Six employees from New York City's Department of Education allegedly used funds meant for homeless students to bring their families to Disney World and other destinations.
The alleged excursions were reported by the Special Commissioner of Investigation (SCI). Investigators said the NYC Education Department staffers used the funds for homeless students for their personal trips, robbing disadvantaged kids of the chance to enjoy trips to the Magic Kingdom theme park and multiple-day trips to Washington, D.C.; New Orleans, Boston, and the Frost Valley YMCA campground.
NYS Education Department Employees Used Funds to Bring Families to Disney World
One of the employees named in the SCI report was Linda Wilson, who served as the regional manager for the city's Queen's Students in Temporary Housing program. Investigators said she used the city funds to take her two daughters on excursions. She was also accused of encouraging colleagues to take their families on trips using city funds.
Other staffers named in the report included program director Shaquieta Boyd; family assistants Joanne Castro, Mishawn Jack, and Virgen Ramos; and community coordinator Maria Sylvester.
When the SCI began asking questions about the trips, Wilson allegedly tried to cover it up by asking employees to "stick to the same story" and deny claims that they took their children on the trip, an NYC Education Department employee told the New York Post.
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How Were They Able To Go on City-Funded Excursions?
The report noted that Wilson forged permits in the names of homeless students who were to be the beneficiaries of the funds. Moreover, the Education Department staffers also forged parent signatures on the permission slips.
Few of the students listed on the paperwork actually went on the trips. Wilson would instead replace spots assigned for homeless students with the children of staff members. Most of the excursions included four to six staffers of the Education Department as well as one or two buses for 30 children. For perspective, the buses cost $2,700 per trip.
Investigators began probing the scheme after some employees told the DOE about their schemes in 2018. The SCI completed its investigation in January last year.
All six employees have been terminated and ordered to pay restitution. Investigators did not refer the cases for criminal prosecution due to "lack of available documentation."
