Policy Resources

Testimony & Public Comment

AFC Testifies on Reducing the Responsibilities of the NYPD in NYC Schools

AFC testified before the City Council Committee on Public Safety, joining the call from students, parents, and educators for police-free schools and urging the City to eliminate the reliance on the New York City Police Department to address the needs of students in our schools.

Sep 27, 2021

Testimony & Public Comment

AFC Testifies on School Reopening Protocols and Mental Health Supports

AFC testified before the New York City Council Committee on Education on the City’s plan to hire 250 new School Safety Agents (SSAs), rather than invest in the social-emotional and mental health supports our students need so profoundly at this point in time.

Sep 1, 2021

Two young girls drawing in a classroom. (Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva via Pexels)

Sign-On Letter

100+ Organizations Urge Governor Cuomo to Increase Funding for Preschool Special Education Programs

AFC joined more than 100 organizations in sending a letter urging the Governor to sign into law A. 8013 (Benedetto) / S. 6516-A (Mannion), a bill passed unanimously by the Senate and Assembly to ensure that preschool special education programs, as well as state-approved non-public schools for school-age students with significant disabilities, receive the same increase in payment rates as school districts.

Aug 9, 2021

Tweed Courthouse, the headquarters of the Department of Education.

Testimony & Public Comment

AFC Comments on Proposed Amendments to Chancellor’s Regulation A-710 – Section 504 Policy and Procedures

AFC submitted comments on the DOE’s proposed changes to Chancellor’s Regulation A-710 about Section 504 accommodations for students with disabilities.

Jul 28, 2021

Pencil laying on an open spiral-bound notebook. (Photo by PNW Production via Pexels)

Testimony & Public Comment

AFC Comments on Nondiscriminatory Administration of School Discipline

AFC submitted public comments to the U.S. Department of Education on the exclusionary, punitive school discipline and police policies and practices faced by New York City public school students, the disproportionate impact these policies and practices have on Black and Brown students and students with disabilities, and promising alternative practices.

Jul 23, 2021

Rear shot of a student writing on a worksheet. (Photo by Katerina Holmes from Pexels)

Press Statement

Response to Release of DOE Academic Recovery Plan

Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the NYC Department of Education’s release of its plan for using its historic influx of funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

Jul 8, 2021

Yellow pencils on top of a black and white composition notebook. (Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash)

Press Statement

AFC Responds to the New York City FY 2022 Budget Agreement

Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the announcement of the Fiscal Year 2022 city budget agreement.

Jun 30, 2021

Close-up of hands using a pen and a ruler on a notepad. (Photo by Tamarcus Brown via unsplash)

Sign-On Letter

25 Organizations Urge DOE to Hire Shelter-Based Community Coordinators

Advocates for Children of New York joined 25 organizations to urge the DOE to hire 150 shelter-based Community Coordinators to help students living in shelter reconnect with school and participate in supplemental programming offered by the DOE.

Jun 25, 2021

Side view of a Black preschool boy in a classroom, holding a large dinosaur cutout. (Photo by RDNE Stock project via Pexels)

Sign-On Letter

90+ Organizations Call on Mayor de Blasio to Meet the Need for Preschool Special Education Classes

AFC joined 90+ organizations to call on Mayor de Blasio to address the shortage of preschool special education classes and provide salary parity to teachers of preschool special education classes at community-based organizations (CBOs) this year.

Jun 23, 2021

Preschool girl sitting on the floor playing a math game. (Photo by Krakenimages.com, Adobe Stock)

Press Statement

1,200 NYC Preschoolers with Disabilities Went Without Seats in Preschool Special Education Classes Last Year

Advocates for Children of New York issued the following response to the NYC Department of Education’s first release of preschool special education data required pursuant to Local Law 21 of 2020.

Jun 9, 2021

Call to Action to Sustain Education Programs Funded with Expiring Federal COVID-19 Relief

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