Nikole Hannah-Jones attacks NYC schools chancellor for lack of school integration plan

NEW YORK — Chancellor of New York City Schools Kamar Samuels found himself in the hot seat Tuesday night as investigative reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones and a crowd of students pounced on him for his failure to clearly lay out a plan to combat segregation in public schools.

The New York Times writer who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2020 for commentarydisputed Samuels to explain why it has yet to fully implement key recommendations made by the city’s school diversity advisory group in 2019, including eliminating admissions requirements that advocates say perpetuate segregation.

Hannah Jones appeared alongside about 800 students and advocates at a Manhattan town hall sponsored by The Bell, a student journalism nonprofit, and New York Appleseed, a school integration advocacy group. Samuelswho identified integration as a key priority after being appointed chancellor by the mayor Zohran Mamdanihas already spearheaded school mergers aimed at advancing educational integration.

Tuesday evening, Hannah Jones he pressed him again and again to outline his plans now that he is chancellor.