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An overcrowded South Ozone Park school has long caused trouble for students and parents, so when a city inspector fined P.S. 124 last month for violating safety codes, anger came as no surprise.
The community asked for a school expansion, according to District 27 Community Superintendent Michelle Lloyd-Bey. Parents wanted the school converted from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade to K-8, and got their wish in 2006.
Parents said a variety of factors forced the school conversion. A wave of multi-family dwellings engulfed the neighborhood, bringing in more residents with children.
Once the school was converted and the option to send children to a smaller middle school became available, parents pulled their children out of J.H.S. 226 and enrolled them in P.S. 124. In addition to this, the Department of Education opened access to P.S. 124’s gifted program to qualified children who do not live in the school zone.
Operating well above capacity, the school cut pre-K classes this year and split space to create more classrooms. Next year, the school’s science lab will be converted into a classroom, according to published reports.
Still, the insufficient space forces students into the hallways during their free time. A city inspector called this a fire hazard and cited the school March 31. It was reported that city officials reviewed the situation last month, but made no plans to correct it.
An education department spokeswoman said more than 2,300 elementary and middle school seats will be created in District 27 by 2013 in order to alleviate overcrowding. One new school is set to open in September and another next year, both in Woodhaven.
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