"It's a terrific school, a good education and we were looking forward to being part of it," parent Jeanne Shapiro said.
The Shapiro twins are going to kindergarten this fall, but possibly not to the school in their neighborhood.
"When it came, we were joking that the thin envelope looked like a rejection letter from a college, then, of course, we would be accepted to our neighborhood school, but low and behold they told us we were on the waiting list," Shapiro said.
The Shapiros are among some 40 families so far who received letters of regret from PS 290 that their kids have to be placed on a waiting list for a seat in kindergarten, even though they live in the zone for the school.
"Parents are upset. Parents are angry. Parents are nervous, because some people who live across the street from the school are being put on waiting lists," council member Jessica Lappin said.
There are other schools in popular Manhattan neighborhoods that also have waiting lists.
In a statement today, the Department of Education says, "Seats will open up before September when students enroll in gifted and talented programs, non-public schools, or move. Each spring, some schools find themselves with waiting lists, and we work with them to ensure they enroll as many of zoned students as possible."
"My wife has lived in this neighborhood 41 years, and someone who moved in last week might get a spot," Allen Shapiro said.
Considering future enrollment, there is nothing in place right now that would prevent the same thing from happening next year and in years to come.
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