Success Academy Fort Greene principal Candido Brown gave an emotional apology at a press conference on Friday addressing a list of “Got-to-Go” students that he created last December.
“As an educator I fell short of my commitment to all children and families at my school and for that I am deeply sorry,” he said, speaking through tears. His actions, he said, were driven by desperation to turnaround a struggling school.
Eva Moskowitz, the founder and CEO of the city’s largest charter-school network, said Brown was reprimanded immediately after learning about the list, which only existed for three days, and denied that the network makes any attempt to push students out of its schools.
“A mistake was made here and I take personal responsibility as the leader of this organization for that happening under my watch,” Moskowitz said. “We are not perfect. We are a work in progress. This is incredibly humbling and difficult work.”