For 13 years, Adriana Aviles trusted the New York City school system completely. She believed her son was a math prodigy based on report cards filled with A’s and B-pluses throughout his K-8 years. That confidence shattered two weeks ago when she tried to help her 14-year-old son study for a high school exam.
The reality hit hard when the boy, admitted to a top-rated high school in Queens, scored a 78 on his first test. Aviles sat down with him to review for the next one, only to watch him freeze. He could not solve basic algebra, failed at geometry, and could not compute elementary-school fractions. This lie continued for years at PS 221Q and MS 67Q, where his lowest math grade was an 89 in seventh grade. After confronting Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels at a town hall, she shared this heartbreaking story with The Post’s David Spector.
A System That Failed My Son
Aviles knows the principals and teachers, which makes this betrayal sting even more. She saw tears well up in her son’s eyes as he struggled with the first few questions on a review worksheet. The grades he received were a complete fabrication of his actual ability. “This school system is failing our children,” Aviles said tearfully while sitting on the dais at the Art and Design High School Auditorium, according to the New York Post. She went on to compare the situation to a childhood game, stating, “I equate this to the childhood game ‘Kick the Can.’ My my son is the can. Where did he land?”
The disconnect between the report card and reality is staggering. His eighth-grade math grade was a 93, the equivalent of an A, yet he arrived at high school unable to handle the basics. This isn’t just about one family; it is a symptom of a system that prioritizes paper over performance. Aviles, who once praised the district, now sees the damage firsthand. The grades were there, but the skills were nowhere to be found.
The Cost of Fake Reform
This story exposes a deeper rot in how the city handles education. While political figures obsess over integration plans and quotas, the actual teaching of math and reading is collapsing. Ex-Chancellor David Banks recently pushed to end merit-based admissions, claiming he tried to get former Mayor Eric Adams to ditch test standards for elite schools.
Adams refused to cave on those tests, but the damage is already done for kids like Aviles’ son. The “reformers” and the teachers union have created an environment where students pass without learning. Aviles’ experience proves that you cannot fake math skills. When a student gets straight A’s but cannot do fractions, the system has failed the child. The focus on skin color and quotas distracts from the hard truth that schools are not teaching the basics.
Real Accountability Is Needed
New Yorkers need to demand honesty from the Department of Education. Aviles’ story is not an isolated incident; it is the result of years of neglect masked by good grades. The city needs to stop pushing fake fixes and start focusing on long-term work to improve K-8 instruction. Parents should not have to discover their child’s inability to do basic math only when they enter high school.
The town hall where Aviles spoke was just the beginning of the pushback. Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels faced direct questions about these failures, but the system remains slow to react. We need a school system that values truth over paperwork. If a student cannot do algebra, they should not get an A. It is that simple.
There is no upcoming vote or specific deadline mentioned in the reporting, but the urgency is immediate. Every day this continues, more children are kicked down the line. The Aviles family’s experience is a warning to every parent in the city. Trust the report card at your own risk.
This is opinion and commentary from the RapForMayor team.
