#Success Academy claims city wants $500,000 to use playing fields

Success Academy claims the city is playing foul with their fields.

The charter school operator said Monday that City Hall is suddenly demanding $500,000 in “permits” to let its students use their athletic fields.

Calling it a “hostile” shakedown, Success officials said they’ve been using the facilities for years without any additional costs.

“City Hall is attempting — illegally — to charge Success Academy half a million dollars to use its own athletic fields,” Success said in a statement.

A Department of Education spokesperson blamed the new fees on coronavirus cleaning and maintenance costs.

“The COVID-19 pandemic impacted every part of how our public schools run – including ​increasing the costs of disinfecting and cleaning schools,” said Nathaniel Styer.

He said that budget shortfalls compelled the agency to charge the charter.

“Unfortunately, without additional resources from the State or Federal government, we had to make the hard decision to increase extended-use permits for any program or school using a DOE building or property after instructional hours – including programs run by DOE schools, CBOs, and charters,” he said.

The seven athletic sites – four in Manhattan, two in Brooklyn, and one in the Bronx – are connected to campuses where the Success Academy shares space with traditional public schools.

Parents, coaches, students and officials — including founder and CEO Eva Moskowitz — are gathering at one of the disputed grounds in Harlem tomorrow afternoon to protest the lockout.

“The city’s actions are illegal and hostile at a time when COVID-19 has hit neighborhoods like Harlem hard,” the network said.

The charter also noted that they raised funds to renovate the facility on West 135 and that their public school peers also enjoy use of the refreshed field.

Success Academy said that the dispute is impacting roughly 300 elementary and middle school athletes in the three boroughs.

Parents and kids who arrived for practice found the facilities locked up and unavailable, officials said.

The network, which opted to remain fully remote until at least January, noted that they offered the DOE use of their classrooms in the interim.

“In support and solidarity with the city’s struggle to open district schools and provide for its students, SA offered the DOE use of its classrooms shortly after deciding to stay remote,” Success said.

Styer said both sides are working toward a resolution.

The charter school, which currently enrolls 20,000 students across 47 schools, elected for a fully-remote model until next year when they will reassess their format.