Living in Manhattan, families always had the comfort of knowing that whatever happened with private school admissions, Junior could always attend her local public elementary school.
That knowledge gave people a feeling of peace so they could live in the city. Now, zoning is no longer a right. The New York Times reports that for the second year in a row, some kids in desirable public school zones are being placed on waiting lists for kindergarten. And some PS 234 and 89 zoned kids will be attending new schools downtown.
While waitlisted kids may indeed eventually be admitted, families still don’t know. This stress, in a season with so many other stresses, is too much to ask families to bear. Once again, the New York City public schools have pushed affluent families to private schools and to the suburbs.