AFC testified before the City Council Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction and the Committee on Health on the need to invest in a comprehensive, integrated system of mental health and behavioral health supports for students.
AFC works to change education policy so that the public school system serves all children effectively. We publish policy reports and data analyses, testify at the City and State levels, speak out in the press to bring attention to the challenges facing the students and families we serve, and join with other advocates, parents, youth, and educators to call for change.
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AFC testified before the City Council Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction and the Committee on Health on the need to invest in a comprehensive, integrated system of mental health and behavioral health supports for students.
AFC and the ARISE Coalition (coordinated by AFC) testified before the City Council Committee on Youth Services about the need to ensure the City’s summer programming provides the support needed to truly serve all students, including students with disabilities.
AFC testified before the City Council Committee on Education on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on English Language Learners and immigrant students and families, and three proposals that advocates believe will have a positive impact on ELLs and immigrant families.
AFC testified before the New York City Council Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction on the youth mental health crisis and the urgent need for a comprehensive system to ensure that our young people have access to and receive behavioral and mental health supports in schools.
AFC submitted testimony for the New York State Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the 2022-2023 Executive Budget Health Proposal urging the State to increase payment rates for Early Intervention (EI) providers to help more infants and toddlers receive timely evaluations and services.
AFC testified before the City Council Committee on Education on meeting the needs of students with disabilities during the COVID era, including the need to for a non-adversarial system for providing make-up services.
AFC submitted comments to the New York State Education Department about the need for urgent action to address systemic delays and barriers in the special education impartial hearing system in New York City.
AFC submitted written testimony to the City Council Committee on General Welfare in strong support of Intro. 1829-2019, which would preclude the Department of Homeless Services from requiring parents to bring their children to shelter intake appointments and help ensure students do not have to miss school when their families apply for shelter.
AFC and the ARISE Coalition (coordinated by AFC) testified before the City Council Committee on Education on the continued work needed to strengthen the DOE’s academic recovery plans this year. While we appreciate that the City is using this funding for some important initiatives, we worry there is still inadequate detail about how the funding will be used, inadequate funding for key priorities, and too much discretion and responsibility left to individual schools that already have their hands full reopening schools and keeping school communities safe.
AFC testified before the New York State Senate Education Committee on the DOE’s use of increased state and federal education funding; specifically, how the funding is being used to meet the needs of students with disabilities, English Language Learners, and students experiencing homelessness—students who were hit particularly hard by the closure of schools.