Advocates for Children of New York works on behalf of children who are at greatest risk for school-based discrimination and/or academic failure due to poverty, disability, race, ethnicity, immigrant or English Language Learner status, sexual orientation, gender identity, homelessness, or involvement in the foster care or juvenile justice systems.
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Spotlight
AFC Supports the Extension of Mayoral Control
06.19.2017 | Today, AFC sent a letter to the New York State Assembly and Senate, urging them to approve a long-term extension of mayoral control as a stand-alone bill that is not tied to other changes in education policy. View our letter [PDF] Read more
New AFC Resource: Guide for Court-Involved Students
06.16.2017 | AFC has a new guide for court-involved youth and their families! The guide includes a basic overview of the education rights of young people ages 7 to 21 in New York City who are or were involved in the juvenile or criminal justice system. It includes information about the education rights of youth in community and court-ordered... Read more
Know Your Rights: Immigrant Students and Families
June 2017 | Every student in New York City has the right to attend public school, regardless of immigration status. Following recent immigration-related activities by the federal government, the New York City Department of Education (DOE) issued several letters to families reiterating this commitment. The DOE has also provided additional... Read more
AFC Testifies on the Fiscal Year 2018 Executive Budget for New York City
05.25.2017 | Today AFC is testifying before the New York City Council about the Fiscal Year 2018 city budget proposal. We urge the Administration and City Council to increase funding for DOE social workers for students living in homeless shelters, Restorative Practices and other alternatives to school suspensions, and school accessibility. View... Read more
AFC in the News
Report: Special education voucher program leaves some of New York City’s poorest families without services
07.12.2017 | Chalkbeat New York | Maggie Moroff, a disability policy expert at Advocates for Children, said in an interview that the report’s findings did not surprise her and that related services are just as important as general academic instruction. “It’s all the other things that go into a student’s ability to process and learn and develop in... Read more
When the School Building Itself Is a Barrier to Equal Education
06.20.2017 | WNYC | Emma Albert, 14, has never entered her school through the front door. The eighth grader has a vascular malformation on her left leg, which means that since the first grade she used a wheelchair though she could switch to crutches for short distances. And it means that she could access only the areas of her school that were... Read more
How do you find the right school when you have a physical disability? These students will tell you
06.14.2017 | Chalkbeat New York | For many students, navigating the middle and high school admissions process can be overwhelming because New York City’s choice system allows them to apply to dozens of schools. But for students with physical disabilities, it can be overwhelming for the opposite reason: Very few schools are completely accessible to... Read more
New York City’s special ed tracking system malfunctioned more than 800,000 times per day, but changes are underway
05.09.2017 | Chalkbeat New York | Maggie Moroff, a disability policy expert at Advocates for Children, said the report validates the idea that problems with SESIS have persisted for years without being adequately addressed. But the bigger issue, she emphasized, is that many students with disabilities are going without services they need. “We can’t... Read more