New York school principal’s wife is accused of defrauding her husband’s teachers
A New York City principal’s wife is accused of defrauding her husband’s teachers who are recruited from the Dominican Republic and coerced into staying in a coopted-owned apartment for up to $1,400 a month.
Sterling Báez, 32, wife of former MS 80 director and vice president of the Association of Dominican-American Supervisors and Administrators Emmanuel Polanco, allegedly helped recruit 25 teachers to work with Spanish-speaking students and forced them to sleep in family homes. accommodation located at 3866 Marion Ave.
The teachers were reportedly forced by Báez to live in the apartment complex and rent their rooms — with no possibility of sharing — for between $1,350 and $1,400 a month.
‘We wanted to move into the same room [and split the rent]but they said “No, you can’t. You have to live individually,” a teacher told the New York Post.
An investigation was opened earlier this month as authorities investigate the charge against Polanco and his wife. Polanco was removed as Director and Vice President of ADASA during the investigation.
Records show Juana Polanco-Abreu, Principal Polanco’s mother, bought the building complex in 2006 for $155,000, the outlet reported.
The apartment rent records show that the teachers submit their payments to Báez.
It was also discovered that the ADASA program is profiting more than $8,900 by placing about 11 teachers in a two-bedroom house in the Bronx located on Baychester Avenue.
The program charges teachers about $1,450 per month when they only paid $6,900 to rent the house.
Emmanuel Polanco, the vice president of the Association of Dominican-American Supervisors and Administrators, and his wife, are currently being investigated for allegedly defrauding teachers to pay excessive rent at a family compound.
Polanco and his wife, Sterling Báez, allegedly helped recruit 25 teachers to work with Spanish-speaking students and forced them to sleep in married quarters at 3866 Marion Ave.
Polanco was the former manager of MS 80. Records show his mother bought the apartment complex in 2006
Polanco resigned amid the charges. Pictured: Polanco with an unidentified woman
Teachers living in the apartment complex said they received a complex list of rules from Báez and were unable to bring their families to the United States with them.
“I cry every night,” teacher Rosa Minier told the Post.
Minier revealed that she was prohibited from bringing her husband and children, aged 6 to 12, with her for a year.
Ramon Alexander Suriel, 50, arrived in New York with his wife and children but was given an ultimatum to send his family back to the Dominican Republic or resign.
Suriel preferred his family to his work and returned to his country. He claimed he paid unnecessary fees of up to $3,500 from ADASA for his plane ticket.
“I want my money back,” Suriel told The Post.
Teachers can also lose their J-1 visas and their jobs if they refuse to follow complex rules.
Marianna Mason, executive director of the Cordell Hull Foundation in charge of a visa sponsorship organization in New York, sent a letter to teachers and the situation with Polanco and his wife was a “misunderstanding”
Polanco was the former director of MS 80. He resigned following the launch of the investigation
Marianna Mason, executive director of the Cordell Hull Foundation in charge of a visa sponsorship organization in New York, sent a letter to the teachers and the situation with Polanco and his wife was a “misunderstanding”.
“Emmanuel Polanco and the whole ADASA team have done all this work to give, to contribute and not to take advantage of you,” Mason wrote. “ADASA didn’t exploit you; on the contrary, they only worked to help them, support them and promote the mission of cultural exchange.
Mason called the teacher’s accusations “culture shock”.
‘We are contacting you to remind you that you are currently in stage 2 of culture shock, the most difficult in the emotional curve that foreign teachers typically experience during their first year in the United States as they try to adjust to American culture and education. system,” Mason said, attaching a video the teachers watched during orientation.
Mason urged teachers who spoke to the media to back down on their accusations.
“CHF would appreciate if those of you who spoke to reporters would call them back to correct any misperceptions reflected in this news article as soon as possible,” Mason wrote. “Make it a priority.
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