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Julian’s Story
Julian is a 3-year-old preschooler with delays in his language skills, but the DOE failed to provide recommended services.
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09.02.2020 | Bronx News 12 | "We have students in shelter and foster care that often live very far from their schools,” said attorney Chantal Hinds. Hinds said certain students that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and school closures like those with special needs or...
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09.11.2020 | WCBS 880 | "It's going to be two teachers for the students when they are in person and then a third teacher working with them when they are just doing the remote part of their learning," Maggie Moroff, with Advocates for Children of New York, said. In normal times, the city has what's...
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09.14.2020 | NY Times | “We are extremely concerned that students already went months with little learning happening and that the learning loss will only continue unless the city steps up,” said Randi Levine, the policy director at Advocates for Children of New York, a research and legal group...
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09.10.2020 | New York Daily News | New Education Department guidance confirms that students in classes with a mix of special education and mainstream students who alternate between in-person and virtual learning will have only one teacher on days they’re remote — a seeming violation of the state...
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Blog: 10 School Buildings Remain Closed for Ventilation Repairs as City Teachers Return to Classrooms09.08.2020 | NY1 | Kim Sweet, the executive director for Advocates for Children of New York, told NY1 the biggest point of friction for schools in the coming week will be transportation. “About 50,000 students with disabilities, along with students who are homeless or in foster care, have a...
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Blog: NYC signs yellow bus contracts, but it’s unclear if buses will be rolling on the first day of school09.04.2020 | Chalkbeat NY | Randi Levine, the policy director at Advocates for Children, said it’s encouraging that the department has made strides since last week, but she worries about the start of the school year. “We’re glad to hear there’s been progress in moving contracts forward,” she wrote...
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09.02.2020 | CBS New York | “There are some shelters, for example, in New York City that don’t have sufficient cellular reception to get the iPads to work,” said Randi Levine of the group Advocates for Children. The nonprofit is helping to bridge the digital divide for city students. The DOE...
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09.03.2020 | NY1 | "Parents are really sort of waiting, biting their nails, anxiously trying to figure out how their kids are going to get to school, if their kids are kids that need busing," said Maggie Moroff, special education policy coordinator at Advocates for Children. Moroff said yellow...
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09.04.2020 | Gothamist | Maggie Moroff, a special education policy coordinator at Advocates for Children, told NY1, "A lot of the students that Advocates for Children works with, if they don’t have busing, they can’t get to school and they don’t have the option of taking a cab. They really need the...
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09.02.2020 | The Imprint | “We’re very concerned about what this will mean for all students eager to return to school even part-time, especially for students in foster care,” said Erika Palmer, supervising attorney for Advocates For Children. “Arranging transportation for such a large number...
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Resource: Preguntas y Respuestas Sobre el Comienzo de Clases para Familias de Alumnos con DiscapacidadesThis fact sheet for families of students with disabilities covers issues that typically come up at the start of the school year, such as what to do if a child does not yet have a school assignment or the school assigned says they cannot serve the child’s needs.
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09.09.2020 | The New York Times Magazine | At the end of August, Randi Levine, the policy director of Advocates for Children of New York, expressed disbelief about the lack of planning for homeless students. “It’s shocking how little is in place for students in shelter,” she wrote in an email. “...
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09.09.2020 | Chalkbeat NY | Advocates said they were glad to hear the mayor’s commitment to restarting the bus system, but are watching closely to see what will be. “Parents will be relieved to hear the mayor’s promise that bus service will be in place for the start of the school year,” said...
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Resource: Start of School Questions & Answers for Families of Students with Disabilities in NYCThis fact sheet for families of students with disabilities covers issues that typically come up at the start of the school year, such as what to do if a child does not yet have a school assignment or the school assigned says they cannot serve the child’s needs.
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09.01.2020 | Queens Daily Eagle | "The city must resolve obstacles for children with disabilities, provide access to technology and WiFi for low-income students and better communicate with non-English speaking families,” said Advocates for Children of New York Executive Director Kim Sweet.“The city...
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Blog: Ahead of school reopening, advocates urge NYC to halt suspensions and specify mental health supports08.31.2020 | Chalkbeat NY | The city’s new plan to address student trauma does not go far enough to ensure those in crisis will find the help they need, two advocacy organizations say. These groups, Advocates for Children and Girls for Gender Equity, are also calling on the education...
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08.31.2020 | Today, Advocates for Children and Girls for Gender Equity (GGE) shared recommendations with Chancellor Carranza for a developing reopening plans are trauma-informed, culturally-responsive, grounded in restorative practices, and geared towards developing healing-centered school...
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09.01.2020 | Today, Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to Mayor de Blasio’s announcement delaying the first day of school: With so many unanswered questions about the reopening of school buildings, the City...
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08.28.2020 | THE CITY | “There’s now a race against the clock — the DOE needs to negotiate contracts and then, in addition, needs to determine the routing with more complicated schedules and the health and safety protocols,” said Randi Levine, a policy director at Advocates for Children. ...
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08.29.2020 | Forbes | Maggie Moroff, Special Education Policy Coordinator at Advocates for Children of New York: "Schools still need to be more physically accessible, and students need access to technology that can help them adapt and learn. There needs to be more focus on literacy, using methods...