DOE Faces Scrutiny After Teacher’s Aide Charged in Brutal Brooklyn Murder

When the police took Sayed Mohassib into custody on Saturday, the headlines were stark: a Brooklyn jogger slain, a school employee accused, and a Department of Education (DOE) system suddenly under the microscope.

Mohassib, 27, had been working as a paraprofessional at PS 200 – The Benson School in Bath Beach. The job paid him about $182 a day, and on paper he seemed like any other aide who helps teachers with classroom tasks and supports students with special needs.

But the back‑story is anything but ordinary. He left the Marines in 2022 after being deemed “psychologically unfit,” then tried to join the NYPD. That attempt lasted only six weeks before he walked away, later returning to the Marines for a short stint that also ended in discharge. How, then, did he clear the DOE’s hiring gates?

“Usually they’re just looking for someone with a pulse – it can be hit or miss, and most of the time it’s a miss,” one DOE insider told The Post hours after the arrest. The comment, though blunt, captured a growing frustration among staff who say the agency’s vetting process is more bureaucratic hurdle than safety net.

Former Deputy Chancellor Eric Nadelstern said every DOE employee does receive an FBI background check, and that Mohassib’s Marine discharge should have raised red flags. Yet he acknowledged a loophole: if a psychologist signs off that a candidate’s mental health issues are being treated, the system can still move forward with the hire.

Another source, familiar with the department’s hiring procedures but who asked to stay anonymous, said that operational bottlenecks – staffing shortages, funding constraints, and an over‑reliance on “quick” vetting – mean that many candidates slip through without the depth of scrutiny the public expects.

“There are screenings, but they get backed up. It’s a combination of money and an operational issue. Until they fix these problems, there will be more incidents like this,” the source warned.

The murder itself shocked the community. Katie Suarez, 28, was out for a routine jog on a Brooklyn footpath on Oct. 30 when she was attacked and stabbed to death. Police say Mohassib was seen fleeing the scene, and he later claimed he woke up covered in blood with no memory of the crime.

DOE officials responded quickly, suspending Mohassib pending the outcome of the criminal case and promising counseling and resources to students, staff, and families at PS 200. “The safety of our students is our very top priority,” a department spokesperson said, adding that the school would receive additional support from the Office of Student Services.

Community Education Council 20 President John Ricottone stopped short of blaming the school’s principal, Danielle Nola, insisting that the responsibility lies with the agency that hired the aide. He urged the DOE to expand its screenings to include thorough mental‑health evaluations, not just background checks.

Paraprofessionals like Mohassib often work with the city’s most vulnerable children, assisting those with disabilities or special education needs. That close contact makes the stakes of a robust vetting process even higher.

As the investigation unfolds, lawmakers and education advocates are already calling for reforms. Proposals on the table include faster FBI clearance times, mandatory psychiatric assessments for any prior military or law‑enforcement discharge, and a dedicated oversight board to review hires for positions involving direct student contact.

For now, the tragedy remains a painful reminder that a single hiring misstep can ripple far beyond a school’s walls, affecting an entire community and reigniting the debate over how best to protect the children entrusted to public schools.