Parents are frantically fighting to save their kids’ highly touted Harlem charter school because their neighborhood public schools are academic disasters, according to a new lawsuit.
The suit, filed Monday in Manhattan federal court, seeks to invalidate Mayor de Blasio’s decision to block Success Academy Harlem Central middle school from moving into a nearby public school building in the fall.
The space-sharing arrangement at the PS 149 complex on West 117th Street had been approved last year by the Bloomberg administration.
The 19 parents who are plaintiffs said the de Blasio administration’s decision would boot their children from one of the best-performing schools in the city and consign them to some of the worst.
The charter’s fifth-graders ranked first in the entire state in math last year. They were in the top 11 percent statewide in English — besting students in even the wealthy suburban enclave of Scarsdale.
Only 12 percent of regular Harlem middle-school students passed the state math and English exams.
Parent Tanya Blah is particularly concerned.
Her son is in a fourth- grade honors math class at Success Academy IV, and slated to go the Success middle school in the fall.
If that option is removed, he faces the prospect of attending neighboring PS 194, where not a single student passed either the math or English exam, says the lawsuit.
Parents claim their kids are collateral damage in de Blasio’s personal vendetta against Success Academy founder and CEO Eva Moskowitz.
“If the mayor’s got a problem with Ms. Moskowitz, OK, but don’t take it out on our kids,” said parent Gwen Shannon, a plaintiff. “We’re being caught in the middle.”
The legal complaint accuses the city of violating students’ due-process and equal-protection rights and stealing their chance for a “sound public education” under the state Constitution.
Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña and the mayor say they’re searching for alternative space for Harlem Central students.
Asked about the lawsuit, a Fariña spokesman defended the co-location decisions. The mayor and chancellor said they actually approved 14 of 17 charter co-locations, including five of eight requested by Moskowitz.
“The administration is already taking steps to resolve concerns we have received by some parents,” said the spokesman, Devon Puglia.
“We remain deeply committed to the rights of all students, and ensuring every child has access to a great education.”
NO CONTEST
State-exam pass for 2012-2013 school year:
Success Academy IV, Harlem (5th grade): Math 96%, English 53%
Neighborhood public middle schools:
PS194, Harlem (5th grade): Math 0%, English 0%
PS180, Harlem (5th grade): Math 17.4%, English 7.4%
IS117, The Bronx (7th grade): Math 4%, English 6.7%
Creston Academy, The Bronx (7th grade): Math 3.3%, English 4%