Kamar SamuelsP.S. Weekly Podcast

P.S. Weekly: NYC student reporters press Chancellor Kamar Samuels on integration, AI, and more

By 
Chalkbeat Staff
 | April 9, 2026, 11:00am UTC
A photograph of a Black man in a suit and tie sits next to a group of students in a classroom.
Student reporters interview schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels for P.S. Weekly about safety, AI, integration, and school conditions — and weigh in on his responses. (Alex Zimmerman / Chalkbeat)

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Welcome back to P.S. Weekly, a student podcast created in collaboration between Chalkbeat and The Bell!

In our first episode of Season 3, The Bell’s high school reporters landed an exclusive interview with schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels.

The new schools chief made his three priorities known: safety, academic rigor, and integration. But The Bell’s student reporters grilled him on the issues most important to them, including artificial intelligence, how he plans to approach racial integration, and whether he will fulfill Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s promise to make school buildings greener.

In this episode, you’ll hear Samuels’ answers and the student reporters’ assessment of his responses.

P.S. Weekly is available on major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Reach us at PSWeekly@chalkbeat.org. New episodes drop on Thursdays.

P.S. Weekly is made possible by generous support from The Pinkerton Foundation.

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