The principal of a Park Slope elementary school is asking for parent volunteers to protect kids on their way to gym class at the Eight Avenue Armory YMCA, where a homeless woman allegedly spit on children and a teacher last month.
“In light of the incident that occurred near the Armory on Thursday, April 18, I’m writing to ask for your help,” wrote PS 107 Principal Eve Litwack in an April 29th email sent to parents.
A group of PS 107 students were walking the block from their Eight Avenue school to gym class at the YMCA between 14th and 15th streets at around noon on April 18, when a resident of the homeless shelter also located within the historic armory building became irate, and spit on a teacher and some kids, according to another email Litwack sent parents shortly after the assault
“One of the residents of the women’s shelter, which is also housed at the Armory, approached a teacher, made lewd comments about her (that some of the children overheard), then spat several times on and near her,” Litwack wrote. “Some of the children who were nearest to her were also hit by her spittle, either directly or indirectly.”
A police report was not filed regarding the assault on the elementary-aged children, according to a spokeswoman for the police department, who would not say whether police are investigating the incident, of if any arrests have been made, referring all further questions to the Department of Education.
Police officers did visit PS 107 last weekend — more than two weeks after the spitting attack occurred — where they discussed additional safety measures that could be implemented at the Eighth Avenue school, according to Department of Education spokeswoman Miranda Barbot, who could not immediately comment regarding NYPD claims that no report had been filed.
In her April 29 email, Litwack asked parent PE volunteers to meet kids inside the school’s lobby — not at the armory as they did previously — before escorting them to the YMCA for gym class.
The women’s shelter has also posted guards at 14th Street and Eighth Avenue during hours when kids are taking gym class at the Y, according to Litwack’s email.
News of the assault comes just days after city officials met with residents to address concerns regarding two new shelters the city plans on opening on Fourth Avenue later this year, which will house families split between 253 units.
