Overcrowding plagues PS 81

Riverdale school forced to use unorthodox space

By Kate McNeil

The Robert J. Christen School, PS 81, is so crowded that some children are attending classes in stairwell landings, and Community School District 10 has begun to transfer fifth-graders to PS 24 - four, so far - to reduce class sizes.

PS 81 mom Kristina Lauria discovered the stairwell sessions on Oct. 24. Her third-grade son Richie had spilled juice on his shirt during lunch and when she walked in with a dry shirt for her son, she saw her fourth-grade daughter, Autumn, sitting on the floor of the north stairwell.

Ditching class? Nope. Out for a bathroom break? Nope. Her little one was in class - on the stairwell landing.

"Her teacher was sitting there conducting a class like it was normal," Ms. Lauria said.

Once a day, a group of students are pulled out of their general education classes into the second-floor stairwell landings for extra help with reading.

Immediately Ms. Lauria called the fire marshal. Later that evening, Engine and Ladder 52 determined the two stairwell classes are in violation of fire code.

"Stairways should always remain clear," said FDNY spokesman Jim Long. "We asked them to clean it up and we'd be back."

Melodie Mashel, principal at the school, said she has not been personally notified that the school is in violation. The school's custodian, who would have received the call from the fire department, has not been in school because of an injury.

She said the makeshift classrooms, on the north and south end of the second floor, have been used for several years, and fire officials have never said anything was wrong with using them during previous visits.

On Tuesday, Ms. Mashel said classes would not be held in the space until she gets instruction from the fire department.

While the stairwells - one of which is a considerably large space - is not ideal for class, the principal said simply that she has no room.

This year, enrollment reached 715 students. The Riverdale Avenue school is built to accommodate 590.

"This is a building that is overutilized," Ms. Mashel said. "I'm out of space."

"They are packed, they are just absolutely packed," said Eleanor Edelstein, education specialist for Councilman Oliver Koppell, adding that Mr. Koppell will open a discussion about the possibility of rezoning schools soon. Ms. Edelstein said the principal told her that the school is considering moving the classes to a vestibule leading to the auditorium.

But that's not an acceptable solution for one mother.

"It's called a classroom for a reason," said Eva Lana, who removed her third-grade son Max from the stairway class when she also stumbled upon it last week.

"I walked up the stairs and the teacher said, 'Oh Max has come to join us,'" she said. "My heart sank. I thought, this can't be real."

Suffering from dyslexia, Max has been receiving extra services since last year but his mother assumed it was in a classroom. Ms. Lana, a test prep expert, worries about the stigma attached to a child being removed for extra services.

"I appreciate the intention but it's a huge cost to parade a weakness in a hallway," she said. "It's a very strange place to put high-risk kids. Can't they at least move them into the library?"

Lisa Whitfield, whose daughter Imani Congdon is pulled into the intervention class daily said PS 81 is "making the most of the space" they have.

"I wouldn't consider it the most desirable thing in the world but I have never heard people complain about it," Ms. Whitfield said. "As for what to do about it, I'm not really sure."

"Ms. Mashel is very concerned about this and teachers are doing everything they can to make this a positive situation," she said. "PS 81 is dealing with it as best as they can and they are coming up with positive and creative solutions."

While the stairwell sessions don't worry Ms. Whitfield, overcrowding does. Her daughter's kindergarten class enrolled only 21 students but four years later, Imani is one of 33 students in her fourth-grade class.

The school's fourth- and fifthgrade classes are particularly packed. One fifth-grade class enrolled 37 children before a group of students (some of the last to register for the school year) were sent to PS 24.

Ms. Mashel said the Department of Education's Division of School Facilities has plans to visit the school and assess whether the large stairwell landing can be transformed into an acceptable space for classrooms.