“The decision of the court, which found that the New York City Department of Education did not follow proper procedure in its move to close 19 public schools in January, is one that I welcome. The court has found that the DOE did not, among other things, give adequate opportunity to parents and the community during the closure process, and that was certainly the case during the build up to the closure. In January I supported a vote of no to the closures because I felt the school closure process was flawed and today’s decision confirms that. I hope that the DOE will see the error of their ways and, if it restarts the closure process this year, this time it should do it right, by making sure the voices of the school communities are heard. If the DOE wants to avoid further delay, it should accept the court’s sound decision and move on,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.