Need to Reform School Disciplinary Policies

After a brief recap of NYC public school news, Leonie interviewed Amshula Jayaram of the Alliance for Quality Education, and Aji, a Bronx high school student, about a new report from a Task Force appointed by the Board of Regents, analyzing the negative impact of current school disciplinary policies, and recommending more effective, less biased and positive interventions. They also discussed the need to pass the Safe and Supportive School Act that has been introduced in the Legislature for the last eight years, and now has a better chance of passage. Several listeners called in, including a caller from Long Island who said his 11-year-old son with special needs had recently been suspended for four months and was only receiving one hour per day of remote instruction.

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EPISODE NOTES

Class Size Matters analysis of the Mayor Adam's preliminary education budget for FY 2024.

Class Size Matters testimony and account of Council hearings on NYC enrollment policies

Chalkbeat on the cancellation of plans to co-locate Success Academy charter schools with public schools in Queens and the Bronx

Recommendations from the Regents Taskforce for Reducing Disparities and Reforming School Discipline in NY State

Double Jeopardy: Teacher Biases, Racialized Organizations, and the Production of Racial/Ethnic Disparities in School Discipline, American Sociological Association, November 18, 2022.

NYC DOE Suspension reports, proposed changes in 2019 and current Disciplinary Code

Chalkbeat on NYC changes in disciplinary policies and NYC downward trend in suspensions

NYCLU on the Safe and Supportive Schools Act

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