NEW YORK (1010 WINS/ WCBS 880 NEWS) – Elected officials along with parents from James Madison High School rallied on Wednesday morning after nearly 2,000 migrants were housed in the school for emergency shelter due to Tuesday night's winter rainstorm, resulting in the displacement of students.
The rally aimed to draw attention to the impact of the City's actions on the local community, according to a statement by Assemblyman Michael Novakhov released on Tuesday.
"The City of New York's decision to prioritize migrants over our communities, budget, safety, and even the education of our children has raised serious concerns," the statement read.
Parents received an email at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday stating that students would be going remote on Wednesday.
The email from Principal Jodie Cohen explained that the move to virtual learning was made to facilitate a smooth transition for families temporarily sheltered in the school building overnight.
Dana Parascando, a parent from James Madison High School told 1010WINS that she had sympathy for the migrants but stressed the importance of prioritizing American and New York City public school children.
"Where do we put the American children and the New York City public school Children first?" Parascando said. "They come first. Not the migrants. Sorry."
She noted that while her son has a laptop, many other children do not, raising concerns that these children might miss a day of education if they're unable to go online.
"There are parents who I have spoken to who now have to find someone to be home with their child," Parascando said.
Parents also called for the school to be sanitized due to concerns that the migrants who slept there could have brought lice or bedbugs.
Tatiana Lerner, the parent of an 11th grader, who attended the rally, told 1010WINS that she was dissatisfied with the remote schooling, and that she hopes this doesn't happen again.
"If it's a one-time thing, it's bad enough, but if it's going to be recurring, it's definitely not acceptable," she said.
Staten Island Assemblyman Mike Riley, a Republican, who also attended the rally mentioned that he has introduced a bill to stop the city from using schools or daycare centers to house migrants.
"Today it's James Madison," Riley said during the rally. "Where's tomorrow or the next day? These storms are coming; it's winter time."
He also suggested that the shelter at Floyd Bennett Field should be shut down.
The city's decision to transport the migrants from the relief center at Floyd Bennett Field to the school for shelter came after storm alerts were issued across the city.
In a statement on Tuesday, the mayor's office said, "The health and safety of migrants in our care is always a top priority, which is why we are currently overseeing the relocation of 1,900 guests from the humanitarian emergency response and relief center at Floyd Bennett Field due to an updated forecast with increased wind speeds estimated to be at over 70 mph tonight."
"To be clear," the statement continued, "this relocation is a proactive measure being taken out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals working and living at the center."
Other officials such as Council Member Inna Vernikov also reacted to the decision. "This is both unacceptable and was entirely foreseeable, as Floyd Bennett Field is vulnerable to all forms of increment weather conditions and is not a sustainable housing facility," Vernikov said in a statement Tuesday. "As an elected official representing this community, I demand a full stop to using our public schools as a shelter ever again."
The Adams administration has opened over 200 shelter sites, including 18 large-scale relief centers, across New York's five boroughs to accommodate the record influx of approximately 165,000 migrants since 2022.
This response, which includes the 2,000-bed tent city at Floyd Bennett Field established in November, has met with protests from local residents and politicians.
