- The Ethical Culture Fieldston School has become a favorite among the wealthy
- It has had a slew of famous alumni, including Hollywood legends and top moguls
- But the institution has found itself in the midst of controversy recently
An elite, celebrity-loved private school has found itself in hot water after comedian Jerry Seinfeld blasted it for saying it would allow ’emotionally distressed’ kids to take the day after the election off.
The Ethical Culture Fieldston School, which has three locations across New York City, became embroiled in scandal earlier this week after the New York Times obtained an email sent out by principal Stacey Bobo that said students could excuse themselves from classes next Thursday.
The message left Jerry, 70, outraged, who told the publication that his two sons had attended the school but that his youngest, Shepherd, now 19, had transferred away due to ‘decisions like this one.’
And this isn’t the first time that the institution has found itself in the midst of controversy, as it has endured eyebrow-raising comments made by teachers, accusations of bullying, and major leadership changes in recent years.
But even so, it has become a favorite among the wealthy, thanks to its ‘progressive’ teaching style and ‘inclusive’ structure.
The Ethical Culture Fieldston School prides itself on its dedication to teaching kids how to ‘be ethical and responsible members of society’ – but it comes at a steep price, costing roughly $65,000 a year in tuition.
It requires all of its students to enroll in ethics courses from an early age so they can become prepared to ‘take care of our world, ourselves, and each other.’
‘Our goal is to create a comprehensive experience for students to engage in activism, centered around raising awareness, advocating for social issues, engaging with service projects, and supporting causes within the surrounding community and beyond,’ its website reads.
‘Our tenets of progressive education focus on the whole child, ensuring that education is responsive, relevant, experiential, and playful, among other traits.’
The institution – which teaches kids from pre-K to 12th grade across two campuses in Manhattan and one in the Bronx and currently has roughly 1,700 students – first started in 1878, and has had a slew of famous faces walk through its hallways.
Numerous Hollywood legends, successful entrepreneurs, and powerful leaders have attended the school, including actresses Rita Gam and Louise Lasser, former deputy mayor of NYC Patricia Harris, and Star Trek alum Walter Koenig.
In addition, actor Zach McGowan, New York State Senator Dan Squadron, Oscar-nominated film editor Andrew Weisblum, and New York State Assemblyman Keith L. T. Wright are amongst its alumni.
The school also encourages its students to ‘continually explore their identity’ and holds monthly 45-minute meetings so the kids can ‘talk about race, ethnicity, and ethics.’
‘We are proud to be one of the only schools in New York City to start these conversations at such an early age,’ the school said.
‘Supporting children in their awareness of each other’s similarities and differences and connecting them positively to their own identity is essential in helping them grow into confident, compassionate, and healthy young adults.’
In addition, it has a ‘robust’ art program and offers ‘training’ in acting, dance, directing, choreography, stagecraft, design, writing, drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, printmaking, and architecture, among other things.
For those interested in music, there’s classes on ‘electronic music, music theory, and composition, as well as a variety of small- and large-group performing ensembles.’
The school holds yearly fashion shows, where some of the kids are tasked with making their own dresses – but aren’t allowed to use fabric.
Instead, they’re forced to turn household objects into fashion pieces, and the event previously caught the attention of Teen Vogue, who gushed that there wasn’t an empty seat available after attending one of the yearly shows.
But the private school has certainly had its fair share of negative press as well.
Back in 2019, the school came under fire after guest speaker Kayum Ahmed, a director at the Open Society Foundations philanthropic organization, compared what Jews endured during the Holocaust to violence against Palestinians in Israel during an assembly.
A spokesperson for the school told DailyMail.com afterwards: ‘We do not tolerate antisemitism and stand against all forms of hate.’
Then, in January 2020, a teacher was fired for criticizing Israel in class and on their personal X account.
Earlier this year, the school became engulfed in ‘infighting among parents, students, faculty and alumni’ over pro-Palestine activism, the New York Times reported.
Parents accused the school of being a ‘hotbed of Jew-hate,’ with one mom, named Dr. Logan Levkoff, claiming that her son experienced anti-Semitism while attending the school.
She said that he was called an ‘ethnic cleanser’ and ‘colonizer’ during his time as a student.
Amidst the tension, the head of the school Joe Algrant resigned in August, with school officials saying at the time that he left to ‘pursue other personal and professional goals.’
