Save Shuang Wen School

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One Response to “Call 311, Our Campaign is Working!”

1. Margaret Scott says:

   11/19/2009 at 8:06 pm

   I called 311 and lucked out with a wonderful operator named Nicole. I followed the script that is on our terrific saveshuangwen.net site, and told Nicole I wanted to file a complaint against the DOE. She said that the DOE complaint categories available to her only allowed for complaints against a principal, teachers or staff. I said I had no complaints against them – Shuang Wen’s principal, teachers and staff are the best – but against a DOE plan that is being considered to expand a charter school at the expense of the thriving public schools in District 1. She asked if I minded being put on hold so she could talk to a supervisor on how to help me. I said: no problem.

   It took a while, but Nicole finally figured out a way to get my complaint to the right place. It turns out that there is a drop-down box on the 311 operator’s computers for the DOE that is called “DOE agency complaints.” That is what Nicole and I chose. Then she asked me if it was a school complaint or a citywide complaint. I answered that it was a citywide complaint, since the crux of our problem is the proposal by the DOE to create a new middle school for Girls Prep Charter School. After she kindly took down my message (taken directly from the web site), she told me I had to choose a customer role. That was easy since there is a parent/guardian category. I write this just in case it will help another parent or friend of Shuang Wen who is calling 311. I hope you all reach a 311 operator as helpful as Nicole.

   Margaret Scott
   parent of a 3rd grader