Community Education Council of District 20

Announcements

• Education Action Day

  CEC20 would like to share the following from the Interagency Council of Developmental Disabilities Agencies. Please disregard the December 1st date cited on the flyer. The Governor has until the end of the year to take action on the Bill.

  • Education Action Day.pdf

  Community Education Council of District 20

• Upcoming Workshops for Families (Parent Member and Understanding the IEP Process)

  The Bronx Regional Partnership Center (RPC) Office of Special Education is holding some online webinars for families. Please feel free to share.

   

  12/13- Early Intervention to Committee on Preschool Special Education Process,  Register HERE

   

  12/9- CPSE To CSE: Transition from Preschool to School-Age Special Education Services, Register HERE

   

  12/2- Parent Engagement in the FBA/BIP Process, Register HERE

  Community Education Council of District 20

• Yesterday, Chancellor Porter and City Council announced a historic $4 million investment in language access for all:

  NEW YORK – Today, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter and City Council announced the launch of “Language Access for All,” an historic $4 million investment in improving outreach, engagement and communication with multilingual families across New York City. Approximately 40 percent of New York City Department of Education families speak a language other than English at home, and this initiative will strengthen the NYCDOE’s ability to deliver resources to all families in a language that’s accessible for them.

   

  This unprecedented investment stresses four critical areas of focus: citywide multi-lingual “know your rights” campaigns; expanding communications outlets and tools to reach more families; building language access capacity of school staff; and partnering with community-based organizations to provide multilingual family workshops and language support.

   

  In addition to the language access investment by City Council, the NYCDOE is expanding its central Translation and Interpretation Unit and which will allow us to translate Individualized Education Program (IEP) to any family in their preferred language upon request. To request a translated IEP, families should contact their school, call 718-935-2013 or visit schools.nyc.gov/hello.

   

  “One of the great things about our schools is their incredible breadth of diversity – so many of our families speak different languages at home and it’s essential that they have what they need to be active partners in their child’s education,” said Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter. “This historic investment will help us better support each and every one of our students while strengthening our work with families and communities across New York City.”

   

  “Recognizing the devastating impact of the pandemic on New York's immigrant communities and on schools, the Council made language access and family engagement a priority in the Fiscal 2022 Adopted Budget with a $4 million investment in the DOE. The Department's four pronged approach to supporting families whose primary language is not English will ensure that multilingual students' needs are met, that school staff are equipped with the tools to support these students, and that families are engaged,” said Council Speaker Corey Johnson.

   

  “By expanding multi-lingual services for students and their families, we are increasing access to educational opportunities and building stronger school communities. This funding will help break down barriers and help parents support their child’s education with the availability of additional translation services. The ongoing pandemic continues to reveal many of the preexisting challenges our school system has faced and language access is one of them. Particularly, critical information and resources must be disbursed promptly to families in order to meet the needs of our children. I am proud to partner with Chancellor Porter to fund this important and timely initiative," said NYC Council Education Chair Mark Treyger.

   

  “The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the inequities that our immigrant families face each day in our city. This was evident when it came to immigrant parents connecting with their local schools in a remote learning era,” said Council Member Carlos Menchaca, Chair of the Committee on Immigration. “I am proud to have worked with my colleagues and DOE to allocate this much needed $4 million investment to promote language equity and ensure medical, digital, and academic information is disseminated in languages the school community understands. When it comes to the education of our children, immigrant parents and DOE must be on the same page and speaking the same language.”

   

  “This historic investment by City Council in language access will help our schools build bridges of trust with immigrant and multilingual families, and ensure that all families have the tools they need to support their children’s education,” said Deputy Chancellor of Community Empowerment, Partnerships, and Communications, Adrienne Austin. “We know that the road to language justice in public education is long, and we are taking a major step in the right direction.”

   

  "With almost 40% of our DOE families speaking a language other than English at home and a growing list of avenues to communicate and engage families, we are grateful for the investment in the DOE’s language access efforts and look forward to enhancing our strategies to continue to empower our multilingual families," said Director of Translation and Interpretation Kleber Palma.

   

  “Immigrant families, like all families in the NYC public schools, have a right to participate in their children’s education, but to do so, they have to feel comfortable communicating with their schools,” said Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York. “The NYC Department of Education should ensure that immigrant families receive all school-related documents in their home language and in a form that is accessible to them, even if they have low literacy. The DOE should also provide immigrant families with high-quality interpretation at all meetings, events, and interactions with school staff. We are encouraged by the City’s $4 million investment in language access services and hope that these additional resources lead to the creation and funding of a permanent, effective system of immigrant family-facing communication going forward.”

   

  “More than one in three New York City public school students has a parent who speaks a language other than English at home. For these parents, timely translations and interpretation are critical to be able to fully engage and make informed decisions in their children’s education. Yet many immigrant families only receive information about important policy changes - such as school closures and availability of devices - weeks after English-speaking parents or from a community-based organization. During the pandemic, the long-standing limitations in providing adequate resources in parents’ native languages were exacerbated, which compounded the disproportionate hardships immigrant students already endured and only widened the gaps in their educational outcomes,” said Andrea Ortiz, Senior Manager of Education Policy at the New York Immigration Coalition. “We commend the City Council and the DOE for this investment to begin implementation of the NYIC Education Collaborative’s Communications Plan to address the needs of immigrant parents. This is an important first step to address these issues and partner with community-based organizations that have a long history in supporting our immigrant communities.”

