Parents are concerned about what the upcoming school year will hold, and teachers at one of the best primary schools in New York City are on the verge of leaving due to a sour dispute between a Manhattan principal and her staff.
P.S. 281, also referred to as The River School because of its location in Murray Hill on the East River, is a model neighborhood school in many respects and is only a short stroll from the United Nations. Students get a first-rate education in their neighborhood. A vibrant PTA organizes monthly bake sales and a talent show, and parents socialize at the park across the street.
Their efforts were rewarded in 2023 when P.S. 281 was one of 12 area schools chosen by the U.S. Education Department to be recognized a National Blue Ribbon School.
The honor, however, belied a more serious issue.
A no-confidence vote at the end of the previous school year was the result of simmering tensions between the teachers and their principal, Jessica Orleans. According to a United Federation of instructors calculation, 12 instructors, staff members, or about 28% of unionized personnel, as well as the parent coordinator will not be present when children return in a few weeks.
Teachers, parents, and a student at P.S. 281 told the Daily News in interviews, emails, and school papers that they feel a culture of fear and intimidation is causing many teachers to change schools or quit teaching altogether.
Concerned about the fact that over 60% of P.S. 281 teachers are in their first few years of employment, compared to 20% at neighboring schools, PTA President Rachel Miller wrote to the local district administrator about the delicate situation. When she wrote in May, there were a number of open vacancies.
Miller remarked, “I thought everything seemed so great.” That was the kind of start that truly made me realize how terrible the turnover was.
District 2 Superintendent Kelly McGuire announced this month that Orleans will return in the fall after the no-confidence vote sparked an investigation by the Education Department during the summer. While Orleans promised improvements including weekly reports, monthly listening sessions, a teacher advisory board, and an anonymous feedback form, McGuire pledged frequent visits to the school.
In an email on August 14, the principal stated, “I’m committed to making real changes this year. I heard your concerns about trust, communication, and the need for more shared decision-making.”
Teachers and parents, however, are still doubtful that those steps would halt the bleeding.
At one point, that was internalized by my poor infant. Rafaella Smith, a previous mother of a student at P.S. 281, whose son graduated in June, remarked, “Mom, why don’t my teachers ever come back?”
I was only able to tell him that adults must make their own decisions and that he shouldn’t take it personally. He is not involved in it.
Growing tensions
The River School has been embroiled in dispute since before the previous academic year. Only one-third of P.S. 281 teachers in the spring of 2024 said that their connection with Orleans was based on respect, according to a citywide school survey approval rating that rose to 42% this year but is still far below the district average of 87%.
Erin Farrell, a former UFT chapter head and English as a New Language teacher at P.S. 281, was frequently the one who had to act as a liaison between the principal and the teachers. Farrell described a violent argument with Orleans over classroom observations in 2023 in a complaint submitted to the district: Teachers felt outnumbered because the principal was bringing a second administrator along with visits. Concerns were brought up by the chapter leader with her supervisor.
Orleans visited Farrell’s class after 48 hours and drastically reduced her rating from highly effective to developing.
All of it simply got to be too much and was detrimental to my emotional well-being. Farrell, who quit in February after over ten years in the classroom, said, “I loved my students, so even though I felt horrible leaving mid-year, I couldn’t pass it up because I just wanted to get out.”
In an early June no-confidence vote held by the union chapter following Farrell’s departure, 93% of voters declared they no longer trusted the principal’s leadership. (Only one staffer voted in favor of Orleans; nine formally abstained or did not cast a ballot.)
Teachers claimed in a letter sent with the official results that Orleans intentionally targeted students and staff who belong to legally protected classes, such as people of color and people with disabilities, and engaged in retaliation, constant berating and demeaning of staff, and the creation of a fearful and intimidating environment.
Teacher Lauren Askinasi, who assumed leadership of the chapter, stated, “Somehow, we got together and said, This is too much.”
The Council of School Supervisors & Administrators, the city’s principals union, responded to a question from The News by defending Orleans as a successful school leader with 15 years of experience and a Blue Ribbon to show for it, without addressing the specific issues raised in the no-confidence vote.
Henry Rubio, president of the CSA, said in a statement that the city has established clear procedures for people to raise their issues and that principals are always available and willing to listen and address them. For the good of the school community, particularly the pupils and their families, those commonsense procedures ought to have been adhered to.
The district takes all school issues seriously, according to Chyann Tull, a spokesman for the city’s public schools.
The district superintendent is collaborating closely with the school to offer ongoing support as we begin the new school year, and we are dedicated to creating a constructive future, Tull stated. Our objective is to establish a more inclusive and cooperative school culture where all community members are supported and feel appreciated.
Can the school rebuild?
The situation was changing quickly as the school year drew to a conclusion. Concerns about teachers’ workplaces grew in awareness among parents. Orleans, her union officials, the district administrator, teachers, and parents were among the people UFT President Michael Mulgrew met with during his visit to the school.
According to Mulgrew, one thing is certain: it shouldn’t have progressed this far. In September, I want the school to be full of vitality and capable of making the progress it deserves.
“[Teachers] want that school to be run fairly and equitably with respect,” the union boss continued, referring to his members. They’re not making a lot of demands. What ought to be in every school is what they are requesting.
Parents and teachers awaited Orleans’ return in the fall with bated breath. On August 4, they received a response via email from McGuire, the administrator of District 2, stating that the principal was developing a strategy to improve communication and restore their trust.
He noted that as the 2024–2025 school year came to a close, the community at The River School reached out to voice their concerns about Principal Orleans’ leadership.
Please be aware that Principal Orleans has informed me of her commitment to developing as a school leader and to fostering an environment where all adults and children are treated with respect.
The pledge seemed flimsy to some at The River School. One of them, Mireya, a parent of P.S. 281, joined a number of other families and staff members in flooding a school board meeting on August 13 to voice their concerns.
Speaking under the condition that her last name be kept anonymous, Mireya said she attempted to get in touch with Orleans in order to find a paraprofessional for her 4-year-old son. However, she stated that she was disappointed by the lack of response and that attempts to contact her both in person and over the phone failed for three weeks.
“The administration’s message to parents and teachers is clear: Our voices are not being heard,” Mireya told Community Education Council 2 in the absence of a clear plan or change.
Unfortunately, my situation is not unusual. I’ve talked to other parents of disabled kids who have experienced delays or even rejections of essential services, which has caused them to miss school.
Mireya thinks her son got the aide because of a committed instructor. She told The News that she is concerned that P.S. 281 might not be the best school for her son as personnel go.
Since we adore the neighborhood, I would love to say he would remain at The River School. She said the parent community is lovely. However, I have a lot of questions, and I can’t let my child do something that other parents in similar circumstances have informed me isn’t the right setting for him.
