Allyson Friedman apologizes after hot-mic remark at Upper West Side schools meeting

allyson friedman, an associate professor at Hunter College, has apologized after a hot-mic incident during a Community Education Council meeting on Feb. 10 in which she made a racially charged comment while an eighth-grade student was speaking. The episode has drawn sharp condemnation from local education officials and prompted a university review.

What happened at the Feb. 10 CEC3 meeting

The incident occurred during the Community Education Council for School District 3 meeting on Feb. 10, a hybrid session about possible relocation or closure of three Upper West Side schools. An eighth-grade student from the Community Action School was speaking about not wanting to lose her school when the offensive remark was captured while the meeting included participants both in person and on Zoom.

Some attendees were in the Joan of Arc school building at 154 West 93rd Street and many others joined by Zoom; participants included parents, students, and teachers of The Center School, The Riverside School for Makers and Artists, and the Community Action School. The session was hosted by the Community Education Council for the Upper West Side’s School District 3, with members of the Department of Education present, including neighborhood Superintendent Reginald Higgins.

Allyson Friedman’s on-mic comments and historical reference

While the eighth-grade student spoke, Friedman’s live mic captured the remarks: “They’re too dumb to know they’re in a bad school. ” She then said, “If you train a Black person well enough, they’ll know to use the back. You don’t have to tell them anymore. ” There were a handful of words not audible between the first and second sentence.

Meeting discussion had included references to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Carter G. Woodson, and Reginald Higgins had cited a passage from Woodson’s 1933 book The Mis-education of the Negro: “If you make a man think that he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back door. He will go without being told. ” Friedman’s remarks appeared in the context of that broader exchange.

Officials, students and Hunter College respond

Education officials described the comment as blatantly racist and were left profoundly disturbed, and students on the Zoom call were stunned. Rita Joseph, the city council education chair, said she was “deeply disturbed by the blatantly racist and harmful remarks made during the CEC3 [Community Education Council for School District 3] meeting…. ”

Brad Hoylman Sigal, the Manhattan borough president, called the remarks “outrageous” and added: “It is particularly despicable that these vile words were uttered while children were giving testimony at the meeting, exposing them to this hatred. ” A university spokesperson described the comments as “abhorrent. ”

Hunter College said it was aware of the incident and was reviewing the situation under the university’s applicable conduct and nondiscrimination policies, adding that it expects community members’ actions and words to comport with the institution’s identity, values, and policies. Hunter College enrolls more than 17, 000 undergraduates and 5, 500 graduate students.

Friedman’s apology, explanation and follow-up

On Saturday, Feb. 21, an update noted that Friedman sent a statement by email at 6 p. m. on Saturday acknowledging she was the person who made the remarks at the Feb. 10 meeting and saying she was “deeply sorry to the students, families, educators, and community members who were hurt. ”

In her statement she said that during the CEC3 meeting there had been a discussion about systemic racism and educational equity, and that, separately, as a parent she had been trying to explain the concept of systemic racism by referencing a historical example. She said an inadvertent unmute caused part of that conversation to be captured.

Friedman said the remarks were not directed at the student speaker and do not reflect her beliefs or values, but she accepted responsibility, saying the words were wrong and caused harm. She added that she immediately sent written apologies to Dr. Higgins, the Community Action School, and the Community Education Council, that she supports the Community Action School and its mission, and that she is committed to accountability and repairing harm.

Meeting context: school-closure discussions and local concern

The Feb. 10 meeting was convened amid talks about possible relocation or closure affecting The Center School, The Riverside School for Makers and Artists, and the Community Action School. In recent weeks, officials have been mulling plans to shut down schools in Manhattan District 3, and that larger debate framed the testimony from students and families at the session.

Officials of School District 3 posted a video of the meeting this week showing the adult remark made while a child was speaking, and the comment prompted a response from the New York City Department of Education. Black students make up around 20% of the total number of students enrolled in schools across New York City.