Ashanny Williams

Reporters today, this one included, got a press release about what looks like a fairly extreme educational mess: a kid, Ashanny Williams, who has been out of school for 150 days in a dispute with the Department of Education, and whose mother is demanding that Joel Klein show up at a hearing tomorrow.

Interesting on its face, but there's a backstory as well. The press release went out from Gur Tsabar, the Times's favorite unsuccessful Council candidate, who has been pushing the case for the family and on a new blog, Mister Pink. It's an unusual, interesting project, basically a constituent services blog for a guy who, technically speaking, has no constituents.

The site includes email correspondence between Klein and the kid's mother:

Klein: "I received the mail and asked my staff to look into thematter and they have done so."

Williams: "With all due respect, I cannot believe what I just read. Are you 100% satisfied with how your staff looked into the matter of my child, Ashanny Williams? Because my son is still sitting at home without a proper education, and has been for over 150 days."

Brave new world.