Students told the third principal in six months at a controversial Arab-themed public school in Brooklyn yesterday that the instability has been hard on them, even as parents and community members focused on moving the school forward.
Holly Anne Reichert, 42, an educator with a background in the Arabic language who was tapped Tuesday to lead the Khalil Gibran International Academy, immediately checked in on her new charges, students and parents said.
“This has been hard for the students and today many of them shared that with me,” Reichert told one mom.
The school’s founder and former principal, Debbie Almontaser, who was ousted in August, is embroiled in a lawsuit claiming the Department of Education did not properly consider her reapplication in November to lead the school.
She had created a firestorm prior to her departure by failing to condemn “Intifada NYC” T-shirts that were linked to her.
“Hopefully, my daughter can get in there and everybody can get back to learning,” said a mother at the school yesterday.