A coalition of over 200 New York City public charter schools marched across the Brooklyn Bridge last week in what school networks are calling a show of support for a “child’s right to learn” and opponents have labeled as forced advocacy.
Eva Moskowitz, founder and CEO of Success Academy — after hosting organizer webinars, sending SOS emails to supporters, family and faculty, and allegedly admonishing employees for failing to lobby elected officials — rallied on Sept. 18 with some 15,000 students, parents and staff, who then “marched for excellence” from Brooklyn to Printing House Square, just outside New York’s City Hall.
The rally was described by organizers as an opportunity for advocates to “raise their voices in unity” and send a message demanding “excellence as a civil right,” as well as “equal treatment and access to excellent schools.”
“This rally is about equity, justice and opportunity,” said Samantha Robin, a parent at Dream Charter School. “Parents deserve the freedom to choose schools that honor their children’s genius, their culture, and their potential.”
With mere weeks before the New York City mayoral election, charter schools, facing the prospect of a new mayor opposed to their expansion in Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, are framing the “March for Excellence” rally as part of a yearslong larger fight for the equal treatment of charter school students.
The rally comes at a delicate moment for the charter sector. Charters, which are publicly funded and privately run, serve 15% of city students but have experienced slowed growth in enrollment since the pandemic, according to research from the New York City Charter School Center.
Mamdani, the only major mayoral candidate running in November, has been critical of charters. He centered his education platform on universal child care and has been vocal about his intention to review charter school funding as mayor.
Supporters in attendance included Rafiq Kalam Id-Din, Chair of the Black, Latinx, and Asian Charter Collaborative; Leslie-Bernard Joseph, CEO of KIPP NYC public schools; and many charter school families and faculty, who were instructed on organizing and staying on message throughout the event.
Rumors circulated online that faculty attendance at the rally was compulsory.
In the r/survivingsuccess group on Reddit, one user’s simple question concerning the veracity of the claim sent members of the small but sprawling community of current and former charter school teachers into a frenzy.
Reporting that details internal emails and other documents about the event suggest a coordinated effort to pressure employees into participating and coerce students into demonstrating what the charters are calling targeted advocacy.
Will Doyle, 21, grew up attending public schools in the Bay Ridge area. Now a first-year teacher with Success Academy in Sheepshead Bay, Doyle explained the reason for the rally.
“We’re here advocating for charter schools, but I do know that with the mayoral elections coming up, some candidates oppose the expansion of charter schools,” Doyle said. “From what I’ve heard, mayoral candidate Mamdani seeks to oppose the expansion of charter schools. I don’t have a source for that, but I have done some personal research. I don’t know if he’s the only one.”
Doyle said he was happy to attend the rally because he works for a charter school and all employees are required to attend these events as part of their job.
An operations associate with Success, who asked not to remain anonymous, echoed that the event was planned due to a general concern about “certain candidates” in the upcoming election. The associate noted that Success Academy is trying to show a presence for the cause of charter schools.
“I think that [charters] definitely would advocate that they need more money and space. But I think the big thing is just accounting for future challenges,” he said.
While the repercussions for skipping the rally may not seem swift or severe, staff at the charters have said they worry about the condition of their working environments should they opt not to attend the rally.
“I think that there is pressure. I know that it might not reflect directly on your employment, but it’ll reflect on your experience in the school building if you weren’t going to be here,” the associate said.
CUNY law professor David Bloomfield told Gothamist that under laws governing nonprofits, charters can require staff to participate in demonstrations if they are advocating for the schools, rather than speaking in support or opposition to a political candidate.
Documents obtained by a reporter for Labor New York showed that Zeta Charter elementary and middle schoolers had classroom instruction canceled for the day and instead were scheduled to participate in a “school-on-a-bus” civics lesson, suggesting the event was part of the school’s curriculum for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Pop-up tents for rally “marshals” to hand out water, snacks, and protest signs were scattered around Cadman Plaza Park. First-year parents and teachers showed little hesitation in sharing their excitement about the event, while members of the charter system with more than a year under their belt were often skittish about sharing their reasons for attending.
A day after the rally, two lawmakers — state Sens. John Liu and Shelley Mayer, who chair the senate’s education committee — called for an investigation of the event, which they said had been an “egregious misuse of instructional time and state funds.”
The pair said in a letter that the state provides public funding to charter schools “to educate students, not for political activism or for influencing elections.” If violations are uncovered, they said, the state should take back a portion of the funding it had provided to the participating charter schools.
