Public School Employees Tell Immigrant Students In Bay Ridge, Sunset Park To “Start Packing Your Bags”

On the heels of Donald Trump’s presidential election, there has been an uptick of national hate crimes — especially those aimed at Muslims — and Brooklyn is no exception.

According to a letter sent to schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña last week and written by Councilman Carlos Menchaca and members of Community Education Council 15 and 21, public school employees in Bay Ridge and Sunset Park told immigrant students, “they’d better start packing their bags,” The Brooklyn Daily first reported.

“I recently met with parents from CECs 15 and 20 and local community organizations. They expressed urgent concerns about what their children have experienced at school since the recent national election,” Menchaca’s letter reads. “Parents have reported to me alarming details of recent student bullying, harmful language, hostile treatment by non-teacher employees, and students overhearing inappropriate comments among DOE staff.”

Indeed, all across New York, hate crimes are up this year, with a “31.5 percent uptick in bias incidents” reported in 2016 as compared to last year, Gothamist reported.

Menchaca suggested, in his letter, that the Department of Education sponsor outreach meetings for immigrant communities within Sunset Park whose children are being met with racist discrimination in school, Gothamist reported. As well, he requested that the DOE make sure their staff is trained to handle implicit bias.

UPDATED: Fixed misleading headline.