Members push back against principal

After months of organizing, documenting and union intervention, educators at Flushing HS succeeded in shutting down a principal’s initiative that isolated students from their peers. The now-defunct program had confined students to windowless classrooms for the bulk of the school day.

Teachers became alarmed in September when their principal announced the creation of the “Student Success Academy,” a plan billed as a way to address students who were roaming the halls. In reality, the plan isolated students in two windowless classrooms, apart from their peers, except for lunch and physical education.

Educators raised objections immediately.

“The staff was united against this,” said Amy Wolf, the school’s UFT chapter leader.

“Just morally, how can you do this?” asked David Ginsberg, an English teacher and UFT delegate. “No child deserves that. No child deserves to be treated like a criminal.”

Still, the program launched…