Dear Parents,
Please take a moment to send this email to your local elected officials about the possible changes to NYC middle school and high school admissions. For your convenience, below is an email you can use as a template. Please personalize depending on who you are sending it to and edit the emails as you wish to best represent your position.
Thank you.
The parent leaders of PLACE NYC
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Find your elected officials:
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To: Council member, Senator, Assembly member
Cc: EnrollmentFeedback@schools.nyc.gov, bdeblasio@cityhall.nyc.gov, nycchancellor@schools.nyc.gov, lchen39@schools.nyc.gov, JWallack@schools.nyc.gov, MTreyger@council.nyc.gov, liu@nysenate.gov, benedettom@nyassembly.gov, placenyc.org@gmail.com
Subject: I object to possible changes in school admissions.
Dear Council Member, Senator, Assembly Member,
My child is currently enrolled in New York City Public Schools.
I am deeply concerned about potential changes to the Admission policies for DOE Middle and High Schools. I am concerned that these changes will disregard all objective measures for school admissions and revert to what will effectively be a lottery to determine where our kids spend their Middle and High School years, years that are critical to their futures.
As a New York City resident, taxpayer and voter, I expect a fair and transparent process from our elected and senior appointed officials. I, therefore, am even more deeply troubled by how the Administration and the Department of Education have not only disregarded my concerns but are deliberately and cynically using the deadly COVID-19 crisis to enact an agenda that I oppose and about which my voice has not been heard.
On April 16, Chancellor Carranza publicly stated “Never waste a good crisis to transform a system. We see this… [the Pandemic!]…as an opportunity to finally push…in a very aggressive way what we know is the equity agenda for our kids.
Just last week, Mayor De Blasio, when given an opportunity to disown the Chancellor’s comments, declined to do so and would only say “We are just not going to bring New York City back to the status quo that was there before…certainly the screened schools are being re-evaluated.”
I respectfully ask you to do the following:
Most importantly, seek the input of parents and guardians through a combination of public forums, online surveys and outreach to parent-led advocacy organizations before making any decisions in this regard.
Work with parents, guardians, school districts and individual schools to identify potential alternatives to the 2019—2020 State ELA and Math exams, which were cancelled because of the Pandemic.
Work with parents, guardians, school districts and individual schools to identify potential alternatives for the final grades, which have been eliminated for Elementary and Middle School students for the 2019-20 school year.
Thank you for your concern. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Your Name
School(s) of your child/children