Education: Giving Public School Parents a Voice & Challenging Inequities for Children with Disabilities
A4J assists children and parents of lesser means, new American families unaware of their rights, and individuals unfamiliar with regulatory procedures in bringing to light their concerns related to school closures, co-locations and Community Education Council elections. It also advocates on behalf of children with educational disabilities to maintain sufficient programming space and to ensure equitable treatment by their schools.
Most of the students affected by school co-locations, closures or programming cuts are of African-American, Latino or other minority background, but every public-school student is impacted by these actions. A4J has been involved in over 30 public education cases over the past five years, which have addressed issues with schools based in all five boroughs of New York City. In doing its work in the education area, the organization has acted on behalf of the City’s Public Advocate, Speaker, City Council Members, along with parent groups and school leadership teams. Some examples of A4J’s education cases include:
More information and media coverage about NYPL:
Most of the students affected by school co-locations, closures or programming cuts are of African-American, Latino or other minority background, but every public-school student is impacted by these actions. A4J has been involved in over 30 public education cases over the past five years, which have addressed issues with schools based in all five boroughs of New York City. In doing its work in the education area, the organization has acted on behalf of the City’s Public Advocate, Speaker, City Council Members, along with parent groups and school leadership teams. Some examples of A4J’s education cases include:
- In 2013-14, A4J filed a lawsuit challenging 45 public school co-locations proposed by Mayor Bloomberg. The case resulted in Mayor de Blasio delaying the actions in question in order to reconsider each co-location based on community needs.
- A4J has acted on behalf of 5 kindergarten students placed on the “got to go list” by a for profit charter school for failing to sit still in class.
- At the request of parents and community members, A4J challenged a decision by the Department of Education to allow school leadership/ strategy meetings to be held in private, claiming that it breached the Open Meetings Law.
- A4J has represented the parents of a third-grade student with a physical disability who was not given accommodations by the charter school she attended.
More information and media coverage about NYPL: