Dear John
One goal for our newsletter is different series that dive deep into a particular issue or policy area. Today we’re proud to introduce you to our first series—Education Updates! We’ll focus on school updates and education policy across the City in this space. You can sign up here to receive future emails from this series in addition to our regular weekly newsletter (don’t worry if you don’t want more emails, we’ll still use our weekly newsletter to send out Education Updates every so often).
So, let’s crack open those books.
The past few years have been undeniably challenging for teachers, parents, and students alike. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, families have had to weigh their children’s learning and development with the safety of keeping their children home. Teachers had to adapt overnight to create supportive learning environments remotely while also navigating serious health concerns in the classroom. And while the science and health guidelines have continually evolved, our students have borne a terrible emotional burden losing important years in their social development to this pandemic.
Our goal through this series is to help make sense of this ever-changing situation. As school districts have become extensions of public health agencies, it’s more important than ever that parents, teachers, and students receive clear and regular communication about school safety and guidelines.
We also hope to share educational updates that aren’t just related to COVID-19! While this pandemic has ruled our schools for the past two years, we know there is so much more going on. If you know about events or fun classes, please send them our way, and we’ll be sure to include it in our following education newsletter.
For now, here are a few updates that have taken place over the past few weeks.
Updated School COVID-19 guidelines:
As you may have read in our last newsletter, COVID-19 quarantine guidelines have changed. And while these guidelines are in place to keep us all safe, they can be a little confusing, so we’re here to help break them down:
- K-12 students who test positive for COVID-19 must quarantine for five rather than ten days.
- Pre-K students who previously had to quarantine for ten days after exposure will now only have to quarantine for five days.
- Preschool students who are at least two years old and test positive for COVID-19 will still be required to isolate for ten days.
If you’d like a more interactive model to understand these new guidelines, the Department of Health has a helpful website that outlines what to do after a potential exposure based on your vaccination status. As policies change, our office is constantly engaged with the Department of Education (DOE) to prioritize our students' learning, development, and physical health.
In anticipation of the Midwinter Break, the DOE is also increasing the number of students included in the City’s random surveillance testing program. Beginning February 7th, schools will test the larger of either:
- 10% of the school’s student enrollment in grades 1 through 12, up to a cap of 250 students or 20% of the school’s unvaccinated student population
This change allows schools with higher vaccinated student populations to test a larger group of students every week while also continuing to test 10% of staff every week.
Last but not least, as of January 31st, the DOE is now providing at-home test kits for every 3-K and Pre-K student who needs to quarantine due to exposure in a classroom.
City Council Education Committee
This January, Council Member Hanif was selected to serve on the City Council Education Committee! This committee has jurisdiction over the Department of Education, School Construction Authority, and the City’s charter school networks. As a proud product of P.S. 230 and Brooklyn College, Council Member Hanif has firsthand experience with the underfunded and segregated public education system many of our students face every day. In this role, Council Member Hanif will provide oversight, hold DOE leaders accountable, and fight for equity in New York City classrooms alongside students, parents/guardians, and teachers.
Action Items
In New York City, there is more than one way to express your opinion on how our schools are operating. Use the list below for other ways to get involved and give feedback to the people in charge at DOE.
- Call in to Ask the Mayor on The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC (646-435-7280) or tweet a question, using #AskTheMayor, weekdays at 10 AM! Because of mayoral control (a state law), only the Mayor can legislate on issues pertaining to schools. Whenever you can, direct advocacy to the Mayor’s office is the best way to make your voice heard on matters concerning our schools.
- Attend and speak at the next citywide Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) meeting! The PEP is a 15-member board with appointees from the borough presidents, the CEC presidents, and the Mayor. PEP board members act as representatives for their community and provide oversight on educational policy. Using your voice at PEP meetings can have a tangible impact on school policy. Details for upcoming meetings can be found here.
- Reach out to your Community Education Council (CEC)! Similar to the PEP, CEC’s are made up of community members who advocate for school policy on behalf of parents. However, unlike the PEP board, there is a CEC for every school district. Just like with the PEP meetings, when you advocate to your representatives at these meetings, you’re helping to steer education policy for our students and our district.
School Fun In District 39!
- Tune in to the virtual Museum of the City of New York: The Civil Rights Movement in NYC Student Workshop (Grades 4-12) on February 15th at 9:30 am. This is a wonderful workshop to help District 39 honor Black History Month!
- School District 15 is getting a new school! PS 958 is a new elementary school taking in 3k, 4k, Pre-K, and Kindergarten age children starting September 2022. The school’s primary focus will be providing support to diverse learners, including those with IEP's and multilingual students. If you're interested in learning more, RSVP for the information session on 2/17 here.
More to come! Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions.
Warmly,
Mia Perez
Education & Land Use Director
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