   

  "Compared to the citywide rate at 25%, nearly half of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) New Yorkers of working age are limited English proficient (LEP), and LEP rates of specific languages, including Chinese at 63% and Korean at 52%, are higher. Additionally, 42% of AAPI New Yorkers are linguistically isolated, the highest rate across all groups, meaning that no one over the age of 14 in the household speaks English well or at all. Thus, prompt in-language outreach and communications are essential for AAPI families to be truly included into their children's school communities and to lower the barriers they face in accessing resources,” said Kaveri Sengupta, Education Policy Coordinator at the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF). “CACF applauds the City Council and the Department of Education for investing much-needed funding toward authentic family engagement and by extension, the capacity for students to reach their fullest potential, by building partnerships with community-based organizations directly serving families who speak languages other than English.”

   

  Spanish: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d5VcnMAAKHUGYkDjsiWEKju6UzJMTerL/view

  Chinese: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1npBihY9ZUNpA7ctvW-cZJvFHaEqQxDSd/view

  Arabic: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dcn5ZSOCZ7WZob-Ea0jBd7Yg-HQDm0dO/view

  Bengali: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ft48Kdhjjqu7D5jLudrj52hyT95NfQo1/view

  French: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vFuLHuSlSJD99pNc5ct63-0TtI-w1oWW/view

  Haitian Creole: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LZvPLgGmFfgufHpbYadpmR6YTCFe6pjG/view

  Korean: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BVmqLaI86Tk5Lo3PiF5Cf5DEHpAJBtCj/view

  Russian: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ious9Tmeh_xrRSLOt5J7D-Xjh3dxZBqu/view

  Urdu: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nMsV0D57zNnHZ3WjbGzAcbZA6PkWTFKP/view

  Community Education Council of District 20

• MAYOR DE BLASIO, CHANCELLOR PORTER, AND COMMISSIONER CHOKSHI ANNOUNCE VACCINATION SITES

  NYC DOE PRESS RELEASE – MAYOR DE BLASIO, CHANCELLOR PORTER, AND COMMISSIONER CHOKSHI ANNOUNCE VACCINATION SITES IN EVERY SCHOOL SERVING 5 TO 11 YEAR OLDS

   

  • Press Release N-2 2021-22 Mayor de Blasio Chancellor Porter and Commissioner Chokshi Announce Vaccination Sites In Every School Serving 5 to 11 Year Olds.pdf

  Community Education Council of District 20

• Free Tutoring for Special Education Students

  Please help spread the word about a free tutoring program for special education students run by the Hunter College Learning Lab.  It is first-come, first-served, and they are currently pairing tutors with children.

   

  At this time it is being run remotely.  But:

  • The majority of the tutors are teachers already, and they are just being certified in special education. 
  • Each tutor assesses the student and designs a program specific to their needs.
  • It is highly interactive.  The tutors know how to use technology so that students are always being engaged and supported. A good example is a program that they use to share a whiteboard to solve math problems. The tutor and student can discuss how to solve the problem and analyze why the student might be struggling to find the answer.  Reading passages can be shared to discuss vocabulary in context or answer comprehension questions.

  The flier is attached. Feel free to contact the Hunter College Learning Lab (hclearn@hunter.cuny.edu) if you have any questions.

   

  Community Education Council of District 20

• Urgent: Updated DOE Guidance For Parents Effective Mon 9/13

  DOE has introduced an updated guidance for parents effective Monday 9/13 - the first day of school, that will require parents to provide proof of vaccination before they can enter the school building.

  Here's the policy.

  UPDATE: School Building Visitors

  Effective Monday, September 13, all visitors to DOE school buildings are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination (1 dose), in order to enter the building, except in the case of an emergency. This proof may be provided in several ways, please see schools.nyc.gov/2021health for more information.

  Pending an Order by the Health Commissioner

  On the first day of school, 3K/Pre-K parents, in small groups, are able to walk their children into the classroom and stay with them briefly on the first day of school without showing proof of vaccination. All other requirements apply.

  In order to enter the building, a visitor must:

  • show identification,
  • have proof of vaccination,
  • complete the daily health screening form, and
  • wear a face covering.

  Staff, contractors, and volunteers remain required to provide proof of vaccination (1 dose) by September 27, 2021. Staff must upload proof to the DOE Vaccination Portal.

  Please share this with your communities. In addition, parents/caregivers can voice any concerns by:

  • calling 311 to lodge a complaint
  • calling their elected officials

  You can find your city council member and borough president by going to Who Represents Me NYC.

  Thank you,

  Steering Committee

   

  Community Education Council of District 20

• Remote Option Letter

  Please see the letter linked below from Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer to DOE Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter regarding the decision to not have a remote learning option for students and families during the 2021-2022 academic year. 

   

  http://www.manhattanbp.nyc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Remote-Option-Letter-2.pdf

  Community Education Council of District 20

• Internet Subsidy Application

  The federal government has created an internet subsidy application to provide a temporary discount on monthly broadband bills at getemergencybroadband.org

  Community Education Council of District 20

• The School Construction Authority is seeking sites for classroom, childcare and Early Childhood needs

  Please see the following letter sent from the SCA:

   

  I wanted to let you know that the SCA is presently seeking sites for classroom, child care and Early childhood needs which are no higher than 4 stories, contain rooms no less than 650 SF in size, dedicated entrances, dedicated bathrooms, are code compliant and can house programs serving children from 3 years old to approximately 14 years. 

   We would prefer spaces that have at least four rooms, but prefer larger where possible.  While outdoor play space is not mandatory it would be preferred. 

   We are seeking a one year license agreement with a one year renewal option. 

   As to financial terms, it will be determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on size of the space, location, condition of the space and all other factors affecting value. 

   Preference will be given to sites that are feasible, require little to no work and make economic sense for the City.

   You may share this with property owners and community members. Please do not share with brokers.

   Please submit to sites@nycsca.org any sites you may have control over that meet these minimum requirements and we will review each site to see if it can work for our needs. 

   

  Thanks in advance,

   Steve Gonzalez

  NYC SCA

  Community Education Council of District 20