Mamdani Orders Review of School Hiring After Jogger’s Killing
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on November 9 that his administration would examine how Sayed Mohassib came to work in New York City public schools despite concerns about his psychiatric fitness raised during earlier government service. The Department of Education suspended Mohassib and is moving to terminate his employment, Mamdani said. The city is providing support to pupils and their families at P.S. 200 in Bath Beach, the school where Mohassib served as a paraprofessional.
Mohassib, 27, was arrested on November 7 and charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Authorities say he stabbed Katie Suarez, 28, in the neck while she was running along the Shore Parkway Greenway on October 30. She died on November 2. The charges also include tampering with physical evidence.
City payroll records show Mohassib began working for the Education Department in 2019. He had previously served briefly with the NYPD and was placed on military leave in 2022. Elected officials said he was released from Marine Corps service on psychiatric grounds. When he sought to return to the police force in January 2023, supervisors raised concerns about his appearance and behavior; he was taken to Bellevue Hospital and was not rehired.
Officials and community members have questioned how information from those episodes was considered in the school hiring process. The DOE conducts criminal-record checks, but applicants do not undergo a psychiatric-history assessment, said education policy fellow Jennifer Weber. Mamdani has not identified who will lead the review or set a completion date. The DOE said it is assisting the NYPD investigation and that student safety is its highest priority.
Mamdani Review Must Expose School Hiring System’s Blind Spots
A city review of school hiring is overdue after an individual accused in the killing of Brooklyn runner Katie Suarez was employed at P.S. 200 despite warning signs documented during his earlier government service. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the probe on November 9, and the Education Department suspended Sayed Mohassib and is moving to end his employment. Students and families at the school are being offered counseling.
Mohassib, 27, was arrested November 7 and charged with murder and weapon possession; he also faces a charge of tampering with physical evidence. Suarez, 28, was stabbed while running on the Shore Parkway Greenway on October 30 and died November 2.
The record demands more than a narrow look at paperwork. Mohassib began DOE employment in 2019. After a brief NYPD assignment, police supervisors questioned his behavior and appearance when he sought reinstatement in January 2023, and he was taken to Bellevue Hospital. Elected officials said the Marines discharged him for psychiatric reasons. The DOE checks criminal histories, but does not assess applicants’ psychiatric histories, education policy fellow Jennifer Weber said.
The essential question is whether agencies can share relevant concerns before someone is placed in a classroom. State Sen. Andrew Gounardes wants the review to examine coordination among city agencies. Mamdani has not named a review leader or given a timeline. The DOE says it is cooperating with the police investigation.
City Must Explain How School Screening Missed Serious Warning Signs
New Yorkers deserve a clear account of how a public-school employee with a history of documented concerns passed through the city’s hiring system. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a review on November 9 after Sayed Mohassib, a paraprofessional at P.S. 200 in Bath Beach, was charged in the fatal stabbing of jogger Katie Suarez. The DOE suspended him and is moving to terminate his employment; counseling is being offered at the school.
Mohassib, 27, was arrested November 7. Prosecutors charged him with murder and criminal possession of a weapon, along with tampering with physical evidence. Suarez, 28, was stabbed on October 30 while running on the Shore Parkway Greenway and died November 2.
The hiring questions are concrete. Mohassib worked for the DOE from 2019. He briefly served with the NYPD, then supervisors flagged concerns about his appearance and conduct when he sought to return in January 2023; he was taken to Bellevue Hospital and not rehired. Elected officials said he had been released from Marine Corps service for psychiatric reasons. The DOE checks criminal records, but has no psychiatric-history screening, according to education policy fellow Jennifer Weber.
A review should establish what information was available and whether agencies failed to connect it before he worked around children. City Council Member Frank Morano has called for an examination of DOE screening and any missed warning signs. Mamdani has not said who will conduct the review or when it will conclude. The DOE says it is working with police.
