WASHINGTON 鈥� D.C. officials are calling for the public schools chancellor to step aside after the announcement that he violated policy, bypassing the school lottery system to benefit his own child.
Chancellor Antwan Wilson announced and apologized for the move Friday, saying in a statement that 鈥淚 understand that many of you will be angered and disappointed by my actions,鈥� and adding that 鈥淚 am committed to regaining your trust and continuing the reforms needed to ensure that our students have the tools they need to succeed in the world.鈥�
He said in the statement that he 鈥渟ought assistance鈥� on how to transfer his child to another high school 鈥渃orrectly,鈥� but that 鈥渢he process I followed did not align with DCPS policy.鈥� Jennifer Niles, the deputy mayor for education, resigned as a result of the announcement.
Robert White was the first member of the D.C. Council to call for Wilson to resign, and on Monday he told 草莓传媒 鈥淚t seems very clear that the chancellor had a major lapse in judgment, and, I think clearly violated a very important and a very new policy that he in fact put into place.”
White cited 鈥渢he frustration that parents go through when they go through this lottery process 鈥� whether they like the end result or not, they do not love this process. And to see 鈥� officials to be able to jump them, to jump their kids in line, is something that parents just won’t be OK with.” Outrage from parents 鈥渨as quick and it was consistent,” he said.
“I don’t see any chance that the chancellor can regain the confidence of public officials and more importantly families and residents, White added. 鈥溾�� [W]ithout their trust, I think we all are reaching the conclusion that the resignation is inevitable.”
More calls
Councilmembers Vince Gray, Mary Cheh and Charles Allen also called for Wilson to resign.
Cheh, of Ward 3, said in her statement that Wilson should also be replaced “for reasons that go well beyond the school-placement issue,” citing recent revelations of improper grade-changing at many D.C. high schools.
Ward 7 Councilmember that “Wilson violated our trust in pursuit of a self-serving objective. His actions leave me no option but to demand his immediate resignation.”
Charles Allen, of Ward 6, said that Wilson 鈥渉ad demonstrated skill in leading the system,鈥� but that 鈥渉e has lost 鈥� and will be unable to regain 鈥� the trust of so many parents that is vital to the success of D.C. Public Schools.鈥�
Mayor Muriel Bowser, in accepting Niles鈥� resignation Friday, said that she 鈥渟et out a series of corrective actions for Chancellor Wilson,鈥� including the apology he issued, removing his child from the school, and 鈥渞eferring the matter to the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability and to the Inspector General to further examine if the code of conduct was violated.鈥�
