Stack of books against a blurred background. (Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash)

Policy Resources

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.

Leading the Way for NYC Schools: Recommendations for the Next Administration
  • Policy Agenda

    • Leading the Way for NYC Schools: Recommendations for the Next Administration

    Based on our experience helping thousands of NYC families each year, we urge the next Mayor to take on big challenges with bold ideas and stand firm in the face of threats to students’ civil rights.
    Closeup of student holding a pencil in class

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    Advocacy Strategies to Stop the School-to-Prison Pipeline: From Working with Localities to Litigation
    Close-up of an open book. (Photo by Bilakis via Pexels)
  • White Paper
    • Advocacy Strategies to Stop the School-to-Prison Pipeline: From Working with Localities to Litigation

    AFC presented this white paper at the 2018 national conference of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA). It discusses approaches that work to positively support students, improve school climate, and reduce suspensions, referrals to law enforcement, and inappropriate removals to the psychiatric emergency room. The paper also discusses strategies to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline and the disparate impact on students with disabilities and students of color, including working collaboratively with school districts and localities, advocating to change laws, and litigation.

    Mar 10, 2018

    AFC Testifies on School Safety and Efforts to Improve School Climate
    New York City City Hall Building
  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • AFC Testifies on School Safety and Efforts to Improve School Climate

    AFC testified before the New York City Council Committee on Public Safety regarding the NYPD’s role in school discipline and matters of mental health. We are calling for a realignment of City resources to reflect the critical need to appropriately support students’ social-emotional needs and address the striking racial disparities in police interventions.

    Nov 21, 2017

    Children in Crisis: Police Response to Students in Emotional Distress
    Boy sits alone in a school hallway, his back against the lockers
  • Policy Report
    • Children in Crisis: Police Response to Students in Emotional Distress

    This report analyzes data reported by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) showing that Black students are significantly over-represented in NYPD “child in crisis” interventions – incidents involving students in emotional distress sent to the hospital for psychological evaluation. The brief also examines the NYPD’s use of handcuffs on students as young as 5 years old during these incidents between July 2016 and June 2017.

    Nov 2, 2017

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