Perdido 03

Perdido 03

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

How Is This Guy Still Running A School?

Just another example of how principals in Bloomberg's NYCDOE can do pretty much anything:

New York City investigators are probing a Bible-quoting school principal who sources say threatened to don “a vest like the terrorists” and blow up faculty at his Bronx middle school, the Daily News has learned.

Neifi Juan Acosta, 56, made the frightening remark at a post-Hurricane Sandy meeting Nov. 2 at Intermediate School 232, according to several staff members who were present.

“He was ranting about how he was under stress, but he often yells and rants, so people ignore him. But then he said, ‘One day I’m going to blow this place up,’” veteran teacher Kimberly Moran said.

Moran had stepped out of the meeting when Acosta allegedly made his comments. But when told about it by colleagues in the room, she filed a complaint with the NYPD, the Department of Education and the United Federation of Teachers.

Acosta hasn’t been arrested because the police determined it was not a terrorist threat. But it’s still an open investigation for the Education Department.

According to Moran and other teachers who spoke anonymously, Acosta opened the meeting by drawing a cross and other religious pictures on a white board.

“He drew a throne and said it was ‘God’s throne,’ and said we were putting ourselves in ‘God’s seat,’” said Moran, who saw the drawings on the board.

“He was very angry and he just started making threats,” the 21-year-teacher said.

A male staff member raised his hand to ask if Acosta was upset with the approximately 500 students at the Bronx middle school.
 
According to the teachers, Acosta said no, he was upset at the faculty.
Acosta then said, “I know what I’ll do, I’ll call a conference in the cafeteria, and I’ll put on a vest like the terrorists do and I’m going to blow you all up,’” said one terrified teacher.

Another staff member described his speech as “spiraling into a doomsday” scenario.

“It got very fire and brimstone, very fundamentalist,” the educator said.

“I remember him saying that he was ‘really frustrated’ and that he thinks about coming here to the school and then he said those four words — vest, bomb, cafeteria and teachers. Really creepy,” the staffer said.

Can you imagine if a teacher had said words like these?
Or posted something like this on Facebook?
They would be arrested, rubber roomed and slated for firing.
But a principal of an A rated school who wants to blow up all the teachers with a bomb?
Still in power, still on the job.

1 comment:

  1. I have known Neifi Acosta for many years. He is often misunderstood, but he always has the best interests of his students in mind. Students and parents who get to know him know that he is the "real thing," and will go out of his way to help them. He is not the easiest person to work for, but if you can see past the "tough guy facade" he is a really caring person. I don't work for this guy nor do I have anything to gain by posting this comment. Look past all the noise at the truly caring person behind the bluster. If you're a teacher and don't like working for him: transfer, and if you are a parent you should be grateful to have a principal like him. Just want to keep things fair instead of one-sided.

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