Paterson principal backs teacher in councilman’s complaint over his son’s 'F' International High School principal speaks out after Paterson councilman brought up son's grade to school board.

Joe Malinconico | Paterson Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Teacher layoffs in Paterson About 85 teachers in the Paterson public school district got layoff notices, their union said. There could be more than 200 jobs eliminated overall.

PATERSON – The principal at Paterson’s International High School is defending the physical education teacher who came under criticism this week from a city councilman angry over the “F” his son got in health class.

Principal Robina Puryear-Castro sent high-ranking city education officials an email on Friday morning saying that it should be “crystal clear that there never has been, and never will be any preferential treatment for any student under my watch.”

“As a Patersonian who still resides in this community, I do not lead my building based on any political framework which may guide any other school in this district,” Puryear-Castro added.

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Councilman Michael Jackson appeared at Wednesday night’s Board of Education meeting to complain about the failing grade his son received from Yiset Hernandez, a first-year teacher in the district. Jackson argued that his son is an honors student with all A’s in other subjects who was not allowed to get make-up work for health classes he missed.

In a separate email sent to district officials on Thursday night after the publication of a news story about the councilman’s complaint, the principal wrote, "I (we) stand behind Ms. Hernandez. So spin this however you deem necessary.”

When asked about the principal’s comments, Jackson said his actions were not political, but simply those of a concerned parent.

“I wasn’t looking for any special treatment,” Jackson said. “I didn’t expect and I never expected for them to change the grade.”

The councilman said he met with the teacher, a vice principal and with Puryear-Castro prior to attending the school board meeting. He said he wanted to try to bring about a change in the teacher’s practices regarding make-up assignments.

At the heart of Jackson’s complaint is an online tool called Google Classroom that many teachers in Paterson use for distributing work to students, including missed assignments when they are absent or late. Jackson said he was upset because his son’s teacher refused to provide the make-up work through Google Classroom.

Spokeswoman Terry Corallo said the district has provided its teachers with training in the Google Classroom system, but does not require them to use it. Corallo said she would not discuss an individual student’s grade, but said information about the grade was made available to Jackson.

Jackson and his son, who is also named Michael, were accompanied at Wednesday’s meeting by another International High student, Jalen Hargrove, and his mother, Nichelle Nixon. Hargrove had a similar complaint about the physical education teacher, saying he got all A’s except for a D from Hernandez in health.