Nyc Doe: Hunter College Professor Admits Role After Racist Remark at District 3 School Meeting

A Hunter College professor has acknowledged she was the person heard making racist remarks during a February 10 Community Education Council District 3 meeting, a disclosure that has prompted an institutional review and official condemnation. The matter matters now because the comments were captured during an eighth-grade student’s testimony, the clip spread widely online, and district leaders have announced concrete next steps.

Nyc Doe — Development details

The remarks were made during a hybrid CEC District 3 meeting held February 10 at the Joan of Arc building, 154 West 93rd Street, where many participants joined by Zoom while others were present in the room. As an eighth-grade student from the Community Action School spoke about concerns over possible relocation or closure, an off-microphone comment was heard on the call: "They're too dumb to know they're in a bad school. If you train a Black person well enough, they'll know to use the back. You don't have to tell them anymore. " A meeting organizer immediately intervened, saying, "What you're saying is absolutely hearable here, you've got to stop. " The recording then went silent for roughly 14 seconds before the meeting continued.

Multiple attendees later identified the speaker as Allyson Friedman, a Hunter College professor and parent. Friedman has acknowledged that an inadvertent unmute captured remarks she said were part of a side conversation intended to illustrate historical examples while discussing systemic racism. She stated the comments were not directed at the student presenter, said they were wrong, and sent written apologies to Superintendent Dr. Reginald Higgins, the Community Action School, and the Community Education Council. Hunter College has opened a review under its conduct and nondiscrimination policies.

Context and escalation

The clip of the meeting circulated on social media and was later published in fuller form, with the recording stopping at about the 43-second mark in one posted version. After the video emerged, witnesses who attended the meeting described shock and disgust at the moment; two attendees separately characterized the comments as demeaning to students of color and said Friedman’s apology in the meeting chat came roughly 40 minutes after the incident, when she wrote, "Deepest apology for the inappropriate comment — Zoom mishap. "

District leadership responded directly. Superintendent Dr. Reginald Higgins condemned the remarks as "racially offensive and rooted in anti-Blackness, " writing that they "demeaned an entire predominantly Black and Latinx school community, disrespected the student presenter, and caused real harm to those present. " He acknowledged the deep hurt felt by Black students, families, and staff and said naming that harm was essential.

Immediate impact

The incident immediately disrupted a student’s testimony and left attendees visibly unsettled on the call. District officials have signaled concrete administrative responses: Hunter College’s review is underway, and the superintendent announced plans for measures to reduce the risk of similar incidents. Those measures include training for parent leaders on Zoom security and facilitation controls and ongoing engagement with Black families to address safety and trust.

Community members tied directly to the affected school were cited in communications as feeling targeted and unsafe in a space intended to protect student voices. The superintendent highlighted that Black students, specifically, were made to feel unsafe by the remarks and that the district must address that harm directly.

Forward outlook

CEC District 3 has scheduled a public discussion and vote on a formal statement about the incident for its next meeting on March 3; the meeting will be held at the Joan of Arc building and will comply with Open Meetings Law requirements. Hunter College’s review under its conduct and nondiscrimination policies will proceed, and the superintendent’s announced steps — parent-leader training on Zoom settings and additional engagement with Black families — are slated to be implemented as administrative safeguards.

What makes this notable is the sequence from an inadvertent unmute to viral visibility to institutional responses: the captured remark led directly to college review, superintendent action, and a formal council agenda item, all within a defined timeline. The timing matters because the remarks occurred while a student was delivering testimony about her school’s future, amplifying the perceived harm and prompting immediate policy-oriented responses from education leaders.

The case will move through at least two near-term milestones: the Hunter College review process and the CEC District 3 March 3 public vote on a statement. Those steps will determine the formal administrative and community remedies that follow the viral clip and the apologies issued in its wake.