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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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02.13.2015 | Colorlines | New York City charter schools’ harsh school discipline policies violate city discipline standards and state law, researchers at the New York City group Advocates for Children (PDF) found. The new report, released Thursday, details a troubling narrative: families, who at...
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02.12.2015 | New York Times | Most of New York City’s charter schools have disciplinary codes that do not meet either state or federal requirements, according to a report by a children’s advocacy organization that is to be released on Thursday. The finding adds a new dimension to a long-running...
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02.11.2015 | In response to New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito’s State of the City Address, Advocates for Children of New York issued the following statement: We are pleased that New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito highlighted school discipline reform as a...
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Resource: Guide to Charter School DisciplineThis guide explains charter school discipline policy, what to do if your child has been suspended from a charter school, how to appeal a charter school's suspension decision, and your rights throughout the process. Includes information for families of students with disabilities.
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01.28.2015 | Epoch Times | Some 9,000 children six years old and younger are homeless in New York City, states a report by the New School’s Center for New York City Affairs, released Wednesday. The report points out homeless children would benefit the most from city-funded child care programs, but...
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01.22.2015 | Today, NYC Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced significant changes to the system of support and supervision for the City’s public schools. Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York, said, “Re-structuring is never easy, but it very much needs to be...
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12.18.2014 | Chalkbeat New York | The state is also considering a policy change that would let students substitute a different exam for one of the five they must currently pass to graduate, and another that would let English learners appeal low scores on their English exams. Abja Midha, a project...
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12.17.2014 | As the year comes to a close, we want to take this moment to thank all of you for your partnership and support. We are truly privileged to devote our professional lives to work that has a profound impact on the futures of low-income children and families. The past year included...
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12.15.2014 | Chalkbeat New York | Advocates of Children of New York says the charter school sector’s compliance problems go well beyond a handful of schools. The nonprofit says it reviewed more than 150 charter school discipline policies and is “alarmed by the number of policies that fail to...
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11.20.2014 | SchoolBook | Bernard Dufresne, a staff attorney at Advocates for Children, said he thought the school missed an opportunity to encourage a conversation between the parties in a much more constructive setting. "Principals in many ways see a suspension as the first option," he said,...
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11.13.2014 | Chalkbeat New York | While there are dozens of programs able to serve thousands of high-school students who fall behind, fewer than 450 slots exist in programs for overage middle school students, according to a recent report by the nonprofit Advocates for Children... Ashley Grant, a...
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11.06.2014 | Chalkbeat New York | The matter is especially delicate at Boys and Girls, which was the subject of a class action lawsuit a decade ago alleging that the school warehoused troublesome students in the auditorium as a way to push them out. Brown’s claim—that he was pressured to transfer...
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10.30.2014 | Huffington Post | Bernard Dufresne, a staff attorney for the nonprofit group Advocates for Children, called for more transparency when it comes to restraining students, pointing to the success of the 2010 Student Safety Act in reducing superfluous suspensions. “Thanks in part to the...
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10.29.2014 | SchoolBook | The civil liberties union and the group Advocates for Children want the City Council to support legislation — yet to be drafted — that would require the city to report detailed data on how many students are handcuffed. The city already requires the Department of Education...
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10.30.2014 | New York Daily News | Piece by Nick Sheehan, Skadden Fellow on AFC's School Justice Project, informing the greater NYC community that students who are suspended have basic due process rights. The hearing allows the accused to present their version of events and to question any evidence...
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10.28.2014 | Capital New York | Other parents criticized the D.O.E. for not providing appropriate services for their children who struggled with reading. Representatives from Advocates for Children, a leading organization for special education students in New York, called on the D.O.E. Tuesday to...
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10.27.2014 | Chalkbeat New York | Others see the hearing as an opportunity to get beyond the questions of legal mandates and ask questions about what those students with disabilities are learning. Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children of New York, is waiting to hear about how the...
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10.22.2014 | Chalkbeat New York | Advocates for Children of New York Executive Director Kim Sweet said her organization would lend its support to the bill, which she said could spur improvements to services for city students, when it is discussed next week. “We will be testifying in support of the...
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10.15.2014 | Chalkbeat New York | Still, they reflect the new demands that have been placed on schools by the city’s special-education overhaul, which calls for neighborhood schools to serve special-needs students whom they might have referred elsewhere in the past, and to try to place those...