Ahead of a public hearing on proposed education funding in the New York State budget, the Safe and Supportive Schools Coalition urges lawmakers to expand support for school discipline reforms.
AFC testified before the New York City Council Committee on Education, Committee on Finance, and Subcommittee on Capital Budget in support of the proposal to include $750 million in the FY 2020–2024 Capital Plan to improve school accessibility.
Advocates for Children testified before the City Council Committee on General Welfare regarding recommendations for supporting students experiencing homelessness.
AFC submitted public comment to the New York State Education Department on a proposed amendment to the regulation about the right of students with disabilities receiving SACC and CDOS credentials to participate in graduation ceremonies and activities. We urged NYSED to require schools to inform families that these students have the right to stay in school through age 21 or until they earn a diploma, regardless of their participation in graduation activities.
AFC testified before the New York City Council Committees on Education, Sanitation and Solid Waste Management, and Transportation about the City’s Preparation for and Response to Winter Storm Avery. Our testimony focused on the experiences of students with disabilities on school buses during the snowstorm and the importance of passing legislation to provide parents with access to real-time GPS data for their children’s school buses.
AFC testified before the New York City Council Committees on Juvenile Justice and Youth Services on the educational reentry programming needs of New York City’s formerly incarcerated youth.
Advocates for Children, along with more than 30 other organizations, sent a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio calling on him to provide busing for kindergarten through sixth grade students in foster care.
Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the New York City Department of Education’s annual report of information regarding students receiving special education services pursuant to Local Law 27 of 2015.
