QUEENS — Parents affected by overcrowding at citywide schools have united to form a group to push for solutions.
The group, Overcrowding Advocacy for Zoned Schools NYC, was created after hundreds of parents were told earlier this year that there was not enough space in their zoned schools for their kindergartners.
Currently, the group consists of parents zoned for P.S. 196 and P.S. 144 in Forest Hills, P.S. 8 in Brooklyn Heights, P.S. 78 in Long Island City and P.S. 199 on the Upper West Side, parents said.
“We are advocating for both short- and long-term solutions to address overcrowding within New York City public schools,” said M.C. Sweeney of Forest Hills, a mother of two whose children are zoned for P.S. 196.
In April, more than 1,200 kindergartners were placed on waitlists at 51 schools. The Upper West Side's P.S. 199 had the city's longest waitlist, with 93 students.
In Forest Hills, more than 120 children zoned for P.S. 196 and P.S. 144 were initially waitlisted and offered spots in other District 28 schools, sometimes outside of Forest Hills, parents said.
After numerous protests, the Department of Education cut several pre-K classes at Forest Hills schools to make room for 75 kindergarten seats.
But dozens of families throughout the city are still affected by the issue, parents said.
The group has been posting petitions created by parents from various neighborhoods on its Facebook page and plans to approach the DOE "as a unified front."
Sweeney said her oldest daughter will be eligible for kindergarten in two years, but she decided to join the group now to advocate for solutions beforehand.
“I was very concerned about my fellow neighbors,” she said, adding that she fears she will face the same problem in the future.
Waitlists continue to be a problem in many neighborhoods where the number of young families have been growing.
The DOE, Sweeney said, needs "to do something now."
Among the solutions the group advocates for is leasing space outside of schools, turning district schools into zoned ones and building new schools and annexes.
Parents from other overcrowded areas are welcome to join, the group said.
