Mayor de Blasio on Thursday said the fallout at the embattled Administration for Children’s Services in the wake of the death of a 6-year-old Harlem boy is “just the beginning,” following this week’s suspension of four top agency heads.
The harsh words came a day after ACS confirmed that an assistant commissioner, a borough commissioner and two other agency officials were suspended for 30 days without pay as the investigation into the death of Zymere Perkins continues.
“Suspension is the first step,” said de Blasio.
“I think it was made very clear by [ACS] Commissioner [Gladys] Carrion there are a number of other options for discipline and we’re going to keep looking at this whole situation and look at any and all people who may bear responsibility here,” he added. “We’re absolutely going to have consequences for them.”
He said the consequences could include demotion, reassignment or termination.
Zymere’s battered body was discovered on Sept. 26 in his West 135th Street home.
His mother, Geraldine Perkins, 26, and her boyfriend, Rysheim Smith, 42, were charged with child endangerment. The mom told cops Smith beat Zymere with a broomstick.
Zymere’s mother had previously been the focus of at least five city investigations of potential child abuse.
De Blasio recently announced several preliminary reforms at ACS, pending a probe of the handling of the Perkins case by city and state agencies.
The reforms include additional oversight of ACS caseworkers by a team outside their division.