NYC expands translation of special education plans, but onus still on parents with limited English to request it
Parents of students with disabilities who don’t speak English have long struggled to get their children’s learning plans translated into their native language, a crucial barrier to advocating for extra help or ensuring they are receiving the correct services. Officials are now taking more significant steps to address the issue. Last school year, the education […]
NYC Mayor-elect Eric Adams names education transition team members. Here’s who made the cut.
Mayor-elect Eric Adams on Friday unveiled his transition teams, including about 100 members who will advise the mayor-elect on education issues. As mayor, Adams, who will be sworn in on Jan. 1, will also lead the nation’s largest school system with roughly 1 million students. Among the leads on the transition team is David Banks, […]
Low pay for some NYC preschool directors is ‘discriminatory,’ lawsuit claims
The union representing certain pre-K leaders is suing the New York City Education Department over what the union calls “discriminatory” salary gaps that fall largely along racial lines. At issue are the sharp pay disparities between directors who work in community-run programs, which contract with the education department to provide free and subsidized care for […]
Vaccine clinics return to some NYC schools this week and will be back again for second doses
From Chalkbeat: Schools with high vaccine demand among 5- to 11-year-old students will get another chance to issue first doses this week, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday. And, in a reversal, all schools serving students in that age group will begin offering second doses beginning Nov. 30 instead of requiring families to visit neighborhood […]
Settlement to give Black and Latino students more access to NYC high school sports teams
From Chalkbeat: New York City will expand access to sports teams in the wake of a lawsuit that claimed Black and Latino students were systematically denied access to the same athletic opportunities as students of other races. Under a preliminary settlement agreement announced Wednesday, the education department will group certain nearby high schools so they […]
NYC special education referrals plunge 57% from pre-pandemic levels
From Chalkbeat: Significantly fewer students were referred for special education evaluations last year, dropping 57% since the year before the pandemic started, raising concerns that thousands of students have not been identified for services they may need. During the 2020-2021 school year, 9,457 students were referred for evaluations to determine if they need more intensive […]
The future of geographic screens for NYC’s high schools is up in the air amid concerns over diversity, commutes
From Chalkbeat: New York City’s high school system rests on a patchwork of choice and exclusivity. Thousands of students criss-cross the five boroughs each day on subways, buses, and ferries to get to schools that admit students from anywhere in the city. Other high schools give priority to teens based on their home address — […]
NYC to eliminate ‘gifted’ test in overhaul of segregated program
Starting this fall, New York City will no longer test rising kindergartners for entry into its gifted and talented program, which has long attracted controversy for enrolling starkly low numbers of Black and Latino students. Instead of having a specific gifted program sorting a small number of children, all kindergarten students attending the city’s 800 […]
