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Fort Greene Success Academy's Principal Steps Down Following Controversy

By Alexandra Leon | January 5, 2016 3:07pm | Updated on January 5, 2016 3:38pm
 The principal of Fort Greene Success Academy is accused of weeding out problem students.
The principal of Fort Greene Success Academy is accused of weeding out problem students.
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FORT GREENE — A principal who has been accused of creating a “Got to Go” list of students deemed problematic at Fort Greene’s Success Academy charter school has taken a leave of absence, a spokesman for Success Academy said.

Principal Candido Brown requested the leave, according to Success Academy spokesman Brian Whitley. 

Richard Seigler, who served as the managing director of elementary schools at Success Academy's network office will serve as acting principal in the interim, he said. Seigler was previously the principal at Success academy Harlem 3 in East Harlem between 2011 and 2014.

Brown, along with other administrators, is accused of weeding out problematic and disruptive students.

The New York Times first reported Brown's leave and the "Got to Go" list, which was drawn up at Brown's direction and included sixteen students.

Since the list was discovered, Brown has apologized and taken full responsibility for drafting it, the Times reported.

"Mr. Brown has requested a personal leave of absence. He asks that the press respect his privacy in this matter," the spokesman said an email statement from Success Academy.

Last month, District 13's Community Education Council passed a resolution asking the Department of Education to keep any further Success Academies from opening in the district

In the resolution, the CEC said it was concerned about the welfare of all the school’s students. It asked all charter school operators applying to move into District 13 to present a detailed plan for how they handle discipline, suspensions and expulsions, including the role of parents in the disciplinary process.

The council also asked the DOE, together with SUNY, which approves charter schools, to perform a full quality review of Success Academy in Fort Greene, and if necessary, revoke its charter to operate.

The CEC is scheduled to discuss Fort Greene Success Academy at a meeting Tuesday night.