US EditionHunter College Professor Placed on Leave over Offensive Comments During Zoom Meeting
Allyson Friedman was placed on leave after remarks caught on a hot mic during a meeting about school closures sparked backlash and raised concerns about systemic racism in education.
- On February 25, 2026, Hunter College announced it placed Dr. Allyson Friedman on administrative leave pending investigation after remarks made during a Feb. 10 CEC 3 Zoom meeting.
- While an eighth-grade Black student spoke during the February 10 CEC 3 meeting, Friedman was unmuted and her demeaning remarks about Black students were captured on the call.
- Hunter College President Nancy Cantor wrote that the incident occurred during a recent virtual meeting of the New York City School District 3 Community Education Council, prompting outreach efforts across campus.
- Parents and community members responded by condemning the remarks, with Mamdani saying, '...language that makes students feel as if they don't belong,' and an emergency CEC meeting is scheduled for Thursday.
- The meeting centered on proposals to close two under-enrolled schools, and community members warned closures would disrupt Black and Latino students while scrutiny of Hunter College’s undisclosed investigation timeline intensified.
29 Articles
29 Articles
NYC Schools Chancellor calls alleged racist remark 'a vile and reckless attack'
MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- A professor at Hunter College is on leave while the institution investigates what they call abhorrent comments to see if they violate the school’s code of conduct. An alleged racist comment was made during a virtual school meeting on Feb. 10 by an individual identified as Allyson Friedman, an associate professor in the Department of [...]
New York professor who made ‘abhorrent’ remarks about black students put on leave
Hunter College leaders have put on leave a professor who was caught on a hot mic making disparaging comments about the intelligence of black students. President Nancy Cantor made the announcement Wednesday “amid mounting pressure from elected officials and families to remove Allyson Friedman, a tenured associate professor in the college’s Department of Biological Sciences,” the New York Times… Source
Hunter College professor placed on leave amid investigation into her 'abhorrent' Zoom remarks during public school meeting
A view of Hunter College of The City University of New York, April 10, 2017, in New York. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (NEW YORK) — A New York City college professor has been placed on leave amid backlash over what the school called her “abhorrent remarks” during a public school district meeting. Hunter College associate professor Allyson Friedman made the remarks during a NYC District 3 Community Education Council (CEC3) meeting earlier this mon…
Kamar H. Samuels, chancellor of education of the public schools of the city of New York, sent a statement following the racist comment of Allyson Friedman, professor of CUNY, who has been put on license (on leave) while investigating his action. In the Month of African American Heritage, Professor Friedman said by [...]
'They’re Too Dumb to Know': NYC Professor Who Berated Black Students on Hot Mic in Racist Rant Suspended By College
A college professor in New York City has been placed on leave after sparking widespread outrage over racist remarks caught on a hot mic during a virtual public meeting, prompting her university to take action just days after initially distancing itself from the incident. Dr. Allyson Friedman, a tenured associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Hunter College, was heard making what school officials later described as “abhorr…
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