Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
“I want to assure all New Yorkers that anyone who works for the City of New York found to be negligent in [the Zymere Perkins] case will pay very serious consequences for that,” Mayor de Blasio said last week at a press conference in which he and ACS Commissioner Gladys Carrion (l.) outlined agency reforms.
By Michael V. Cusenza
A red-faced Mayor Bill de Blasio and Administration for Children’s Services Commissioner Gladys Carrion recently detailed reforms to the embattled agency after a badly beaten and malnourished Manhattan boy, already part of an ACS investigation, died late last month allegedly at the hands of his guardians.
Zymere Perkins, 6, was pronounced dead hours after his mother rushed him to St. Luke’s Hospital. Zymere’s mom and her boyfriend have been charged in the case.
“This is an unacceptable tragedy – it’s as simple as this. It should not have happened,” de Blasio said. “I look at a young boy who went through unspeakable pain, a young boy who is no longer with us who should still be here and who should have been saved – it’s as simple as that. And we’re going to talk about, today, what we know so far and what we are trying to do as a result of what we know. We’re also going to talk very clearly about the many, many elements we do not yet know, the investigations that are underway, and the things we hope to learn, and the things we will do going forward. But the part we do know is the most important part – it should not have happened. And I want to express my sorrow that this happened. I want to be very clear, the buck stops here, and this is the reality of this government. Everything we do, I take responsibility for, and I am profoundly angry that we lost this young man.”
Carrion said ACS is using what it has learned so far about Zymere’s case “to implement strategic reforms to ensure this never happens again.”
The changes include:
- Ensuring that there is a sufficient number of experienced NYPD and ACS personnel that will jointly investigate cases of children suspected of having endured serious abuse.
- ACS must approve ending contracted services for cases that involve allegations of serious physical abuse against children.
- ACS will strengthen oversight of child protective staff by assembling a team outside of their division to hold child protective workers accountable – to scrutinize work, perform audits, and initiate case reviews.
- ACS will work with the Department of Education to establish clear guidelines for when a series of absences should trigger an investigation.
Carrion promised further reforms in the coming months.
“I am devastated by this tragedy,” the commissioner said. “The death of one child is one too many. There is no excuse – there never is. No child should fall through the cracks in our city. It is the mission of my agency, ACS, and my personal goal to protect every child. That’s our mission. There is no mandate that is more important than that.”
De Blasio reiterated that the tragedy of Zymere Perkins is “fundamentally unacceptable.”
“And I want to find out, in terms of those in government who were engaged directly in this case, what happened, what people did wrong, what people did right, who is responsible, and I want to assure all New Yorkers that anyone who works for the City of New York found to be negligent in this case will pay very serious consequences for that,” he added.
