NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Education officials in New York State have found that a major Hasidic school in Brooklyn is breaking the law by not offering students a basic education.
This is the first time the state has taken action on a Hasidic boys' school after a lawsuit brought by a parent alleged a lack of secular education at Yeshiva Mesivta Arugath Habosem in Williamsburg.
Beatrice Weber, a mother of 10, filed the lawsuit against the school where her youngest child still attends due to a family court order. She has also left the Hasidic community.
Weber said on 1010 WINS' Newsline with Brigitte Quinn that her son has "a long day" that begins at 8:30 a.m., but any secular academic education only begins after 4:30 p.m.
"He has a total of up to six hours a week of any academic education, and the teachers barely speak any English and can read on a third or fourth grade level," she added.
Weber argued that his lack of a foundational education could have long-lasting effects.
"He will not end up on a reading level higher than a fourth grade reading level," the mother said. "He will never know anything above long division. If things don't change, he will be like so many of the thousands of other children that cannot fill out a registration form at the doctor's office and do not have enough of the [English] language to express what is hurting them."
The state now insists the school must work with the city to come up with a "remediation plan" within 60 days in terms of what changes will be made by the end of the 2023-2024 school year.
Weber called State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa's decision "significant," even though the city's Department of Education recommended that the state "consider the school substantially equivalent." However, the state pushed back on that claim.
"This is the first time that the state took a stand and was willing to step out and say, 'No, they are not substantially equivalent,' and not just go along with what the city wanted them to do for whatever reason the city wanted to push it through," she added.
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She said she's concerned that the school and city are allowed to come up with a plan when the yeshiva has been "found to be untrustworthy again and again."
Weber said her son has begun to work with a tutor, but he is "really behind."
"He's a very bright young boy, but as the years go on, he gets further and further behind," the mother said.
1010 WINS has reached out to the DOE and the yeshiva for comment.
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