Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Proposed regulation that would make it more difficult to integrate our schools to be voted on tomorrow night

The Panel on Educational Policy will be voting tomorrow night, Wednesday August 26 at MS 131 at
100 Hester Street in Manhattan, on an amended Chancellor’s regulation  that would make it far more difficult to implement voluntary initiatives to create more diversity in our public schools.   

For more on the important issue of segregated NYC public schools, see the Daily News op-ed by Councilmembers Lander and Menchaca;  and for a national perspective, a recent series in the radio show This American Life.  The PEP hearings start at 6 PM; to speak on this issue you must sign up between 5:30-6:30 PM. 

You can also send your comments in by email to RegulationA-101@schools.nyc.gov by 6 PM tonight, August 25; and/or send them to the email addresses of the PEP members listed below.

___
The attached letter was sent to the PEP members on Friday in advance of the panel meeting scheduled for this Wednesday, August 26, where they will vote on a proposed amendment of Chancellor’s Regulations A-101.
 
We wrote the attached letter because we are troubled by a footnote to CR A-101, which is in both the existing regulation and proposed amendment. The problematic phrase in the footnote reads ““Race may be considered as a factor in school enrollment only where required by court order…”

As we explain in the testimony below, that many local advocates, parents and staff as well as prominent social justice attorneys signed, this statement is a misreading of existing federal law on desegregation and may very well hamper efforts to advance diversity in New York City public schools.

Please take a minute to read our letter and if you are available on Wednesday, please feel free to attend the PEP to comment on the state of school inequity and segregation in NYC, and what we can and must do about it.   Lisa Donlan


Please find attached testimony regarding the proposed changes to CR A-101 in advance of the scheduled PEP meeting where this matter will be discussed and voted upon.

Please feel free to contact us should you have any questions or require further information.

Sincerely,

Lisa Donlan, Former President, CEC 1
Co-Chair CEC 1 Admissions Equity Committee
166 Essex Street
New York NY 10002
212-677-9789

Rene A. Kathawala, Pro Bono Counsel
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
51 W. 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019-6142
212-506-5100

Wendy Lecker, Senior Attorney
Education Law Center
60 Park Place
Newark, NJ  07102
203-536-7567

No comments: