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Park Slope Teacher Called Students N-Word, DOE Confirms
By
John Del Signore
Published May 1, 2009
Modified May 1, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 1, 2009
Modified May 1, 2009
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After an investigation, the Department of Education has concluded that a Park Slope art teacher did in fact drop the n-word during her tirade against a class of 7th and 8th graders. You'll recall that last December, students at the Secondary School for Journalism accused the teacher, Elvira Sacco-Ponsot (pictured), of inappropriately upbraiding them when they became disruptive during an in-class movie screening. According to multiple accounts, she yelled, "You don't know how to act. You're acting lower class. You're acting like a whole bunch of n-----!" And after the meltdown, she reportedly tried to bribe one student with candy to keep his lips sealed. It's unclear what punishment awaits her; last year a private school teacher was fired for calling his students"filthy animals who belonged in a f---ing zoo," but Sacco-Ponsot teaches public school kids. Reached for comment, she told the Daily News, "I did not get any notification." At least that's a higher-class reaction than her response last December, when she told a reporter: "You're taking an allegation and you're making something out of it, and that's what it is, a goddamn allegation."
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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