P’Slope shelter resident spits on students
BY COLIN MIXSON
The principal of a Park Slope
elementary school is asking
for parent volunteers to protect
kids on their way to gym
class at the Eighth Avenue Armory
YMCA, where a homeless
woman allegedly spit on
children and a teacher last
month.
“In light of the incident
that occurred near the Armory
on Thursday, April 18,
I’m writing to ask for your
help,” wrote PS 107 Principal
Eve Litwack in an April 29
email sent to parents.
A group of PS 107 students
were walking the block from
their Eighth Avenue school
to gym class at the YMCA between
14th and 15th streets at
around noon on April 18, when
a resident of the homeless shelter
also located within the historic
armory building became
irate, and spit on a teacher and
some kids, according to another
email Litwack sent parents
shortly after the assault
“One of the residents of
the women’s shelter, which is
also housed at the Armory,
approached a teacher, made
lewd comments about her
(that some of the children
overheard), then spat several
times on and near her,” Litwack
wrote. “Some of the children
who were nearest to her
were also hit by her spittle, either
COURIER L 12 IFE, MAY 10–16, 2019 PS
directly or indirectly.”
A police report was not
fi led regarding the assault on
the elementary-aged children,
according to a spokeswoman
for the police department, who
would not say whether police
are investigating the incident,
of if any arrests have been
made, referring all further
questions to the Department
of Education.
Police offi cers did visit
PS 107 last weekend — more
than two weeks after the spitting
attack occurred — where
they discussed additional
safety measures that could
be implemented at the Eighth
Avenue school, according
to Department of Education
spokeswoman Miranda Barbot,
who could not immediately
comment regarding
NYPD claims that no report
had been fi led.
In her April 29 email, Litwack
asked parent PE volunteers
to meet kids inside the
school’s lobby — not at the armory
as they did previously —
before escorting them to the
YMCA for gym class.
The women’s shelter has
also posted guards at 14th
Street and Eighth Avenue during
hours when kids are taking
gym class at the Y, according
to Litwack’s email.
News of the assault comes
just days after city offi cials met
with residents to address concerns
regarding two new shelters
the city plans on opening
on Fourth Avenue later this
year, which will house families
split between 253 units.
SPAT: A resident of the women’s shelter located inside the Park Slope Armory allegedly spit on teachers and
students from PS 107 last month. File photo by Bess Adler