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 submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Education on New York State’s compliance with respect to transition planning for students with disabilities.
AFC testified before the New York City Council Committee on Education, Committee on General Welfare, and the Committee on Criminal Justice regarding educational programming in detention facilities and Intro 542, which requires DOE, ACS and DOC to report on educational programming for students in court-ordered settings.
Today, Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the New York City Council’s passage of Intro 857-A, expanding disaggregated data in New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) reporting to include metrics on students in foster care.
More than 170 organizations are calling on elected leaders to sustain critical education programs currently supported by temporary federal COVID-19 stimulus funding set to run dry in June 2024.
AFC testified before the New York City Council Committee on Women and Gender Equity regarding Int. No. 941-2023, and the importance of early childhood education and care in New York City.
AFC submitted comments on the proposed amendments to Chancellor’s Regulation A-412 to better protect students from unnecessary and traumatizing police involvement and provide clear guidance to school staff and School Safety Division (SSD)/NYPD officers to promote safe, respectful, and supportive learning environments for students.
This interactive report finds that only 31.1% of schools are fully accessible to students, parents, educators, and community members with physical disabilities as of the start of the 2023-24 school year. The report calls on the City to invest $1.25 billion—roughly 5-6% of its capital budget—in the forthcoming five-year Capital Plan to improve school accessibility.
AFC submitted comments regarding the New York State Education Department (NYSED) proposal to amend section 200.5 of the Regulations of the Commissioner regarding extensions in special education due process hearings and related procedures.
This research brief, prepared by AFC on behalf of the Coalition for Multiple Pathways to a Diploma, summarizes the research literature on exit exams and calls on New York State to decouple Regents exams from high school graduation requirements.
AFC testified before the New York City Council Committee on Education in support of Intro. 857, to expand the NYC Department of Education’s data reporting requirements to include metrics on students in foster care, and Intro. 121, to require the DOE to report annually on therapeutic crisis intervention training in schools.