Calls to remove a south Brooklyn superintendent are mounting after her husband allegedly posed as someone else on social media to attack a union rep for local teachers.
The saga began to unfold when Acting Superintendent Erin Lynch-Reyes’ bid to become the permanent leader of District 21 seemed to hit a roadblock over public acrimony between teachers and their principal at a local school in her district. A key voice in that labor dispute was Adam Shapiro, the district representative for the United Federation of Teachers.
While not the direct target of the complaints, Lynch-Reyes found herself in the crosshairs. After the setback came to light, her husband, Miguel Reyes — according to the UFT’s general counsel, Beth Norton — allegedly struck back. Falsely claiming to be a staff member at the Midwood school named Jose Tricoche, he made a series of social media posts personally attacking Shapiro, the union claimed.
“The UFT has a good faith basis to believe that ‘Jose Tricoche’ is Ms. Lynch-Reyes’ spouse, Miguel Reyes,” Norton wrote in a Jan. 13 letter to Liz Vladeck, the top lawyer for the city’s public school system.
“The UFT demands that the Department immediately cease and desist from engaging in fraudulent and defamatory online attacks of UFT representatives, including Adam Shapiro, and from unlawfully interfering with the Union’s representation function in District 21.”
A spokeswoman for the public schools and Lynch-Reyes did not comment, and attempts to reach Reyes were unsuccessful. Alison Gendar, a UFT spokeswoman, said the letter “proved effective” and the “activity has stopped” since it was sent.
A local conflict spirals
When Lynch-Reyes, a 24-year veteran of public education, was tapped at the start of this school year as the interim superintendent of District 21 — from Coney Island and Brighton Beach to Bensonhurst and Midwood — it seemed like a perfect fit.
Before stepping into the role, Lynch-Reyes was the top deputy to Isabel DiMola, the local superintendent for 16 years until DiMola was promoted last summer to former Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos’ second-in-command.
As deputy superintendent, Lynch-Reyes oversaw sweeping changes to the district’s reading curriculum. She also had experience as the principal of I.S. 096 Seth Low in Bensonhurst.
“I am committed to ensuring that every school in our district is a place of opportunity, innovation, and joy,” Lynch-Reyes wrote in a letter, introducing herself as the new temporary leader.
But months into the new job, Lynch-Reyes had a major problem on her hands.
At P.S./I.S. 99 Isaac Asimov School of Science and Literature, teachers accused their principal, Hrysoula Niarhos, of micromanagement and mistreatment. The nonprofit education news source Chalkbeat New York reported six complaints have been filed about Niarhos with the city over allegations of improper behavior, while Lynch-Reyes continued to stand by her.
Soon, teachers across the district — then the city — were talking about P.S./I.S. 99 and District 21.
Last December, teachers from 30 schools district-wide wore black to work one day in support of the P.S./I.S. 99 staff. Michael Mulgrew, the union president, personally spoke out against the working conditions at P.S./I.S. 99, which also cast a shadow over the district.
DiMola told UFT representatives — according to the union’s letter — the attention received by P.S./I.S. 99 and, in turn, District 21 had delayed Lynch-Reyes’ permanent appointment.
After the UFT was made aware of the delay, a social media user identifying themselves as “Jose Trioche” went on the attack, the letter alleges.
“I work at this school,” Trioche commented on a Dec. 16 Facebook post of the Chalkbeat article. “Adam does not like his truth to come out all he does is post lies.” The user continued by making troubling personal allegations about Shapiro.
When a teacher disputed that Trioche worked at the school and asked him, “Why hide who you really are??,” the user responded: “Cause I finally have a platform where I can speak freely.”
Norton, the UFT’s lawyer, wrote the union has a “good faith basis” to believe that “Trioche” is Miguel Reyes based on a review of his posts, residence and employment. Trioche also followed Lynch-Reyes’ friends and family on social media. The Daily News could not independently verify Trioche’s identity.
The fallout
In the aftermath of the UFT’s formal notice, a letter campaign was launched that asked Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels not to appoint Lynch-Reyes to the permanent superintendency.
“The actions of Lynch-Reyes and her husband do not reflect the values of our community nor do they model the core values of the NYCPS,” read the pre-drafted memo, which had resulted in 256 letters sent as of Friday. “We are asking you to refrain from appointing Erin Lynch-Reyes as District 21 Superintendent and find alternative candidates.”
Union members also came to Shapiro’s defense: “That’s not the man I know,” said Randy Adelson, a paraprofessional and UFT chapter leader at P.S./I.S. 226 Alfred De B. Mason in Bensonhurst.
“Whether it was done with or without knowledge of superintendent, I don’t know,” he added. “But it’s embarrassing, and it’s below the station of a superintendent. And I would really hope that’s not the case… I don’t want our kids to see the adults supposed to be their role models fighting.”
Jay Brown, the president of Community Education Council 21, said he was aware of the allegations, but would not share or sign the petition, given the parent-led school board’s positive experience with Lynch-Reyes, who he credited as an experienced educator. He pointed to efforts by the acting superintendent to make parents aware of math curriculum changes coming to the district.
“We just had a tragedy: A student killed by a yellow school bus in our district that’s a horrific situation,” Brown said. “But it’s the sort of thing where people are tested, and we were working very closely and at the school together with the mom of the deceased student. My own personal view of it is she excelled in that role in that moment.”
Lillian Crespo, a teacher and chapter leader at P.S. 216 Arturo Toscanini in Gravesend, lamented that P.S./I.S. 99 teachers’ allegations against their principal had been “muddled” because of the allegations involving the superintendent’s husband.
But Crespo said she would still feel comfortable with the permanent appointment of Lynch-Reyes, given her “extensive knowledge” of the district having worked “hand-in-hand” with DiMola.
“She doesn’t have to let this tarnish her reputation — she just needs to handle it,” Crespo said. “I would like to see her live on in this role.”
