Lack of Success on fields

Remote kids banned

After first demanding $500 million from Success Academy to use public athletic fields, the city’s Department of Education has now barred the charter-school network outright because it’s remote-only.

The DOE initially told Success that it would have to cough up the payment if it wanted to resume use of seven sites for extracurricular sporting activities this year.

But after Success called the demand “illegal” and threatened to sue, the agency changed its tune and said field use is limited to kids who are physically in school.

In a letter sent Tuesday, the DOE said that its reopening plan “limits in-person aftercare activities to students who were in physical attendance on that given day in the same school building” and that “Success Academy must cease using DOE grounds and fields for after-school and extracurricular student activities immediately.”

The DOE said the same restriction applies to regular public schools.

Success, which said the lockout is impacting 350 elementary- and middle-school sports team members, is promising to renew its legal fight. “The DOE is going to incredible lengths to stop kids from playing on their own fields,” said spokesperson Ann Powell. “The fields are there, they’re not in use, they don’t have to be cleaned or staffed. There is no logical reason to deny these athletes the right to practice.”

Success has also noted during the field impasse that it offered use of its classrooms to the DOE after electing to remain remote until January.

A DOE spokesperson said Tuesday that the exclusion is based on safety concerns.

“In our space, everyone has to play by the same rules, and any in-person activity that takes place after the regular school day should be limited to students who were in physical attendance on that given day,” said DOE spokesperson Miranda Barbot. “This is for safety, and we’re happy to revisit if and when they resume in-person classes.”

In initially asking for the $500,000, the DOE said that all city schools — including traditional public schools — were subject to new fees due to cleaning costs and budget cuts.

Countering that it’s used the facilities for free for years, Success Academy said the DOE was pulling an “illegal” shakedown and readied a lawsuit.

The fields are connected to buildings where the charter schools share space with traditional public schools.

The charter network, which has about 20,000 students at 47 schools, chose a fully remote model until next year, when it will review its format.