As if there wasn't already tension between PS 29 and the $28K-a-year Saint Ann's in Cobble Hill, the Times reports that in the wake of the playground fire and subsequent escrow account fiasco, you may now cut it with a knife (Ginsu, if you're a Saint Ann's parent). Amidst the "faint sickly smell of burned rubber," the principal of PS 29 told a reporter that "The community is still hurting, and the children are still hurting." One PS 29 parent said "People here seek community service, some degree of standing up and taking the blame, rather than setting up some $50,000 fund." Aw, come on!
$50,000 means you never have to say you're sorry.
In fairness, the teenagers are facing serious charges for their YouTube prank gone awry, including felony arson. Saint Ann's principal even called the PS 29 principal to express regret. But he also said now isn't the time to backslide into class warfare: "I think it's unfortunate in a moment like this that there are those who would prefer to play off to long-held stereotypes about Saint Ann's and other private schools." Yeah, because paying $50,000 to make something go away instead of turning your children into the police isn't playing into a stereotype; as the parents' lawyer says: "People can scream and yell…this is the quickest way to get their playground back." When you lose something, you just buy another one: it's the American way.
