The head of Success Academy sent a forceful letter to parents and staff at Success Academy on Thursday condemning President Donald Trump and expressing regret for not being “more outspoken” about her beliefs.
The letter, first reported by Politico New York, marks Moskowitz’s most aggressive rebuke of the president, whom she originally said she would “work with” after meeting with him when she was under consideration for the position of U.S education secretary. On Thursday, Moskowitz acknowledged that was a miscalculation.
“Unfortunately, our nation has become so polarized in the Trump era that some have perceived my silence as tacit support of President Trump’s policies,” the letter said. “I apologize to you for allowing this to happen.”
It continues, “In retrospect, I should have been more outspoken so that no one would possibly think that either Success Academy or I was tacitly supporting President Trump’s policies, which are contrary to the values of respect, caring, and concern that are central to our mission.”
Moskowitz had previously seemed reluctant to distance herself from the Trump administration. While other charter leaders were silent about Trump’s pick of Betsy DeVos for U.S. education secretary, she tweeted her support for DeVos. She also hosted Ivanka Trump at a Success Academy school after the presidential election.
But the past weekend’s racist violence Charlottesville — and Trump’s equivocal response — appear to have pushed Moskowitz over the edge.
“Like so many of you, I am deeply distressed both by the hateful violence in Charlottesville and by President Trump’s refusal to clearly denounce it,” the letter reads. “Nobody with any empathy for the plight of people of color in this country could respond the way he did.”
Last week, Success Academy became ensnared in its own racial controversy after Daniel Loeb, its board chairman, said African-American New York State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who he considers loyal to unions, done “more damage to people of color than anyone who has ever donned a hood.” Loeb later apologized and deleted the post.
Moskowitz denounced those comments in an earlier letter to the Success Academy community, but he remains chairman of the board.
Here is the full text of the letter:
Dear Success Academy Community, Like so many of you, I am deeply distressed both by the hateful violence in Charlottesville and by President Trump’s refusal to clearly denounce it. Nobody with any empathy for the plight of people of color in this country could respond the way he did. His comments have left many in our community feeling unsafe and uncertain about their place in society. It’s one thing to have a President with whose politics you disagree; it’s another to have a President who doesn’t even seem to care about your welfare. One of our greatest weapons in fighting the kinds of injustice, violence, and moral confusion we have seen over the past few days is ensuring that we have schools where our children are safe not only physically, but also emotionally and morally, and are taught the values to which we aspire. We must renew our commitment to instilling high moral character in our students, to teaching them to treat each other with kindness, to stand up for what is right, and to respect the diversity of backgrounds and experiences that strengthen our country. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Like many of you, I have found the Trump presidency distressing, and I want to candidly share with you the struggles I’ve faced in dealing with it. As I explained when I announced that I was turning down a potential opportunity to serve as Secretary of Education, I voted for Hillary Clinton and was sorely disappointed she didn’t win. I am a Democrat and disagree with virtually all of President Trump’s policy positions including those on healthcare, LGBTQ rights, civil rights, immigration, global warming, gun control, and tax “reform.” I chose not to speak publicly about these disagreements, however, because I feel my responsibility as CEO of Success Academy is not to advance my personal beliefs on a broad range of political issues but instead to focus all of my energies on advocating for our kids and public policies that expand educational opportunity and parent choice. This is the approach I’ve taken for the last 11 years, working with elected officials from both parties including Presidents Obama and Bush, Governors Cuomo, Patterson, Spitzer, and Pataki, and Mayor Bloomberg. Unfortunately, our nation has become so polarized in the Trump era that some have perceived my silence as tacit support of President Trump’s policies. This is particularly upsetting to me because opponents of charter schools in general, and of Success Academy in particular, have sought to take advantage of this confusion to undermine our schools and the work we do for children. I apologize to you for allowing this to happen. I thought the approach I’d previously taken would work in this new era; I’ve learned it doesn’t, particularly in light of President Trump’s horrifying response to the violence in Charlottesville. In retrospect, I should have been more outspoken so that no one would possibly think that either Success Academy or I was tacitly supporting President Trump’s policies, which are contrary to the values of respect, caring, and concern that are central to our mission. Moving forward, I hope that we can redouble our efforts to protect our children from the terrible hatred and violence that still plagues our nation and work to make our country a place in which there is greater tolerance, equality, and love for one another. Warmly, Eva Moskowitz