Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Misc
It's 10PM- Do You Know Your Kids Are In Cuba Illegally?
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 17, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 17, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The controversial class trip to Cuba that public school students took with a teacher has a twist. NY Lieutenant Governor David Paterson actually called the Department of Education on behalf of the Beacon School to allow the DOE to authorize this year's class trip. Still, the DOE said no, and now the school, as well as officials, is left to explain how the trip still went forward.
Since the DOE didn't approve the trip, the school didn't officially okay excursion, but the Post reported that information about the trip was still distributed on the school's website. Paterson's stepdaughter attended Beacon and went on the Cuba class trip in 2005. Now it turns out the DOE didn't know about past trips to Cuba, and Paterson tells the NY Times that Beacon approved his stepdaughter's trip, but "I was a little concerned that a group of schoolchildren went to Cuba and the Department of Education didn’t know about it." However, Paterson did write a letter for history teacher Nathan Turner, who organized the trip, to use in case he and the students ran into trouble. Paterson's aide says he wrote it thinking Turner had the proper paperwork to travel and lead a group of kids, not realizing that it's illegal for high school students to travel there.
The Sun reports that Turner is still teaching at Beacon, at least partly because principal Ruth Lacey is worried about a backlash since Turner is very popular. Of course he's popular - he's taking kids to Cuba! Parents tell the Sun that it was clear the school did not sponsor the trip and defended Turner. The Sun also has a column by Andrew Wolf wondering about the intersection of "radical politics and education," when specialized schools are being started by "left-wing groups such as Acorn and the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition."
Two amusing things from this story: 1) Mayor Bloomberg's told reporters, "There is a problem when the federal government has regulations that you can't travel to some place...I think we should be a law-abiding society. If you don't like the regulations, get the government to change them." Which is funny because it's easy for him to say. And 2), the Post's cover from yesterday, calling it a "Fidel Trip." The kids did not meet the sometimes-tracksuit-wearing dictator but "a 15-year-old prostitute" and "a homeless man in Havana," as well as visiting ""La Zorra y El Cuervo — the Fox and the Crow — an Afro-Cuban jazz club in the Vedado section of Havana" according to the Times.
Tagged
beacon school
bloomberg
bronx
community
david
education
fox
government
governor
high school
history
homeless
hospital
jazz club
kids
law
lieutenant governor
Lieutenant Governor David Paterson
mayor
mayor bloomberg
News: NYC
ny times
photos
Politics
poll
polls
public school
regulations
schools
Take Our Poll
the sun
travel
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE miscellaneous
We visited 8 laundromats to talk about voting and elections. Here's what people had to say.
As we inch closer to Election Day in November, WNYC is turning some laundromats in the New York metro area into hubs of civic dialogue.
By
Jodi Malarbe
and
George Bodarky
Published Jun 23, 2024
Aging with Pride: LGBTQ+ older adults share their personal journeys
As we mark Pride month, LGBTQ+ older adults share their struggles, triumphs and advice for today’s generations.
By
George Bodarky
Misc
Aging with Pride: LGBTQ+ older adults share their personal journeys
As we mark Pride month, LGBTQ+ older adults share their struggles, triumphs and advice for today’s generations.
By
George Bodarky
Hands in the dirt: Meet some of NYC's community gardeners
By
Enrico Denard
and
George Bodarky
'In the very, very beginning, it was about 3 feet of garbage': How NYC’s first community garden got started
By
George Bodarky
Serving up BBQ ribs and a deep sense of community in the South Bronx since 1954
By
George Bodarky
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .