NYC Council Member Andy King, an executive board member of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, is calling on his colleagues in government and the city Department of Education (DOE) to fire Minerva Zanca, formerly the principal at Pan American International High School, Queens, who reportedly harassed and demeaned the school's black teachers.
On Thursday, it was announced that federal prosecutors sued the DOE on civil rights violations for failing to stop Ms. Zanca’s actions.
“I’ve never heard of such unprofessional dialogue and behavior coming from a top educator. It’s time to take a stand against racism and bigotry and not allow it to go on in our schools,” said King, who sits on the Council’s Civil Rights and Education committees. “Without question, Ms. Zanca created an ugly culture of derogatory name calling and “my way or highway” actions and if you spoke up or didn’t agree she would retaliate. Ms. Zanca shouldn’t be allowed to supervise any staff or group of youngsters in the NYC education system. I put the onus on Schools Chancellor Farina and the DOE to terminate Ms. Zanca and do it now!”
Ms. Zanca joined the DOE in 1988 and retired as a principal in June 2015. She has been working as a part-time guidance counselor at Frederick Douglass Academy in Brooklyn.
