Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan says he is open to any intervention by New York state in the Buffalo Public School District.
The Buffalo Mayor sidestepped a question regarding allegations facing board member Muki Hawkins, asking if he should resign after a second set of sexual harassment claims were levied against the current school board member Tuesday.
A notice of claim, which is a precursor to a lawsuit, accuses Hawkins of an “unlawful and continuing course of sexual harassment, a sexually hostile work environment, quid pro quo sexual harassment, sex-based discrimination, and retaliation” directed at Arlene Adams, the district’s project administrator overseeing the federal grant program, Project Prevent. The Buffalo Public School District is also named in the suit for their “knowing failure to prevent, investigate and remediate that conduct and its failure to protect” Adams.
Ryan says he is encouraged that State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa is already informally becoming more involved with Buffalo schools, but there remains too much noise around the board.
“They should be putting their efforts on kids being ready to be in the seat when the bell rings on opening day, and right now all I see out of the school board is distraction, distraction distraction,” Ryan said.
The first day of school for Buffalo Public Schools is Sept. 3.