-over-acting-principal-at-staten-island-hs-

Port Richmond HS Parents lobby Cuomo to block principal Oneatha Swinton appointment

UPDATE 1:30PM - http://www.silive.com/news/2018/05/parents_look_to_stop_port_rich.html

Six candidates were interviewed by parents and teachers in March. All but Swinton, who they ranked in the bottom half, have received rejection letters, sources confirmed. In their letter to Cuomo, parents cited The Post’s investigation. They also complained that Swinton had misused school funds by making unnecessary hires and refused to share the school budget... NY Post

Let's hope the new Chancellor makes a clean sweep of some of these characters.
 

The April 25 PEP brought out a contingent of Port Richmond HS parents, students and teachers protesting their principal, Oneatha Swinton, who also got bad reviews at the Secondary School for Journalism at the John Jay HS Campus in Brooklyn (Inside School, comments).

Here is a short video I made that night after meeting parent activist Annette Renaud, who was going to bring a contingent of teachers and parents to the UFT Ex Bd meeting to raise questions directly to the chancellor but that meeting was closed to outsiders. Maybe another visit to the PEP is in order.

Video: PEP April 25, 2018 - Port Richmond HS Protest

https://vimeo.com/267774737

Sue Edelman in the NY Post has a piece on the parents going directly above the heads of the DOE to Cuomo, thus giving him another chance to embarrass de Blasio again. The DOE has still been sheltering abusive principals. When de Blasio makes his weekly appearance on the Brian Lehrer show, people are beginning to call up and ask about specific cases.

Here is Sue's story

Parents lobby Cuomo to block  principal’s appointment

By Mary Kay Linge and Susan Edelman
https://nypost.com/2018/05/20/parents-lobby-cuomo-to-block-shady-principals-appointment/