| A HuffPost investigation has uncovered more disturbing allegations out of a New York City private school. Now, the New York City Department of Education says it’s investigating. Here is Rebecca Klein on how she reported the story.
Tell us about the initial investigation. What did you find?
It is obviously extremely concerning that a group that is classified as a hate group can run a school. My initial investigation found that the group's pastor, James Manning, was psychologically abusing students, promoting the estrangement of children from their parents and teaching kids to hate LGBTQ people. I also uncovered allegations of sexual harassment.
What happened after it came out?
After the story came out, Pastor Manning tried to discredit my reporting as well as the students who spoke to me. He tweeted that I was a lesbian witch and held a prayer service against me. The letterboard sign outside the church said that the piece had been a hit job from the LGBTQ mafia. He called the students I spoke with thugs and said nobody cared about them.
What was the reaction from the agencies that could hold Atlah responsible?
Unfortunately, I initially did not receive much of a response from New York agencies, despite the fact that I knew they were aware of the story. They cited bureaucratic tape and lack of jurisdiction over the school as reasons for their inaction.
I reached out to several agencies in anticipation of my follow-up investigation. That's when I learned that the New York City Department of Education had opened an investigation into the school, which is welcome news.
What's new about the second part of the investigation?
I spoke to more former students who confirmed my initial investigation and also shared their own experiences with Manning and the school. One family I spoke with described how Manning had promised them a high-tech school with a virtual reality curriculum and computers in every classroom. In actuality, the school offers no such things.
Another former high school student told me more about the school's extreme discipline practices. When that student had mouthed off to a teacher, he was forced to spend several days in the school's pre-k classroom as a form of humiliation. He also spent several days on "janitorial duties," scrubbing toilets.
Anything else you'd like to add?
I think many people assume that private schools are automatically prestigious or offer a superior education to public schools. In many cases, that is obviously not the case. Private schools like Atlah are able to fly under the radar with little accountability.
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