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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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5.21.2012 | The New York Times | As Kim Sweet, executive director of the nonprofit Advocates for Children of New York, said: “We see cases of schools violating I.E.P.’s all the time. Our phones ring off the hook.” Read article
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5.23.2012 | Gotham Schools | "If you are going to raise standards, you also have to raise the quality of institutions,” said Christian Villenas, policy analyst for Advocates for Children. As part of the Coalition for Multiple Pathways to Graduation, Advocates for Children is circulating a petition...
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5.18.2012 | Gotham Schools | “Their stated goal is not about inclusion, but it is about educating more and more students with disabilities in community schools,” Maggie Moroff, coordinator of the ARISE Coalition of special education advocacy groups, said about the Department of Education. “The way...
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5.09.2012 | Advocates for Children of New York’s Spring Benefit on May 8, 2012 was a great success. Once again, The Rubin Museum was packed! Thank you to our over 500 supporters! Your continued generosity enables us to protect the education rights of every NYC child. (Pictured left to right:...
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5.09.2012 | New York Daily News | “When children are taking a test and come upon a badly worded question, it can ... affect their performance on the rest of the test,” said Advocates for Children executive director Kim Sweet. Read article
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AFC’s position on the co-location process and the impact that it is having on students with disabilities.
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Resource: Know Your Rights to Special EducationThis fact sheet for students discusses preparing for an IEP meeting and transition planning.
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5.02.2012 | Insideschools.org | "The community schools don't have an extra year," said Maggie Moroff of Advocates for Children. "Some of them had incredibly low percentages, and they are doing it this year." In fact, when parents at academically-demanding IS 187/Christa McAuliffe in Brooklyn...
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Resource: Who Does What for Students with Special Education NeedsA "who's who" of the NYC Department of Education. Explains who to contact in certain situations.
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Resource: Defending Suspended StudentsThe Department of Education is enormous, and navigating through the system is a tough job for anyone. These Tip Sheets can point you in the right direction and help you advocate for the right school and services for your child, from early intervention and preschool through high school and beyond.
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Resource: Referring Students for Special EducationThe Department of Education is enormous, and navigating through the system is a tough job for anyone. These Tip Sheets can point you in the right direction and help you advocate for the right school and services for your child, from early intervention and preschool through high school and beyond.
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4.20.2012 | New York Times/SchoolBook | Kim Sweet, the director of Advocates for Children, said that while the proposed options could make a dent in the graduation rate for disabled students, they were too restrictive. “Why do you only get a safety net if you’re a student with a disability?” she...
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3.02.2012 | Insideschools.org | Our friends and colleagues at Advocates for Children are putting out a call to action to protect early intervention programs for young children. Early Intervention provides evaluations and services to infants and toddler who have developmental delays or disabilities...
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4.19.2012 | Luisa Piñeiro Fuentes was an educator in the New York City public schools for 38 years, and served as principal at PS/MS 279 and PS 307. She fought constantly to establish a safe and loving environment in her schools, and to secure the necessary resources for any child in her community...
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4.18.2012 | GothamSchools | Advocates say the tests simply aren’t designed in a way that makes sense for many students with special needs and that no amount of extra time can change that. “I’m not even talking about modifying the test,” said Maggie Moroff of Advocates for Children. “I’m talking...
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4.13.2012 | WNYC | "It doesn't seem like efforts to increase representation from low-income communities are working," said Kim Sweet, Executive Director of the group Advocates for Children of New York. "Part of the problem is still outreach," she said. "But when students can prep for the test, low-...
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4.16.2012 | GothamSchools | “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done between now and September to make that [special education reform] successful, so anyone coming in will have to jump right in,” said Maggie Moroff, coordinator of the ARISE Coalition of special education advocacy groups. Moroff...
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Page: Past Events
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3.28.2012 | Insideschools.org | “There is a broad spectrum with children with disabilities and many more of them should have access to quality programs,” said Maggie Moroff of Advocates for Children. “With the appropriate support and services, there’s no reason those children shouldn’t be able to...
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AFC testified before the New York City Council Committee on General Welfare in opposition to the shortsighted, massive cuts to early childhood education programs proposed in Mayor Bloomberg’s Preliminary Budget.