Students Vacated From Collapsing School Building Now Attend Class Throughout Manhattan
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Students forced to vacate this week from an East Village school building with a collapsed wall attended classes at new neighborhoods on Thursday.
A full-vacate order was issued for 420 East 12th Street on Monday, forcing the Department of Education to find other schools for the students of East Side Community School and the Girls Preparatory Charter School.
Middle school grades from East Side Community are relocated to P.S.19 in the East Village, while the high school grades now attend Norman Thomas High in Midtown.
Students from Girls Preparatory are relocated to P.S. 158 on the Upper East Side, which is 66 blocks away from their original school.
Parents picking up their children at Norman High were outraged that they have not been a part of the decision-making process.
"We're fighting that our kids are put in an environment, or at least give us an opportunity to be a part of the process to find a place for our kids and not be told what to do," said one parent.
"This could take months before our children enter again into their school," another said.
"We're not really that interested in going to that school. It's not the right thing. Maybe a group of us parents will get together and teach our kids in our living room,” a third parent said.
Education officials said they are unsure when the structure at 420 East 12th Street will reopen, but maintain that parents are being kept up-to-date with the situation.