Rep. Elise Stefanik is demanding Gov. Kathy Hochul provide transparency about curriculum and teaching materials funded by Qatar or “malign domestic actors” being used in New York schools, including material that she believes distorts the history of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Stefanik (R-NY), who is running against Hochul (D) in next year’s election, contended that because the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) has refused to release the curriculum, the governor needs to step in.
“The [NYC] DOE has refused to provide copies of teaching materials that twist the narratives of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks and the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023, in Israel,” Stefanik wrote in the letter obtained by The Post.
Stefanik raised concerns about curriculum and other content funded by Qatar and teaching materials from “malign domestic actors” that could give students a distorted view of 9/11.
The New York rep pointed to $1 million in funding from Qatar Foundation International that went to P.S. 261, an elementary school in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, and P.S./I.S. 30, a public school in Bay Ridge.
Stefanik also raised concerns about teaching material from Bridging Cultures, an education contractor led by Dr. Debbie Almontaser, who is also in charge of the Muslim Community Network (MCN) and has a “long history of soft-pedaling violence,” Stefanik claimed. Almontaser will see her influence over New York City rise under Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D), she warned.
Bridging Cultures offers a course on teaching the history of 9/11 in the classroom. But Stefanik underscored how MCN has a history of vilifying “those who want to recognize radical Islam’s role in the attacks.”
She also recalled how MCN petitioned to scrap federal funding for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, contending that it conflates “all Islam with specific terroristic ideologies.”
Bridging Cultures held workshops about the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks, which she argues “erases Israeli suffering.”
“The NYC DOE partnered with Bridging Cultures to train teachers on how to speak to students about 10/7, the war in Gaza, and the anti-Israel protest movement,” Stefanik noted.
Both MCN and Bridging Cultures have received at least $14.7 million from New York City since 2014, public records cited by Stefanik show.
Stefanik laid out a list of questions and requests for Hochul, seeking material such as details about all contracts between Qatar Foundation International and public schools throughout NYC, copies of current and previously used curriculum, and information about why the NYC DOE allowed.
Moreover, Stefanik demanded Hochul work with the Commissioner of the New York State Department to investigate why the NYC DOE allowed Qatar to help fund two of its public schools, why it partners with Bridging Cultures and MCN, and more.
She requested that information “as soon as possible.” But Hochul’s team brushed aside the request.
“This letter reflects Congresswoman Stefanik’s misunderstanding of how New York’s education system and mayoral control operate,” Hochul’s deputy press secretary Emma Wallner shot back in a statement to The Post.
“The Governor has no authority over NYC DOE curriculum, contracts, or FOIL [Freedom of Information Law] responses.”
The Post also reached out to the NYC DOE for comment.
