School Chancellor Dennis Walcott talks outside PS 87 today. (David McGlynn)
Administrators at an Upper West Side elementary school where a staffer was busted for sexual abuse Friday didn’t know of his prior history because he had been disciplined verbally rather than in writing, schools chancellor Dennis Walcott told anxious parents today.
At the meeting packed with nearly 500 parents at PS 87, Walcott said he would seek to address the communication gap that allowed the school to hire Gregory Atkins without knowing he had been found to have acted inappropriately with a young student back in 2006.
An investigation by the Special Commissioner of Investigation concluded Atkins had been improperly spending time with the MS 322 student outside of school and buying him gifts, including a jock strap. It did not find that the relationship has been sexual.
Atkins was arrested Friday for sexually abusing an 8-year-old boy at the high-performing PS 87 elementary school.
“If there are mistakes we’ll talk about them and about how those mistakes will not be repeated,” said Walcott. “My goal is to make sure we protect our children and not have anyone going after our children in any way, shape or form.”
While some parents said they felt better after the heated hour-and-a-half long meeting with school officials, others said they felt like the Department of Education was trying to absolve itself of any blame for the fact that Atkins’ past had been hidden from staffers and parents at the school.
“Look at his history. There are telltale signs. I don’t understand,” said Javier Solano, 41, whose son is kindergarten. “I’m absolutely not satisfied. I think DOE dropped the ball and we don’t have Walcott saying that.”