DoE insiders lash out after cop-turned-teacher’s aide nabbed in brutal jogger killing

The arrest of a teacher’s aide in the brutal slaying of a Brooklyn jogger proves that the Department of Education’s vetting system is broken, insiders told The Post Saturday.

“Usually they’re just looking for someone with a pulse, it can be really hit or miss, but it’s usually miss,” a DOE source said hours after the arrest of Sayed Mohassib a paraprofessional at PS 200 The Benson School in Bath Beach, in connection with the savage murder of Katie Suarez.

Mohassib, 27, was discharged from the Marines in 2022 for being psychologically unfit. He later tried to rejoin the NYPD, where he served for only six weeks before leaving to enlist in the Marines, but was denied. It’s unclear how long he’s been a teacher’s aide, which paid him $182 a day.

Former Deputy Chancellor Eric Nadelstern said that every DOE employee undergoes an FBI background check, and Mohassib’s being kicked out of the Marines should have been flagged.

But a loophole exists where a psychologist could have said Mohassib was treating his mental illness, allowing him to still be hired, Nadelstern said.

Operational problems in the DOE vetting system lead to numerous unqualified candidates being hired to work with the city’s kids, according to a second source, familiar with DOE hiring, who did not provide specific examples.

“There are screenings, but the problem is they get backed up. It’s a combination of money and an operational issue, they need to get quicker vets on these hires,” the source continued. “Until they fix these issues, there will be more incidents like this.”

A substitute paraprofessional has to be nominated by a principal in order to get hired by the DOE, and is likely nominated by the principal of the school they work at, multiple DOE sources told The Post.

Community Education Council 20 President John Ricottone said he does not fault PS 200 Principal Danielle Nola, but called on the DOE to screen candidates’ mental health in addition to a background check.

Paraprofessionals often work with the city’s most vulnerable kids and frequently assist with disabled students who require special accommodations.

Mohassib was arrested Saturday and charged with second-degree murder in the Oct. 30 fatal stabbing of Katie Suarez as she jogged along a Brooklyn footpath, police sources said.

The DOE employee claimed he woke up covered in blood and had no memory of the heinous murder.

A DOE spokesperson said that Mohassib had been suspended, and that support and resources are being given to the school community.

“The safety of our students is our very top priority,” the spokesperson said.