Parents say charter expansion could push P369's therapy kids into hallways, stairwells

BY Ben Chapman <http://www.nydailynews.com/authors/Ben%20Chapman>  
DAILY NEWS WRITER 

Wednesday, March 30th 2011, 4:00 AM

 Parents are charging that an expansion of the Community Roots charter school 
housed in PS 67 in Fort Greene would push the P369's therapy programs into 
hallways and stairwells.<http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/03/30/alg_ps-67-exterior.jpg> 

Hughes/News
Parents are charging that an expansion of the Community Roots charter school 
housed in PS 67 in Fort Greene would push the P369's therapy programs into 
hallways and stairwells. 

A Fort Greene public school's therapy programs for disabled kids could be 
destroyed if the city expands a charter school, parents and teachers are 
charging.

Department of Education <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/U.S.+Department+of+Education>  
plans call for Community Roots Charter School <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Community+Roots+Charter+School>  
to take up more rooms in Public School <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/PS>  
67 on St. Edwards St. in the next school year.

The expansion could displace therapy rooms used by students at P369 - a school 
for students with learning disabilities that also occupies space inside PS 67. 
Teachers and parents say the impact on students would be severe.

"It's a disaster - our kids are going to suffer," said a teacher at P369 who 
wouldn't give her name because she fears retribution for speaking out against 
her bosses.

The city's plans call for Community Roots to take over four additional 
classrooms in PS67 as it expands from a K-5 school with 300 students to a 
450-student K-8 school starting next year.

Two of the classrooms will come from P369; they are currently used for speech 
therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy.

Without those rooms, kids will be forced to have therapy in the hallways and the 
stairwell, teachers said.

"It's heartbreaking, my daughter needs a private space for therapy," said 
Yolanda Roque-Genus <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Yolanda+Roque-Genus> , 
51, an administrative assistant from Fort Greene <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Fort+Greene>  
whose daughter Nyla, 5, has autism and and receives speech therapy at P369.

Yesterday, P369 teachers and parents rallied at the building as Community Roots 
students arrived from school, prompting some Community Roots parents to complain 
that the protestors disturbed the students.

"My son has gotten an excellent education there," said Yung-Mi Lee 
<http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Yung-Mi+Lee> , 43, a lawyer from Clinton Hill 
<http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Clinton+Hill+(Brooklyn)>  whose son Nathan, 
11, is a fifth-grader at Community Roots.

"It's a terrific school, and they should expand it," said Lee.

DOE spokesman Jack Zarin-Rosenfeld <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Jack+Zarin-Rosenfeld>  
said the city's plan will leave enough room for all the schools located in the 
building.

"PS 67 and [P369] are only losing two classrooms ... and both will continue to 
have over 20 rooms to serve their students," said Zarin-Rosenfeld