New York State Education Commissioner, Who Advocated to Mandate Hours of Secular Subjects in Private Schools, To Resign

New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, who has advocated to mandate hours of Secular studies to private schools, is resigning. Her resignation, passed to the board today, took them off guard, and prompted a board meeting.

by CrownHeights.info

New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, who has advocated to mandate hours of Secular studies to private schools, has given in her letter of resignation for the end of August.

Commissioner Elia had been an advocate of guidelines requiring hours of secular studies, including for Yeshivas.

“Obviously this is an issue that has caught us all off guard.” said Chancellor Betty Rosa, while others refused comments when asked if they were surprised.

Elia had previously been fired by the school board of Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida, after a number of incidents that eroded the board’s trust in her.