Park Slope leader apologizes, cites her ‘white privilege’

pain to my community. The question is what is the best next step?” she said.

“There’s no disagreement here that I made an error and we as a community have to come together. It’s not an option to not look at it and not address it.”

The district superintendent held a meeting Wednesday with staff from the school, located on Eighth St. near Fourth Ave., and parents regarding the furor.

“These serious reports are being investigated, and we’re working with the school community to create a schoolwide diversity board and ensure these concerns are swiftly addressed,” Education Department spokesman Douglas Cohen said.

“Schools must be inclusive environments that are welcoming of all students, staff and families,” he said.

PTAs are self-governing but subject to oversight by school officials.

The controversy — which comes amid two other race-fueled furors at schools in the Bronx and Queens — sparked complaints about other alleged racial problems at Maurice Sendak.

The school opened in 2013 and is named for the children’s book author best known for “Where the Wild Things Are.”

It has 305 students and is 60% white. City schools on average are about 67% black and Hispanic and about 15% white.

“There have been a multitude of complaints regarding students of color being teased, insulted and bullied by fellow white students with no real action taken by the school,” the letter read.

“There is a disturbingly large difference in how the school treats bullying (ex: when it comes to transgender children going through transition vs black/brown children have experienced racist and insensitive insults).”

The letter called for funding to provide training to the entire school regarding its “persistent and invasive culture of racism.”

PS 118 Principal Elizabeth Garraway didn’t respond to a request for comment on the PTA controversy at her school.

Jassmine Andersson, who has a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old at the school, said the recent meeting featuring a mediator had been “generally positive.”

She had not seen the announcement with the performers in blackface. Performers, most often white, wearing the theatrical makeup contributed to racist stereotypes.

“I got the impression that if you saw the image it hurt more,” said Andersson, 43, who is black.

“There were some other issues we were able to hear at the forum to help us understand that this wasn’t an isolated incident for some people.”

Ways to address the controversy were still under consideration, she said.

“Overall, I’ve been very happy with the school,” she said. “Generally speaking, it’s been a very positive experience for my family.”

The uproar comes less than a week after The News highlighted the decision by Christ the King High School administrators to prohibit an honor student from having “Malcolm X” inscribed on his senior sweater — even though it’s actually the teen’s name.

On Saturday, the Queens student, Malcolm Xavier Combs, received a shirt from Malcolm X’s daughter reading “X Legacy.”

The News also reported that the Education Department was probing Patricia Catania, the principal of Intermediate School 224 in the Bronx, for prohibiting an English teacher from delving into black history lessons.

Catania was also accused of targeting black teachers and students for abuse.

The Education Department said African-American history was an important part of the school curriculum.