Sean Bowditch: Mayor Adams honors the victims of a roof collapse at a popular nightclub in the Dominican Republic, a former Brooklyn principal wins a small victory in her lawsuit against the Department of Education, and the adventures of a wild turkey in New York City. From WNYC, this is NYC NOW. I'm Sean Bowditch.

Mayor Eric Adams is traveling to the Dominican Republic Monday to honor the victims of last week's roof collapse at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo. More than 220 people died when the roof came down. Adams says he wants to support the Dominican community, noting the long-standing ties between New York City and the Caribbean nation. The mayor is joined by City Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, who is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. Newly appointed First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro is overseeing the city's operations in the mayor's absence.

The FAA is ramping up efforts to detect and track drones. This time, the testing moves beyond airports. Starting Monday, the agency will begin a two-week drone detection test in Cape May, New Jersey. According to the FAA, more than 100 drones, including large and commercial types, will fly over the water and near the Cape May ferry terminal during weekdays. The public is urged not to fly recreational drones in the area while the tests are taking place. It's part of a broader national effort to make drone use safer, especially near airports.

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Sean Bowditch: A former Brooklyn principal investigated for suspicions of communist activity recently won a small legal victory against the city's Department of Education. Jill Bloomberg claims the department retaliated against her for speaking out against racial discrimination. The city has been fighting her lawsuit in court for years. As WNYC's Samantha Max report, a judge ruled last month that the case could move forward.

Samantha Max: Hi, how are you?

Jill Bloomberg: Good.

Samantha Max: Good to meet you.

Jill Bloomberg: I'm Jill. Nice to meet you.

Samantha Max: Jill Bloomberg and I meet at the entrance to Prospect Park, a few blocks from Park Slope Collegiate. It's the middle and high school where she served as principal for about 15 years.

Jill Bloomberg: I loved my job. I loved what I did. I loved the students. I loved the interactions with the teachers.

Samantha Max: Bloomberg retired ahead of schedule in early 2020.

Jill Bloomberg: I was no longer doing the job that I wanted to do and I wasn't doing it well.

Samantha Max: Bloomberg says her career started to unravel in 2017. She says she was frustrated that her students, who were mostly Black and Latino, didn't have enough sports teams.

Jill Bloomberg: I just knew our boys really wanted a soccer team and we kept getting turned down for a soccer team.

Samantha Max: Meanwhile, another school called Millennium Brooklyn High School had recently moved into the same building and was sharing the gym along with students from its Manhattan campus. Millennium had more white students and they also had way more sports teams.

Jill Bloomberg: I was like, "What is going on here?"

Samantha Max: Bloomberg had complained before about what she saw as racial discrimination against her students. She called for the removal of the school's metal detectors. She criticized disciplinary policies that she thought were overly punitive and harmful to students of color. With the sports teams, she says she'd had enough.

Jill Bloomberg: This is terrible.

Samantha Max: Bloomberg wrote a letter to the official who oversaw school sports. She said the Department of Education was segregating students and should combine the teams. Shortly after, Bloomberg learned she was under investigation. According to her lawsuit, she later learned someone had accused her of trying to recruit students to join the Progressive Labor Party, which is a communist organization.

Jill Bloomberg: Communist organizing. I'm like, "What does that mean?"

Samantha Max: City officials wouldn't talk to me, but court records show they were investigating whether Bloomberg violated a policy that restricts political activity in New York City public schools. An investigative report shows a teacher raised concerns about movies that were screened at the school and flyers found in the building about a Black Lives Matter march and a May Day rally. Bloomberg denied wrongdoing. Officials ultimately found she did not break the policy according to an investigative report, but she says she decided to leave her job anyway.

Jill Bloomberg: I felt like this is never going to end. If I'm the principal of this school, it's just going to be death by a thousand cuts over and over and over and over again.

Samantha Max: The Department of Education has denied retaliating against Bloomberg and says a complaint was lodged against her months before she wrote her letter. Derek Black is a professor at the University of South Carolina Law School who specializes in education.

Derek Black: The rules are pretty clear.

Samantha Max: He says the law is explicit that school employees shouldn't be punished for complaining about discrimination, but he says teachers and administrators don't have the same free speech rights as their students. He says many people who work in schools are reluctant to talk about controversial topics like race, especially now when the education system is under so much scrutiny.

Derek Black: There's still that, that fear that if I say the wrong thing, I could get in trouble even if it's not banned by law.

Samantha Max: City lawyers have tried to get Bloomberg's lawsuit dismissed, but last month, a judge ruled that her case can proceed. There's still likely a long legal process ahead. Bloomberg will have to either prove her case in court or convince the city to settle. For now, she says she's happy with this small win.

Sean Bowditch: That's WNYC's Samantha Max reporting.

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Sean Bowditch: Coming up, a fight is brewing over a proposed law in the town of Summit, New Jersey that would put homeless people in jail. Stick around.

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Sean Bowditch: Officials in Summit, New Jersey are facing backlash over a proposed local law that would put homeless people in jail. Here's WNYC's Mike Hayes.

Mike Hayes: A $2,000 fine or 90 days in jail for sleeping in public? Some prominent New Jersey Democrats say, "No way."

Governor Phil Murphy: I'm not wild about this, I have to tell you.

Mike Hayes: Governor Phil Murphy says it's offensive to think that a person experiencing homelessness could pay a $2,000 fine.

Governor Phil Murphy: Blaming the person who's homeless is not the way to start this process or conversation.

Mike Hayes: Another candidate to replace Murphy, Republican State Senator Jon Bramnick, said he supports the proposal in Summit.

Senator Jon Bramnick: I think this is pretty simple. I don't believe that people should sleep wherever they want.

Mike Hayes: In response to the criticism, Summit Mayor Elizabeth Fagan is noting that the city's homelessness task force has helped 21 people in the city get back into housing since June. In a statement, she tells WNYC, that work will continue. Summit's council is scheduled to vote on the proposal April 22nd. If it passes, Summit will join at least four other New Jersey towns that have enacted similar measures since a 2024 Supreme Court decision that okayed local crackdowns on homeless people sleeping in public spaces.

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Sean Bowditch: That's WNYC's Mike Hayes.

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Sean Bowditch: Okay, before we go, let's talk a little turkey. No, no, really. New Yorkers on the East Side got an unexpected visit this past Sunday. WNYC's Catalina Gonella has more on the latest adventure of Astoria the wild turkey.

Catalina Gonella: Astoria the wild turkey is back in Manhattan and she might be looking for love. She was spotted wandering around on East 56th Street, a far cry from her usual home on Roosevelt Island. David Barrett runs the popular Manhattan Bird Alert account on X. He raced over as soon as he got word.

David Barrett: I'm delighted to see her. She's looking good, but she shouldn't be here. This is a dangerous place for her.

Catalina Gonella: Barrett's been tracking Astoria for nearly a year ever since she mysteriously flew into Midtown last spring then settled on Roosevelt Island, a quieter, greener space with fewer threats. Now, as turkey-mating season kicks in, Astoria appears to be expanding her range.

David Barrett: She was calling while doing it. That's a sign that she was looking for a mate, a male turkey.

Catalina Gonella: Astoria's unexpected arrival drew a small crowd. The NYPD even showed up to help. Neighbors say she flew up into a tree to escape the commotion. Barrett says he hopes she flies back across the East River soon.

Sean Bowditch: That's WNYC's Catalina Gonella.

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Sean Bowditch: That's it for us on this Monday. Thanks for listening. I'm Sean Bowditch and this is NYC NOW. We'll be back tomorrow.

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