Schools Chancellor David Banks recently announced his retirement from the Mayor Adams’ administration amid multiple corruption probes. However, while Banks, his brother Philip, and his wife Sheena Wright have all resigned, Banks’ daughter, Aaliyah, has secured a district-level position in the city Department of Education without meeting all the posted requirements. Aaliyah Banks, 35, has a state license to teach students with disabilities in grades 7 through 12 but started a new role as an English Language Arts Implementation Specialist for elementary grades in Brooklyn’s District 14 this fall.
The job Aaliyah Banks has taken on requires at least eight years of successful teaching experience, and applicants must have a teaching license in early childhood education or in grades 1-6. However, Aaliyah only has five years of experience as a state-licensed teacher and does not possess the required early childhood or elementary grade teaching license. Despite not meeting all the requirements, as per a DOE spokesman providing the job posting, she was hired for the position.
DOE spokesman Nathaniel Styer claims that Aaliyah Banks has eight years of teaching experience, obtained under an alternative New York City certification starting in 2017. However, city and state records contradict this claim. The records show that Aaliyah obtained a transitional special education teacher certificate in 2019 and her initial certificate in February 2023. City payroll records list her in various positions prior to her current role and show a salary increase based on eight years of teaching experience with a Master’s degree.
District 14 superintendent David Cintron, a former Bronx principal promoted by David Banks, recently hired Aaliyah Banks to join his team. Despite not having the required teaching licenses, Styer insists that Aaliyah’s experience and certification in special education made her an ideal candidate for the role. Styer also mentioned that nine out of 33 applicants hired for similar jobs in nine districts did not possess the listed licenses on the job description, including six in special education.
During a news conference where Mayor Adams announced his retirement from the DOE and his successor, Melissa Aviles-Ramos, Chancellor Banks introduced and hugged his daughter, Aaliyah. Two students from the Bronx school praised Aaliyah Banks as an amazing and outstanding NHS adviser, bringing her to tears. Chancellor Banks expressed pride in his daughter following in his footsteps in education, noting that she carries on the values he imparted to her. The chancellor did not address where Aaliyah’s predecessor, Meisha Ross Porter, went after leaving her position.
Chancellor Banks, superintendent Cintron, and Aaliyah Banks did not respond to requests for comment regarding the situation. The hiring of Aaliyah Banks without the full fulfillment of the posted job requirements raises questions about favoritism or nepotism within the Department of Education. The discrepancy between the stated requirements for the job and Aaliyah Banks’ qualifications has sparked concerns among teachers and others familiar with the situation. The DOE’s explanation that Aaliyah’s teaching experience and special education certification justify her selection may not satisfy critics who see it as a case of familial favoritism.
