3-13. College and Career: Henry Street and Bronx Regional
Title
3-13. College and Career: Henry Street and Bronx Regional
Subject
Description
In this recording, part of a larger video memoir project, lifetime activist and educator Suzanne Ross speaks about her time as a psychologist at Henry Street Settlement and at Bronx Regional.
From Suzanne: "After having spent five years underground, I now resumed my open identity and got a job as the school psychologist at the Henry Street School for Learning Disabled and Emotionally Disturbed Students (part of the prestigious Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side of Manhattan). The school was not well organized, and was located in the basement of a housing project. Though some teachers were very dedicated and effective, the mental health services were inadequate for the population, and I felt the students were underserved. I came into conflict with the administration, and was fired when I refused to have one of its students thrown out, something that could not happen without my signature. I fought the exclusion of the student, and when she was reinstated as a result of my reporting the school to the proper agencies, I was fired. A legal battle ensued, with my representation by the New York Civil Liberties Union, and a dramatic student struggle, I won a significant legal battle. The school was subsequently closed.
When my husband and I separated, I was suddenly faced with a low income, a 5 year old daughter, and the need to provide my child not only with a roof over her head, but education, health care, etc. The only place I could think of to obtain all these quickly was the Board of Education. I got a job immediately as a school psychologist and began working the following Monday. Bored and angry at the limitations of the Board of Ed’s bureaucracy and repressiveness and knowing that I would soon probably be fired, I chose to transfer to a less bureaucratic part of the Board of Ed. I got a job at an alternative high school, meant for students who had dropped out of school or had been kicked out and were trying to return. I loved teaching these kids but resumed my pattern of raising “uncomfortable” questions. The school was run by progressive white educators, mostly former members of the Communist Party. No sooner was I hired that the principal told me of a yearly trip they sponsored for select students, trips to where? To Israel! I was shocked and immediately questioned the validity of such a trip. The principal told me not to worry, they went to the “good parts of Israel”. I promptly called a Palestinian activist friend, to proceed on getting this part of the curriculum cancelled. Another confrontation with the school focused on a visit I arranged with Dhoruba Bin-Wahad I was accused of undermining education as the students, (2/3 of whom were regularly truant) did not want to return to their regular class that day because they were so immersed in the subject of the visit. Shortly after that incident I was transferred out of the school, again rushed out and told never to come back. The students were told I had gotten a better job!"
From Suzanne: "After having spent five years underground, I now resumed my open identity and got a job as the school psychologist at the Henry Street School for Learning Disabled and Emotionally Disturbed Students (part of the prestigious Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side of Manhattan). The school was not well organized, and was located in the basement of a housing project. Though some teachers were very dedicated and effective, the mental health services were inadequate for the population, and I felt the students were underserved. I came into conflict with the administration, and was fired when I refused to have one of its students thrown out, something that could not happen without my signature. I fought the exclusion of the student, and when she was reinstated as a result of my reporting the school to the proper agencies, I was fired. A legal battle ensued, with my representation by the New York Civil Liberties Union, and a dramatic student struggle, I won a significant legal battle. The school was subsequently closed.
When my husband and I separated, I was suddenly faced with a low income, a 5 year old daughter, and the need to provide my child not only with a roof over her head, but education, health care, etc. The only place I could think of to obtain all these quickly was the Board of Education. I got a job immediately as a school psychologist and began working the following Monday. Bored and angry at the limitations of the Board of Ed’s bureaucracy and repressiveness and knowing that I would soon probably be fired, I chose to transfer to a less bureaucratic part of the Board of Ed. I got a job at an alternative high school, meant for students who had dropped out of school or had been kicked out and were trying to return. I loved teaching these kids but resumed my pattern of raising “uncomfortable” questions. The school was run by progressive white educators, mostly former members of the Communist Party. No sooner was I hired that the principal told me of a yearly trip they sponsored for select students, trips to where? To Israel! I was shocked and immediately questioned the validity of such a trip. The principal told me not to worry, they went to the “good parts of Israel”. I promptly called a Palestinian activist friend, to proceed on getting this part of the curriculum cancelled. Another confrontation with the school focused on a visit I arranged with Dhoruba Bin-Wahad I was accused of undermining education as the students, (2/3 of whom were regularly truant) did not want to return to their regular class that day because they were so immersed in the subject of the visit. Shortly after that incident I was transferred out of the school, again rushed out and told never to come back. The students were told I had gotten a better job!"
Creator
Date
2022
Contributor
Rights
You can, without permission, copy, modify, distribute, display, or perform the Item, for non-commercial uses. For any other permissible uses, please review the terms and conditions with the organization that has made the Item available.
Format
MP4
Language
English
Type
Video memoir
Identifier
AV-ROSS.030
Original Format
MP4
Duration
01:06:21
Media
Collection
Citation
Ross, Suzanne, “3-13. College and Career: Henry Street and Bronx Regional,” Bronx History Online, accessed May 17, 2025, https://digital.bronxhistoricalsociety.org/AV-ROSS/AV-ROSS.030.
Position: 131 (7 views)