A new public report issued by New York City authorities claims six local Department of Education (DOE) employees took themselves and their family members on lavish field trips intended for homeless students.
The trips were to Disney World (Florida), Washington, D.C., New Orleans, and other locations. Former Queens Regional Manager of Students in Temporary Housing (STH), Linda Wilson, is a central persona in the findings of the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District (SCI). The report claims Wilson forged permission slips by putting students’ names in place of her family members who traveled. To cover her tracks, she allegedly booked everything for the excursions — transportation, hotels, and activities — via an outside contractor instead of through the DOE. The investigation also asserts that Wilson allowed her employees to scam the system as well. A source SCI spoke with claimed Wilson and her associates did their handlings in person so there were no written records of the fraud.
An insider claimed that some disadvantaged students did go on the trip to Disney World, but DOE staff attended with family members, which broke protocol.
“Wilson would determine which staff members could attend the trip, assign students to each staff member to chaperone during the trip, then fill the spots allegedly assigned for those students with family members of the staff,” explained the report.
The investigation ran from May 2019 to January 2023 and was made public this month. Other employees named in the document were Shaquieta Boyd, Joanne Castro, Maria Sylvester, Mishawn Jack, and Virgen Ramos. They and Wilson allegedly went on the trips with their children, grandchildren, and romantic partners.
What Else Is There To Know About The Case?
The document noted that the trips were supposed to be “enrichment opportunities” or “incentives for improving attendance or other academic achievements.”
The children impacted by the theft were those in temporary housing, such as shelters. The money that paid for the trips were “grants intended to help homeless students.”
SCI’s report suggested that the six parties involved be fired and barred from future employment at the DOE. Also, SCI recommended that the DOE seek reimbursements.
Wilson denied the allegations of misconduct, according to the New York Post. The retired DOE employee told the outlet that the agency’s “checks and balances” would have prevented the fraud from happening. Moreover, the 63-year-old allegedly called the SCI investigation a “witch hunt.”
DOE representative Jenna Lyle told the source: “All staff identified in this report are no longer employed by New York City Public Schools.” Meanwhile, an unidentified SCI spokesperson said cases against the six employees weren’t escalated to criminal prosecution due to “the lack of available documentation.”
