Staten Island’s black superintendent, Dr. Marion Wilson, has denied sending anti-white text messages to a staff member, allegedly vowing to fire white principals in the district.
Screenshots of the texts, attributed to Wilson, have been sent to Chancellor David Banks and the Department of Education (DOE) as well as city officials. Investigations have been launched, but the DOE has called the messages ‘unsubstantiated’ and ‘fake’ as the probe continues.
The texts claim to show Wilson promising to ‘clean up this island’ and saying ‘No more white principals on my watch!’ According to silive.com, another text allegedly reads, ‘White folks need to recognize this is not the boys club anymore.
A strong black woman runs this b***h now, and they can either get on board or get out. If they don’t get out, I’m going to take them out one by one. They’re not gonna know what hit them. Gonna be fun.’
The text messages were first investigated by the New York City Special Commissioner for Investigation (SCI) and were later referred to the DOE for action.
The DOE has launched its own investigation through the department’s Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO). A DOE spokesperson has stated that the SCI is investigating the origins of the texts, which it believes are fake.
Wilson’s push to employ more ‘BIPOC’ to work in Staten Island schools is believed to be the reason behind the alleged texts. However, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) has stood behind Wilson, stating that she cares deeply about students and school communities and has a track record of making fair decisions that support them.
Wilson was appointed superintendent of District 31 in August 2021 and was reappointed to the role in June 2022. Prior to her appointment, she had worked as a teacher, instructional coach, principal, principal leadership facilitator, and deputy superintendent for the district.