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Volume XVIII • Number 25 • May 26 - June 1, 2011 •
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RKA substitute teacher accused of assaulting student By MIAWLING LAM A veteran relief teacher at the Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy could be facing criminal charges and disciplinary action after he allegedly choked a sixth-grader during class. The teacher allegedly grabbed the student by his sweater and shook him like a rag doll while more than 20 other students looked on in horror. The incident allegedly occurred in a classroom at M.S./H.S. 141 during a double math period on Monday, May 16. Police and school officials are releasing few details about the incident, which occurred at 2:40 p.m. but it is believed both city departments are investigating the assault. The Riverdale Review understands the teacher has worked at the school for 30 years. Department of Education spokeswoman Marge Feinberg said the employee has also been removed from RKA’s relief teacher list, pending the investigation. “On Tuesday, a parent came to the school and stated
that a substitute teacher grabbed her son by his hoodie and said some inappropriate things,” she said. “The matter is under investigation. Disciplinary action is pending the outcome of the investigation.” The student’s mother, who requested her name not to be published, said her son was assaulted after the teacher accused him of throwing a piece of paper at his eye. “He came up to my son and he grabbed him by his chest and he was jerking him up and down,” she said. “All my son’s classmates were astonished. They were like, ‘oh my god, this is child abuse.’ Even they were shocked.” She said her son, who has been at the school for eight months, sustained bruising around the neck and chest from the violent encounter. The mom said the assault has left her son traumatized. In fact, he is so shaken up by it, he now has trouble sleeping and is currently seeing a therapist, she said. The parent also took aim at RKA principal Lori O’Mara and criticized the way she handled the incident.
“She actually told my son that the teacher was frustrated and that’s why he did that,” the mom claimed. “I said that doesn’t make it okay and then she said, ‘well I’m just trying to better the situation.’ I just feel as though she was taking it very lightly.” As of press time, calls to the school for comment had not been returned. The family has since hired a lawyer to discuss legal recourse options. The mom said she felt compelled to come forward and expose the alleged abuse because she wanted justice. “I’m not going to let it go,” she said. “I know if I don’t do this, the school is just going to sweep it under the rug and just let it go, and I don’t want that to happen. “My son comes home all the time telling me that the teachers verbally abuse them and that they’re always cursing at them. “They think it’s the norm because they’re so used to it, but it’s wrong.”
Van Cortlandt Park skate rink bidder gets cold feet By BRENDAN McHUGH At least one company has submitted a bid on the potential ice-skating rink in Van Cortlandt Park. Ice Rink Events, the Houstonbased company who also created the Bryant Park skate rink, confirmed that they have put forth a bid that includes permanent storage of chilling equipment within the park. The deadline to submit projects was Monday, May 23. Three different companies attended the site meeting in April. American Skating Entertainment Centers, LLC said they chose not to submit a project, claiming that high capital investment costs and a lack of a holiday atmosphere in the area turned them off. The other known interested company, Rink Management Services Corporation, has not responded to requests for comment. “After reviewing the location and the revenue potential, it wasn’t that compelling of a site,” ASEC CEO Shane Coppola said. “It wasn’t that interesting. We didn’t see it as enough traffic to generate the revenue.” Coppola said the area lacks attractions that keep people there. “We look for places with a holiday theme or a downtown theme where people can come
down and have dinner and make a night of it as opposed to a oneoff situation.” At the end of the day, he realized the location was it’s biggest handicap. “You’re on a tennis court in the back of a stadium.” The site, near the corner of Manhattan College Parkway and Broadway, is at the very end of the No. 1 subway and along a number of bus routes. While the subway and bus provide access, they also provide unwanted noise, pollution and traffic. Ice Rink Events project manager Ron Kraut said the project became much more complicated than originally expected, but he believes Van Cortlandt Park is worth it. “With the permanent installation of a chiller,” he said, “this evolved to be a much more elaborate project than originally expected.” An addendum was issued to the request for proposals by the parks department that asked bidders to try to include the installation of permanent chillers next to and within the stadium bleachers next to the tennis court. “It sent people scrambling,” Kraut said. “That required coming up with cash and making a commitment for capital expenditures. It got more complicated. Everybody had to go back to the
drawing board.” The cost was what became the most difficult part for Ice Rink Events. “Coming up with hundreds of thousands of dollars for capital expenditure in
this economy is tough to do,” he said. Kraut wouldn’t give specifics on his project, but said the company had a hard time deciding whether they should make
it look like a hockey rink with boards and glass or make it a more open space without all the hockey barriers. Ice Rink Events has been workContinued on Page 3
POLICE DAY AT THE RIVERDALE Y: Children were given a hands-on opportunity to explore the equipment, learn safety tips and talk with 50th Precinct officers.