A public school in Brooklyn, PS 307, was described by parents as a dangerous environment, earning it the nickname "Little Rikers Island," according to a 2023 change.org petition. The school reportedly faced significant academic challenges compounded by safety issues, including bullying and assaults on teachers.
The petition, which sought the resignations of the principal and assistant principal, stated, "The school’s safety has deteriorated to a point where PS307 is known as ‘Little Rikers Island,’" drawing a parallel to the notorious city jail. It further claimed that students were afraid to attend school due to fear of physical harm and that the administration failed to hire adequate staff for student safety.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of The 1619 Project, wrote in a recent essay that she enrolled her daughter in PS 307 and a struggling Brooklyn middle school beginning in 2015. Hannah-Jones stated her intention was to address systemic racism, despite acknowledging the schools' academic shortcomings and her ability to afford alternative educational options.
She framed the decision as an altruistic effort, writing, "We thought by sending Najya to a mostly low-income and Black school, we could help improve it for all the children there." She added, "We believed strongly that if families like ours went into schools like this one, it would challenge other families with similar values to do the same."
However, Hannah-Jones's daughter reportedly expressed anger over the decision, feeling it put her behind academically when it came to high school applications. The writer recounted her daughter questioning, "So you had money to send me to one of the best schools, and you chose not to? Because other kids are disadvantaged, you didn’t want to put me in a great school?"
Hannah-Jones herself is an alumna of the University of Notre Dame and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.