New York schools staff accused of taking family on trips meant for homeless students

Multiple New York City Public Schools employees have been accused of taking their children and grandchildren on a Disney World trip meant for young people suffering from homelessness, according to a report released this month.

Anastasia Coleman, the special commissioner of investigations for the district, wrote the report on Jan. 26, addressing it to the chancellor of New York City Public Schools. It was released publicly on Sept. 9.

The report claims that Linda Wilson, Queens regional manager for Students in Temporary Housing (STH), took her own family members on a Disney World trip sponsored by her job. She is also accused of allowing other employees to bring their family members on trips, which included Washington D.C., and the Rocking Horse Ranch Resort in New York, the report read.

Wilson initially denied bringing family members on the trips, according to the report.

Here's what we know.

More about the investigation

The investigation began in March 2019 when someone complained about Wilson, saying that she was supposed to plan multiple out-of-town field trips for students facing homelessness, according to the report.

The trips were supposed to be “enrichment opportunities” for improving attendance or other academic achievements for the students, the redacted report said. Several staff members said Wilson brought her own family members on the trips by forging permission slips.

“Wilson and the staff members would complete permission slips using the information of homeless students, then sign off on the paperwork as the parents of those students,” the report says. 

In addition to Wilson, the following were also named in the report:

• Queens Students in Temporary Housing program manager Shaquieta Boyd
• Queens Students in Temporary Housing family assistant Joanne Castro
• Queens Students in Temporary Housing family assistant Mishawn Jack
• Queens Students in Temporary Housing family assistant Virgen Ramos
• Queens Students in Temporary Housing community coordinator Maria Sylvester

It was not immediately clear whether anyone is representing the staff members. Like Wilson, Ramos and Sylvester initially denied bringing family members on the trips, the report said.

Boyd and Jack refused to speak with investigators, while Castro initially refused to speak to investigators and then resigned, according to the report.

Program rules state no staff family members may attend

Investigators spoke to someone who said Wilson supervised about 20 staff members overseeing students in temporary housing. Staff members attended most of the trips as chaperones with one or two buses with 30 students each.

Wilson organized the trips to Disney World in Florida, Washington, D.C., and New Orleans, according to the report. 

Wilson had payment requests for the trips processed and some of the stipulations stated that all trips must have some sort of educational component. Each student must also have a valid permission slip to attend and no staff family members could attend, according to a source who spoke with investigators.

Wilson also worked with Keys to Abundant Life, Inc. to book transportation, hotels and activities for the trips, the report read. According to an informant investigators spoke to, Wilson worked with Keys to Abundant Life, Inc. because “there is less oversight of community-based organizations” like the group than if she were to book directly through the Department of Education.

According to the report, Wilson’s two daughters were known to attend these trips and Wilson’s staff members also brought family members along. The investigation report said that not many homeless students who were listed on the trip paperwork actually went on the trips.

According to the report, Wilson decided which staff members could go on the trips, assigned students to each staff member to chaperone and then filled their spots with family members of the staff. Their plans were discussed in person so there would be no paper trail, one informant told investigators.

The trips were planned and paid for using grants meant to help students suffering from homelessness, according to the report. The trips were also supposed to allow students to visit college campuses, but when investigators contacted the colleges listed in Wilson’s plans, the schools said they never spoke to her.

Staff member had to beg to bring students on one trip

Other trips staff members took family on included the Rocking Horse Ranch Resort in New York, the report says.

In June 2018, Wilson planned a trip to Syracuse University, one informant said in the report. The group ate lunch at the university but did not tour the university and instead went to Niagara Falls, the report says.

When asked why they were eating at the university, someone overheard program manager Boyd say the school visit was a requirement to plan trips for the students, the report says.

Another person told investigators that some Department of Education students did attend the Disney World trip but multiple staff members, including Wilson, Jack, Ramos and Sylvester, brought family members.

“He had to beg Wilson to allow him to add two of his students to the trip,” the report said.

Staff members deny accusations

Investigators spoke with several of the employees named in the report, who initially denied bringing family members on the trips.

Wilson spoke with investigators with her attorney present and said she never brought any of her daughters on the trips. She said she did not know if any staff members had brought their children because she did not know their children.

When investigators showed Wilson photographs of herself on a 2016 Washington D.C. trip, she identified herself and two of her daughters in the photos. She said her daughters did not go to Washington D.C., on the bus and instead, they had something else to do nearby in Maryland that day. Her daughters later met the group in Washington, D.C., Wilson said.

The special commissioner of investigations recommended in its report that Wilson, Boyd, Jack, Ramos and Sylvester be fired and have information about the accusations attached to their personnel files so they cannot work with the Department of Education again.

Coleman encouraged the Department of Education to seek reimbursement from those accused.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].