New York, NY, May 11, 2021 — Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education (PLACE NYC) have contacted NYS Senators Salazar, Biaggi, Brisport, Hoylman, Jackson, Myrie, Ramos, Rivera and Sepulveda to demand an explanation for their sponsorship and support of Senate bill S3087—a discriminatory and racist anti-Asian bill that deliberately targets Asian students and attempts to limit their access to the Specialized High Schools due to their race. It is time to stop blaming Asian students and the Asian communities for the DOE’s failure to educate all students properly starting at elementary school. It is time to stop saying Asians are overrepresented in these schools implying that is a problem that needs to be corrected. It is time to hold the DOE accountable for providing a subpar education to so many of our students, many who are Black and Hispanic, which has then led to the low enrollment of Black and Hispanic students at the Specialized High Schools. It is time for our elected officials to hold the Mayor and DOE accountable for their educational failures, and to stop blaming Asian students.
It is the responsibility of these NYS Senators to engage directly with parents in their districts and with members of the Asian communities who would be disparately impacted and unfairly harmed by the passing of Senate Bill S3087. The sponsors of this bill hope to transfer control of the Specialized High Schools to the NYC Department of Education so that the Mayor can abolish the use of the SHSAT (Specialized High School Admissions Test) as the sole admissions criteria for the Specialized High Schools. This is a discriminatory bill whose ultimate goal is to limit access and reduce the number of Asian students at these schools. We are outraged that a racist anti-Asian bill such as S3087 would be introduced and pushed so aggressively. Actions like this bill fuel the resentment and the extreme anti-Asian sentiment and violence we are experiencing today across our country and here in NYC.
PLACE NYC opposes S3087 and believes it is imperative for Senators representing NYC parents and the many Asian communities across NYC to fully understand the implications of S3087 BEFORE taking any action to advance this bill.