A group of New York City Department of Education workers are accused of taking their own children to Disney World and on other trips that were supposed to be for disadvantaged students.
The employees allegedly used “forged permission slips” to do so when those trips were meant for homeless students and paid for with city funds, the New York Post reported on Sunday:
The outlet continued:
The secret perks robbed some of the city’s most disadvantaged kids of a chance to enjoy the Magic Kingdom — a trip that cost $66,000 for 50 or so adults and kids, a staffer said — and other multiple-day trips in 2016 to 2019 to Washington, D.C; New Orleans; Boston; upstate Rocking Horse Ranch Resort; and Frost Valley YMCA campground, according to a newly released report by the Special Commissioner of Investigation for city schools.
Linda M. Wilson, a Queens supervisor of DOE’s “Students in Temporary Housing,” took her own two daughters on trips, and encouraged colleagues to take their sons, daughters and grandkids, but tried to cover up the shady practice when SCI started asking questions, the SCI report said.
During a conversation with her fellow employees, Wilson allegedly said, “What happens here stays with us.”
According to a Fox News report on Sunday, “While some students were brought on these trips, investigators alleged that spots were taken up by the employees’ family members. DOE rules state that employees cannot bring family on trips even if the DOE is reimbursed.”
Wilson is also accused of booking some of the trips under the guise of taking the young people to visit college campuses. However, investigators claim she went to other destinations.
The city used a $300,000 federal grant from the National Center for Homeless Education to pay for the trips. Wilson has since claimed she was not fired but retired from her job at the department. In addition, the SCI chose not to refer the cases for criminal prosecution because it claimed it reportedly did not have enough documentation to move forward, according to the Post.
Social media users were quick to comment on the Post story, one individual writing, “Called what you want, but this is fraud. It is a crime.”
“What a shame. Stealing from homeless students,” another user said.