Policy

Public Comments & Testimony Archive: 2015 

Note: The following resources are in PDF format and will open in a new window. To view PDF files, download the following free software: Get Adobe® Reader®.
 

AFC Submits Testimony on Increasing Child Care Assistance for Low-Income Families, December 16, 2015
AFC submitted testimony to the New York State Assembly Committee on Children and Families on the importance of increasing funding for child care subsidies to give more children from low-income backgrounds the opportunity to participate in high-quality early childhood education.

AFC Testifies on Resources for Unaccompanied Immigrant Youth, December 9, 2015
AFC testified before the New York City Council Committee on Immigration regarding school enrollment and available resources for unaccompanied minors in New York City.

AFC Comments on the DOE's Proposed Community Schools Policy, October 30, 2015
AFC submitted comments on the New York City Department of Education’s Proposed Community Schools Policy, which we view as an important vehicle for creating shared language and expectations around the City’s Community Schools Initiative.

AFC Testifies Regarding the DOE’s Restructured School Support System, October 1, 2015
AFC testified before the City Council Committee on Education about the new DOE structure for supporting schools and families.

AFC Testifies Regarding Social Services from Pre-Natal to Pre-K, September 17, 2015
AFC testified before the New York State Joint Senate Standing Committees on Social Services and Children and Families about the importance of strengthening early childhood education.

AFC and the New York Immigration Coalition Submit Comments on Proposed Amendments to Chancellor's Regulation A-101, August 5, 2015
Today AFC and the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) jointly submitted comments in response to the New York City Department of Education's proposal to amend Chancellor's Regulation A-101 relating to student admissions, discharges, and transfers. We believe that there are opportunities to strengthen the proposed amendments in order to ensure that unaccompanied minors, undocumented youth, children and youth experiencing homelessness, and students with disabilities have meaningful access to a free public education.

AFC Testifies on the New York City Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2016, June 9, 2015
AFC testified before the City Council Committee on Finance to request that the final budget include increased funding for Committee on Special Education staff and increased funding for progressive discipline support.

AFC, The New York Immigration Coalition, and Internationals Network for Public Schools Submit Comments on New York's Teacher Evaluation System, June 5, 2015
AFC, The New York Immigration Coalition, and Internationals Network for Public Schools jointly submitted recommendations to the New York State Education Department regarding revisions to the State’s teacher evaluation system.

AFC Submits Comments on Student Enrollment Regulations, May 29, 2015
AFC submitted comments in response to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) proposal to amend the Commissioner's Regulations relating to student enrollment for purposes of guaranteeing that unaccompanied minors and undocumented youth are provided with their constitutional right to a free public education.

AFC Testifies on School Climate and Discipline, April 14, 2015
AFC testified before the New York City Council Committee on Public Safety, the Committee on Education, and the Sub-Committee on Non-Public Schools regarding school climate and discipline. AFC supports the passage of both Introduction Number 730, amending the Student Safety Act, and Introduction Number 719, requiring the DOE to report on the ratio of School Safety Officers (SSOs) to guidance counselors in each school.

AFC Submits Testimony on City Council Resolutions, March 30, 2015
AFC submitted testimony to the City Council Education Committee on resolutions regarding school funding, the charter school cap, and parents’ ability to opt out of standardized tests.

AFC Testifies on Education Proposals in the Preliminary NYC Budget, March 25, 2015
AFC testified before the City Council Education Committee about the education proposals in the Fiscal Year 2016 Preliminary Budget. We are heartened that the Preliminary Budget includes increased funding for a literacy initiative to support students with disabilities, interpretation services for immigrant families, behavioral supports, and Pre-K. However, more funding is needed to have a significant impact.

AFC Testifies on Overcrowding in Schools and on the Charter School Cap, March 3, 2015
AFC testified before the City Council Education Committee about the problem of overcrowding in schools and about the charter school cap.  We believe it is premature to raise the cap on the number of charter schools before putting laws and practices in place that protect students’ civil rights in the context of school discipline and ensure that charter schools serve high-needs populations.

AFC Testifies on the Draft School Discipline Code, March 2, 2015
AFC testified at the DOE Office of Safety and Youth Development hearing on the draft school discipline code for 2014-2015. Our testimony focuses on the DOE’s revision to Infraction Code B21 and the importance of addressing the behavioral needs of Pre-K students.

AFC Testifies on Early Childhood Education for Children in Temporary Housing,
February 27, 2015
AFC testified at the New York City Council Committee on General Welfare hearing on interagency collaboration between the Administration for Children's Services (ACS) and the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) to protect children in temporary housing. We urge ACS and DHS to create a long-term plan to enroll all eligible children living in the City’s shelters in early childhood education programs.

AFC Testifies on Educational Services for English Language Learners, February 25, 2015
AFC testified at the New York City Council Committee on Education hearing on English Language Learners (ELLs). In our testimony, we raised concerns about the shortage of bilingual program options for ELLs, particularly in languages other than Spanish.

AFC Submits Testimony on Career and Technical Education for Students with Disabilities, February 19, 2015
AFC submitted testimony to the Employment First Commission on Career and Technical Education (CTE) and how it can help students with disabilities reach gainful employment.

AFC Submits Comments on Student Enrollment Regulations, February 13, 2015
AFC submitted comments in response to NYSED’s proposal to amend enrollment regulations for purposes of guaranteeing that unaccompanied minors and undocumented youth are provided with their constitutional right to a free public education.

AFC Testifies on the 2015-16 Executive Budget Proposal, February 3, 2015
AFC testified in Albany about the proposed state education budget. We urge the Legislature to: (1) Increase funding for Pre-K statewide and support New York City’s plan to make Pre-K truly universal; (2) Increase funding for Career and Technical Education (CTE); (3) Increase funding to support English Language Learners (ELLs) and immigrant students; (4) Reject the Executive Budget special education waiver proposal; (5) Modify the Executive Budget charter school proposal to ensure that charter schools serve high-needs populations; (6) Support the Executive Budget proposal to establish regional rates for Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT) services; and (7) Increase education funding overall.

AFC Testifies on EarlyLearn Programs, January 14, 2015
AFC testified at the City Council Committee on General Welfare oversight hearing on EarlyLearn. EarlyLearn programs need adequate funding, training, technical assistance, and support to serve all eligible preschool students, including those who need additional support in order to succeed in the classroom and prepare for kindergarten.