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Brooklyn School Tosses Perfectly Good Books
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 7, 2010
Modified Sep 7, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 7, 2010
Modified Sep 7, 2010
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P.S. 261 in Boerum Hill recently tossed 200 books, amongst other things, in the trash—a move that has outraged many. The books were in good condition, and included titles like Curious George and The Mouse and the Motorcycle. One father, whose children attend the school, salvaged a stack of the books, along with two computer printers. He told the Daily News, "This is not the first time they've done this. I have a TV I picked up last year over here—a good TV, it still works."
A mom, and member of the PTA there, added that the school library is often seeking donations; she said, "To find out they're throwing away books when our library needs the books—I'm in shock." A spokeswoman for the Department of Education says that "schools should make every effort to donate these materials to other schools or charities. However, schools may need to dispose of textbooks that are still usable because the material they contain is outdated."
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boerum hill
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brooklyn
PS 261
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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