| Subscribe to get this in your inbox Top Story Nearly a dozen states move to end masking mandates as COVID-19 infection rates fall ABC News, 2/10/2022 Since Monday, 11 states have announced changes to their statewide masking policies, with some governors moving to end universal indoor and outdoor mask mandates, while others have lifted statewide face-covering requirements for schools: Other Top Stories MS Tug-Of-War Audition-based admissions at NYC arts school sets stage for fight NY Post, 2/11/2022 Audition backers say MS 936 in Sunset Park, which opened two years ago, was originally intended to be a screened arts campus. But that pursuit was shelved after the DOE banned admissions screens due to the pandemic and the two-year old school has used a lottery to admit kids thus far. Liberal Gaslighting The Left Is Gaslighting Asian Americans About College Admissions NY Magazine, 2/8/2022 Whatever the legal merits, the political case for Harvard’s system, and the similar systems used by its fellow elite institutions, has been formed by a stream of insultingly dishonest propaganda. …The facts, as presented by the plaintiffs, are crystal clear. Asian Americans admitted to Harvard have higher standardized-test scores than any other group including whites. Harvard itself found in a 2013 internal study that, if it admitted applicants solely on the basis of academic merit, its share of Asian American students would explode from 19 percent to 43 percent. …Imagine a liberal in any other context being presented with evidence that a a minority group is faring systematically worse on a subjective personality measure and concluding that this does not reflect a pattern of discrimination. What would critical race theory say? Announcements Chancellor at Upcoming Parent Advisory Board Meeting Virtual Queens Parent Advisory Board Meeting Queens Borough President’s Office, 2/15/2022 at 6pm Chancellor Banks Joins Parent Advisory Board held on 2/15. Sign up now and email questions by 2/14. Admissions Forum CECD2 Admissions & Diversity Committee Meeting High School, Middle School, G&T Admissions Forum CEC 2, CEC 20, CCHS, 2/15/2022 at 7pm Discussion on High School and Middle School admissions procedures, screening, lottery numbers, recent CECD2 resolutions, G&T, and community engagement (or lack thereof). Guest presenters include council members from CEC 20, CCHS and DOE. High School Admissions Survey Survey prepared by the Citywide Council on High Schools (CCHS) for high school applicants If you are applying to High School, CCHS has prepared a survey: Please share your comments at HS survey tinyurl. Your feedback will be aggregated and shared with the DOE anonymously. ———- PLACE NYC and this newsletter are the efforts of parent volunteers who contribute our time and skills to advance the advocacy for high quality education. While this is our passion, we incur inevitable expenses on email, website, advertising and promotion of our research, rallies and information seminars. If you are able to, please consider donating to our GoFundMe; even a $5 donation would help our efforts. Thank you. ———- |
| Other Headlines Proposed elementary school merger stirs debate over race, education in East Village NY Daily News, 2/13/2022 FDA plan to fast-track Pfizer vaccine for kids under 5 fails to deliver, leaving parents waiting until April CNBC, 2/12/2022 Podcast – Parent Backlash The Gen X activists upending Democratic politics Politico, 2/11/2022 For months, the parental backlash against school closings has dominated headlines and driven speculation about a brewing electoral wave for Republicans. But what if the parents are part of the deep-blue core of one of the most heavily Democratic cities in the country? That’s exactly what’s happening in San Francisco, as the political collision between a liberal school board and a group of angry, just-as-liberal parents is earning national attention for what it tells us about the shifting and complicated politics of pandemic parenthood. A Cautionary Tale Oakland’s School Closures Might Be a Warning Sign for California Wall Street Journal, 2/10/2022 Oakland education officials voted to close seven schools following a contentious debate that state officials say could be a harbinger of further cuts as California’s student enrollment declines. Banks on the big issues in District 28 Queens Chronicle, 2/10/2022 ‘People Are Throwing Down the Gauntlet’: Pollster David Paleologos Talks COVID, the Shifting Politics Around Education & How It Could Shape the 2022 Midterms The 74 Million, 2/10/2022 Student Perspective Why Should I Study? Queens Chronicle Op-Ed, 2/10/2022 As a sixth-grade student with a 99.3 average, I’m deeply angered by the new high school admissions policy, which basically went from grades to a lottery….Not only is public education already teaching to the lowest common denominator and boring me out of my mind, but what’s the point of studying if I have the same chance of getting into a good high school as a student with an 80 average? Why don’t I just stop studying? What’s the point? Gov. Hochul, you need to unmask our children now NY Post Op-Ed, 2/9/2022 Sex offenses, assaults spike in NYC schools as kids return to classrooms: NYPD stats NY Post, 2/9/2022 More HS Admissions Criticism Critics argue new NYC high school admissions policies will harm Asian applicants NY Post, 2/9/2022 Under a new formula, applicants with grades as low as 65 to 75 in some classes can land in the highest lottery tier with those who score all 90s. Critics assert the system minimizes the impact of student performance on admission to some of the city’s most coveted schools. Mayor Eric Adams must crack down on DOE that’s still lowering school standards NY Post, 2/9/2022 School Districts Battle in Court for Changes in Education Funding Wall Street Journal, 2/9/2022 Year of the Parents Revenge of the Covid Moms Bari Weiss Substack, 2/8/2022 “When you shut down my kids’ schools and impose devastating mental health effects on them—I don’t forgive anyone who did that,” Maron says. After a beat or two, she adds: “This is the year that parents say, ‘You’re either with us or against us.’” Maron is running in New York’s 12th congressional district against Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat who has served for nearly 30 years representing both the 12th and 14th districts. February break eyed in school mask discussion with Hochul NY1, 2/8/2022 Cost of Justice DOE increases spending on restorative justice programs in NYC schools NY Post, 2/8/2022 Instead of suspensions and other disciplinary measures, the approach has students attempt to peacefully settle disputes under teacher supervision. Backers argue that harsher punishments are often inappropriate and can alienate students. Critics charge that restorative justice emboldens poor behavior through a lack of direct consequences for misconduct. The new DOE memo allocates up to $13,000 each to 107 selected schools that have introduced restorative justice programs. Dropping Indoor Mask Mandate, New York Joins Blue States Easing Covid Rules NY Times, 2/8/2022 Woke Reversal Parents Prevail Over K-12 ‘Bias Incidents’ Wall Street Journal, 2/7/2022 Score one more victory for the parental revolt against woke K-12 education. As part of a legal settlement on Monday, Wellesley Public Schools in Massachusetts agreed to amend practices that parents said excluded some students from events because of their race. Last year the nonprofit Parents Defending Education sued in federal court on behalf of three Massachusetts families over Wellesley policies and practices that they said violated the First Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment and civil-rights law. The settlement looks like a solid win for the parents. |
