Need Help?
Call AFC's Education Helpline
(866) 427-6033
Monday to Thursday
10 am to 4 pm
Cheick’s Story
Cheick, an immigrant student from Mali, was told—illegally—that he had to leave high school and transfer to a high school equivalency program.
Donate Now
Help Advocates for Children support more New York City students!
Stay connected
Sign up for AFC's email updates and find other ways to take action.
Get Help
Guides & Resources: General School Rights
General School Rights
Returning visitors to our resource library: If you have downloaded a publication before, we recommend clearing your browsing history before clicking the links below, to ensure you are viewing the most up-to-date versions.
Note: Unless otherwise noted, all resources are in PDF format and will open in a new window. To view PDF files, download the following free software: Get Adobe® Reader®. If you are unable to access PDFs, please call our Helpline (866-427-6033) or email info@afcnyc.org, and we will be happy to provide the information in an alternative format.
Use the following links to jump directly to any section:
Advocacy Tips and Basic Education Rights | Bullying | Charter Schools | Court-Involved Youth | Enrollment, Transfers, and Transportation | LGBTQ Students | Literacy | Parent-Teacher Conferences | Promotion Policy | School Co-Locations
Advocacy Tips and Basic Education Rights
Advocacy Skills: A Guide to Help You Advocate for Your Child's Educational Rights
En Español: Destrezas de Abogacía: Una guía para ayudarle a defender los derechos educativos de sus hijos
Alphabet Soup: Department of Education Acronyms
Appeals to the New York State Commissioner of Education
How to use NYCSA (The New York City Schools Account)
En Español: Cómo usar NYCSA (cuenta de las Escuelas de la Ciudad de Nueva York)
Also available in: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, Urdu
Bullying
Guide to Preventing & Addressing Bullying
En Español: Guía de AFC para Prevenir y Tratar el Bullying
How to Report Bullying at a School
En Español: Cómo denunciar el acoso escolar (bullying) en una escuela
Bullying, Harassment, and Discrimination of Immigrant Students in NYC Schools
En Español: “Bullying”, Acoso y Discriminación de Estudiantes Inmigrantes
Also available in: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Russian, Urdu
Charter Schools
Questions and Answers about Charter Schools
En Español: Preguntas y Respuestas sobre las Escuelas Chárter
Rights of Students with Disabilities in Charter Schools
En Español: Derechos de los Estudiantes con Discapacidades en las Escuelas Chárter
Guide to Charter School Discipline
Guide to Preventing & Addressing Bullying in Charter Schools
En Español: Prevenir y Abordar el Acoso Escolar en las Escuelas Chárter
Court-Involved Youth
Guide for Court-Involved Students: Understanding the education rights of NYC students in & coming out of the juvenile or criminal justice system
En Español: Guía de la AFC para Estudiantes que Están Involucrados con la Corte: Comprender los derechos a la educación de los estudiantes de Nueva York que se encuentran dentro del sistema judicial penal o juvenil, o que salen del mismo
Enrollment, Transfers, and Transportation
Podcast: Enrolling Students in School
Kindergarten Admissions: A Guide for Families of Children Born in 2018
En Español: Admisión a Kínder: Guía para Familias de Niños Nacidos en el 2018
Also available in: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese
Applying to High School
En Español: Solicitar a la Escuela Secundaria
Podcast: New York City High School Application Process
En Español: Proceso de admisión de la escuela secundaria
Requesting School Transfers
En Español: Como Solicitar un Cambio de Escuela
Arranging Transportation Services
En Español: Cómo Obtener Servicios de Transporte
>LGBTQ Students
LGBTQ Education Guide: Your Rights as an LGBTQ Student in a NYC Public School
Literacy
Questions & Answers about Literacy and Dyslexia: A Fact Sheet for Families of Students Who Need More Help Learning to Read and Write
En Español: Preguntas y Respuestas sobre la Alfabetización y la Dislexia
Abridged version available in: Arabic, French
Reading Milestones: What your child should know and be able to do
The Advocate: Special Edition on Literacy
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher Conferences: What You Should Ask
En Español: Conferencias de Padres y Maestros: ¿Qué debería preguntar?
Literacy and Parent-Teacher Conferences: Questions to ask your child’s teachers about how well he or she is learning to read and write
En Español: Reuniones de padres y maestros: Preguntas para los maestros acerca de qué tan bien su hijo o hija está aprendiendo a leer o escribir
Promotion Policy
Promotion Policy in New York City Public Schools
En Español: Política de Promoción en las Escuelas Públicas de la Ciudad de Nueva York
Podcast: Promotion Policy in New York City Public Schools
En Español: Política de Promoción en las Escuelas Públicas de la Ciudad de Nueva York
High School Promotion and Graduation Requirements
En Español: Requisitos de Graduación y Promoción de la Escuela Secundaria
School Co-Locations
Legal Requirements for School Co-Location in New York City
Appeals to the Commissioner of Education Relating to School Co-Locations