New York City’s Special Commissioner of Investigation (SCI) said it substantiated that a manager in the Department of Education’s Students in Temporary Housing program brought relatives on program-sponsored trips and allowed five other employees to bring family members. The trips, including one to Disney World, were intended as enrichment or incentives for students experiencing homelessness. The finding is administrative, not a criminal conviction; the report also includes witness accounts, employee denials and recommendations that should be kept distinct.
What the investigation found
In a letter dated January 26, 2023, SCI concluded that Queens Students in Temporary Housing Regional Manager Linda Wilson brought family members on sponsored trips and allowed five colleagues to do the same. The employees named were Program Manager Shaquieta Boyd; Family Assistants Joanne Castro, Mishawn Jack and Virgen Ramos; and Community Coordinator Maria Sylvester. SCI’s conclusion was that relatives attended trips meant for students in the program—not that students were excluded from every outing. The report says some DOE students attended the Disney World trip alongside employees’ relatives.
SCI opened its investigation in March 2019 after receiving a complaint. The trips under review took place from 2016 through 2019. Although the report was dated in 2023, it became public on September 9, 2024. SCI’s report in case 2019-1844 is the primary record of its findings and recommendations.
Why the trips were organized—and how they were arranged
The report describes the outings as educational enrichment or incentives tied to attendance or academic achievement. It says grants intended to help students experiencing homelessness paid for the trips. Wilson contracted Keys to Abundant Life, Inc. (KAL) to arrange transportation, hotels and activities. One witness told investigators that using the outside organization meant less DOE oversight than booking trips directly through the department.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteOne employee who processed vendor payments described trip requirements as including an educational component, valid permission slips for students attending and no staff family members, even if DOE were reimbursed. The report connects this description to Chancellor’s Regulation A-670 and interview evidence; it is not a separate finding about every trip’s compliance.
A witness described typical trips as using one or two buses, each carrying about 30 students, and four to six staff chaperones. Those are approximate details from that witness, not audited totals for the program. SCI’s report also records that a witness supplied 168 electronic photographs from a 2016 Washington, D.C., trip.
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What the report says about Disney and other destinations
The Disney World trip included DOE students as well as relatives of employees. One witness said they had to ask Wilson to add two students. The report does not establish that the trip was exclusively for staff families.
Other destinations or activities described in the report and related coverage include Washington, D.C.; New Orleans; Boston; the performance “Stomp”; Frost Valley YMCA; and Rocking Horse Ranch. The accounts do not establish that every trip had the same itinerary or educational value.
The Syracuse visit and disputed educational purpose
SCI described a three-day trip, June 25–27, 2018, as a Syracuse University visit. The report says the group ate lunch at the university but did not tour it, and instead visited Niagara Falls. Witnesses also characterized some other excursions as lacking an educational component. The Washington Post reported an additional allegation that colleges named on itineraries had not been contacted to arrange visits. These are report and witness-based descriptions, not proof that every outing was non-educational.
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Permission slips, witness accounts and denials
SCI’s report says staff used information belonging to students experiencing homelessness on permission slips and signed as those students’ parents. A witness said few students listed on trip paperwork actually attended. These are investigative findings and attributed testimony in a redacted report; the available account does not identify redacted witnesses or children.
The report records that some employees denied bringing relatives or said family members arrived separately. It also recounts that Sylvester later admitted bringing her daughter on the Disney trip, while maintaining that she paid for the daughter’s place. A witness attributed the words “What happens here stays with us” to Wilson; Wilson denied making that statement. She also denied taking her daughters on the trips and said she did not know whether employees had brought their children. The Associated Press separately reported that Wilson called the probe “a witch hunt.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What SCI recommended and what is known about later outcomes
SCI recommended termination for Wilson, Boyd, Jack, Ramos and Sylvester. Because Castro had retired, SCI recommended a permanent employment-bar problem code for her. The agency also recommended that DOE seek reimbursement for expenses incurred for people who benefited from the trips. Those were recommendations in the January 2023 report, not confirmation that all recommended payments were collected.
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After the report became public, DOE spokesperson Jenna Lyle said, “All staff identified in this report are no longer employed by New York City Public Schools.” The statement establishes their later employment status, but the sources do not explain the employment pathway for each person or give a complete repayment total.
The Washington Post reported a separate disposition involving former aide Mishawn Jack: the city Conflicts of Interest Board reduced a $3,000 fine intended to reimburse the city to $1,200, citing her debt after termination and her supervisor’s statement that family attendance was allowed. That ethics-board settlement concerns Jack alone and does not establish the repayment outcome for the other employees.
Quick Recap
How to read the case fairly
- Official finding: SCI said it substantiated that Wilson brought relatives and allowed five other STH employees to bring relatives on sponsored trips.
- Evidence and disputed details: The report includes interviews, witness accounts, photographs and denials. Specific claims about paperwork, concealment or individual trips should be attributed rather than treated as universal findings about every outing.
- Outcome: SCI made employment and reimbursement recommendations; DOE later said the identified staff were no longer employed. The report does not establish criminal guilt or a complete accounting of reimbursements.
Sources
- Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District, case 2019-1844, letter dated January 26, 2023.
- Associated Press report republished by FOX 5 New York, September 17, 2024.
- The Washington Post’s report, updated September 17, 2024.
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