Last night at a Town Hall, Chancellor Carranza said that it is not his, but “the community’s agenda” to do away with screened schools. How is that possible when almost every public Town Hall in the Spring featured a majority of parents in favor of maintaining screened schools? Why is our community being ignored? The Chancellor went on to say that they are in the final stages of developing what policies look like and will announce within the next week.
Today on the Brian Lehrer Show, Mayor DeBlasio was asked about his previous commitment to doing away with screened and Specialized schools and why he hasn’t yet announced a decision to do so. The caller mentioned that 180 parents have sent letters stating their opposition to these programs and schools. The Mayor responded that he shares her concern and the City will now “turn its attention to the screened schools.”
This is it. Last chance to make our voices heard before a decision comes down. FLOOD THEIR IN-BOXES.
Find your elected officials:
Look up your Council Member https://council.nyc.gov/districts/
Look up your NYS Senator https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator/
Look up your Assembly Member https://nyassembly.gov/mem/search/
Email Recipients
To: bdeblasio@cityhall.nyc.gov
Cc: nycchancellor@schools.nyc.gov, JWallack@schools.nyc.gov, MTreyger@council.nyc.gov, liu@nysenate.gov, soojin@johnliusenate.com, placenyc.action@gmail.com
Optional media contacts cc: salgar@nypost.com, sedelman@nypost.com, jillian.jorgensen@charter.com, melsen-rooney@nydailynews.com, eliza.shapiro@nytimes.com, michaels@qchron.com, greggc@qchron.com, editor@bklyner.com, rpozarycki@qns.com, zgewelb@schnepsmedia.com
Optional cc: YOUR Council Member, Assembly member, Senator
Email Subject: Save Screened Admissions
Dear Mayor De Blasio:
DO NOT ERASE MY CHILD’S PROGRESS! DO NOT ELIMINATE SCREENED SCHOOLS!
Thousands of current 5th and 8th grade families have been filled with anxiety for nearly eight months, writing, testifying, and protesting to save (and expand) the academic opportunities provided by screened schools.
The Chancellor promised he would make no changes to admissions that were not related to the pandemic, and assured parents that he would do nothing without their feedback. The DOE then conducted six Town Halls last Spring to amass that feedback, yielding the following results:
-In Queens, 21 speakers were in favor of keeping screened schools; 5 were opposed.
-In Staten Island, all 22 parents who spoke about screens were in favor of keeping them.
-In Manhattan, 21 speakers were in favor of keeping screens; 9 were opposed.
-In Brooklyn, the results were split: 19 in favor, 17 against
-In The Bronx, 4 speakers were in favor of maintaining screens; 11 were opposed.
We have known about this issue since March. We suggested alternative metrics to the DOE so that three-quarters of our children’s pre-pandemic work would not be erased.
DO NOT add more upheaval to our children’s lives and take away the opportunities they were promised through March.
EXPAND accelerated education to all children who can benefit.
LISTEN to the parents whose feedback you solicited and
DO NOT ELIMINATE ACADEMIC SCREENING.
Sincerely,