By Nicole Breskin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Downtown parents nearly came to blows this week when the long-simmering debate over who gets to send their children to the elite P.S. 234 boiled over following a deadlocked vote.
Now, the kids' education plans may be left up to a lottery.
Hundreds of parents and even childless residents from Lower Manhattan turned out for the Community Education Council’s District 2 vote on the school rezoning plans.
There were two options to be voted on. West and Canal streets were school district borders in both plans, but one would have P.S. 234's zone run to Church and Liberty streets, while the other would put the cut-off at Murray and the lineup of Park Row and Centre and Lafayette streets.
After a four hour meeting filled with heart-wrenching pleas from parents, the council's vote was just one shy of what was necessary to move forward with one of the options.
“We were a bit shell-shocked and frazzled,” said Dru Gearhart, TriBeCa mother of 4-year-old boy. “Tensions were high and everyone was looking for relief.”
Some parents even glared at each other and picked fights, leading some security guards to ask them to take it outside. No physical fights broke out.
Earlier in the evening, parents came with banners and balloons to show their support for one of the two zoning plans.
“TriBeCa is very divided,” said Gearhart. “I hope they’ll reach a resolution.”
CEC’s District 2 president Elzora Cleveland told DNAinfo that she believes the council will reach the required six votes at a Jan. 27 revote.
Wednesday night, the council was short one member, Diana Florence. She didn't return an e-mail asking which way she was leaning, but the council confirmed her attendance for the forthcoming vote.
If the council does not reach a resolution ahead of the Feb. 1 start to kindergarten enrollment, lower Manhattan students will likely face lotteries that the zoning was meant to avoid.
