Ms. Winderbaum said after the change, nobody knew where their materials were, supply closets were left unlocked and items like overhead projectors and textbooks went missing. She said some teachers even “hoarded” items so others wouldn’t take them.

“You couldn’t get books, you couldn’t get materials, you couldn’t interact with people from your department,” she said.

Deep sadness

All of those interviewed said they were deeply saddened by Kennedy’s proposed closure, which will be subjected to a public hearing on Friday, Jan. 28 at JFK and a Panel for Educational Policy vote on Thursday, Feb. 3 in Brooklyn.

Ms. Colon expressed amazement that a school with dedicated, veteran teachers could be phased out in just four years. But mostly, she said, she felt sorry for the students.

“We failed the children of Kenendy High School,” she said. “We failed the community.”