NYC charter schools send 14 tons of supplies to Puerto Rico

Brooklyn-based charter schools contributed 3.5 tons of supplies

October 18, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Students from the Bedford-Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School load emergency supplies onto vans to be sent to Puerto Rico. Photo courtesy of the New York City Charter School Center

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Students and teachers from 27 of New York’s charter schools, including one in Bedford-Stuyvesant, came to the aid of hurricane-ravaged victims in Puerto Rico by collecting 14 tons of emergency supplies to be sent to the island, according to New York City Charter School Center.

The center is an independent, nonprofit organization that helps new charter schools get started, supports existing schools and engages the charter school community around key issues.

The Bedford-Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School was among several schools from Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx that took part in the charitable drive to help the victims of Hurricane Maria.

Located at 82 Lewis Ave., the Bedford-Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School was established in 2010.

On Tuesday, students and teaches packed vans provided by the New York City Charter School Center with bottled water, batteries, baby formula, diapers and other nonperishable items for shipment to Puerto Rico.

Maria was a Category 4 hurricane when it slammed into Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, leaving death and destruction in its wake.

Here is the total number of tonnage of supplies donated by charter schools in each of the four participating boroughs:

Brooklyn-based charter schools contributed 3.5 tons of supplies.
Bronx-based charter schools contributed 7.5 tons of supplies.
Queens-based charter schools contributed 1.5 tons of supplies.
Manhattan-based charter schools contributed 1.5 tons of supplies.

“The generosity of these NYC charter schools exemplifies the sector’s commitment to reaching beyond their front doors and partnering with their communities,” James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center, said in a statement. “We are proud of New York City’s charter school families for standing in solidarity and supporting our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico in their time of need.”

Charter schools are free, independently run public schools that operate with charters granted by New York state. The schools are free to innovate in terms of their classroom structures, curriculum, and teaching methods. There are 227 public charter schools serving approximately 114,000 students in the five boroughs.

More than 90 percent of the city’s charter school students are African-American or Latino, and more than 70 percent are from low-income families, according to the New York City Charter School Center.

For more information on the center, visit www.nyccharterschools.org.