Policy

Public Comments & Testimony Archive: 2019

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Sign-On Letter Calling for Transportation for Students in Foster Care, September 27, 2019
AFC joined 25 child welfare and education organizations in calling on the City to abide by federal and state law and honor its commitment to guarantee bus service or a comparable mode of transportation to kindergarten through sixth-grade students in foster care. Although the adopted city budget states that the Administration agreed to ensure bus service for students in foster care, the Department of Education is continuing to deny requests for bus service.

AFC Testifies on Multiple Pathways to a Diploma, September 24, 2019
AFC, on behalf of the Coalition for Multiple Pathways to a Diploma, testified before the City Council Committee on Education on high-stakes tests and the need for more ways to determine that students have mastered high school graduation standards.

AFC Testifies on the Education of Students Living in Domestic Violence Shelters, September 24, 2019
AFC testified before the City Council Committee on General Welfare and Committee on Women and Gender Equity about the education of students living in domestic violence shelters and legislation related to students living in shelters.

AFC Submits Comments on Proposed Changes to Chancellor's Regulations A-831 and A-832, September 24, 2019
AFC submitted comments to the New York City Department of Education on proposed changes to the Chancellor's Regulations addressing student-to-student sexual harassment, discrimination, harassment, intimidation and bullying.

AFC Submits Comments on the Proposed Discipline Code, July 30, 2019
Advocates for Children and the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) jointly submitted comments to the New York City Department of Education on proposed changes to the New York City Discipline Code for the 2019-2020 school year.

AFC Testifies on the New York City FY 2020 Executive Budget, May 23, 2019
AFC testified before the City Council Committee on Finance on the importance of increasing funding for several education priorities, including school social workers, direct mental health support for students, and educational support for students who are homeless and students in foster care.

AFC Comments on Proposed Amendments to Chancellor’s Regulation A-780 and on Revised Proposed Amendments to Chancellor’s Regulation A-780, March 26, 2019, and April 15, 2019
AFC submitted comments in response to the DOE’s proposed changes to the Chancellor’s Regulations regarding the education of students in temporary housing, including the importance of bus service for kindergarten through sixth grade students living in shelters.

AFC Testifies in Support of the Proposed 2020-2024 Capital Plan, March 27, 2019
AFC testified before the Panel for Educational Policy in support of the City’s proposal to include $750 million to improve school accessibility in the 2020-2024 Capital Plan. That investment in accessibility, the City’s largest to date, will literally open doors to include and integrate individuals who are far too often excluded because of their accessibility needs. 

AFC Testifies on the New York City FY 2020 Preliminary Education Budget, March 20, 2019
AFC testified before the City Council Committee on Education on the importance of increasing funding for several education priorities, including school social workers, direct mental health support for students, educational support for students who are homeless and students in foster care, and preschool special education programs. 

AFC Testifies on ThriveNYC and Meeting the Needs of Students with Mental Health Challenges, February 27, 2019
AFC testified before the New York City Council Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction regarding the gap in access to direct mental health services and behavior supports for students with significant emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs.

AFC Testifies on the Provision of Special Education Services, February 25, 2019
Advocates for Children testified before the New York City Council Committee on Education regarding the provision of special education services. The City must do more to extend the vision of equity and excellence in education to students with disabilities and to ensure that the needs of students with disabilities are considered and addressed in every DOE policy decision.

AFC Submits Testimony on Early Intervention, February 14, 2019
AFC submitted testimony for the New York State Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the 2019-2020 Health Budget proposal, urging legislators to increase the reimbursement rate for Early Intervention providers to help ensure children can get their services in a timely manner.

AFC Testifies on the 2019-2020 State Budget Proposal, February 6, 2019
AFC testified at the New York State Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the 2019-2020 Elementary and Secondary Education Budget proposal, urging legislators to increase investments in education initiatives such as positive approaches to discipline, preschool special education programs, prekindergarten, and support for Multilingual Learners, and to reject harmful special education proposals.