TESTIMONY
Maggie Sanchez on the Consequences of Not Following the 2022 Class Size Law for Students with Disabilities
4:14:15
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139 sec
Maggie Sanchez, as a parent of a student with autism and Public Advocate for the Citywide Council of Special Education, highlights the detrimental effects of not adhering to the 2022 class size law on students with disabilities.
- Emphasizes the negative impact of overcrowded classrooms, with 40 or more students, on the learning experience of students with disabilities, including her own child.
- Criticizes the use of school spaces for co-locations, which could have been employed to reduce class sizes, exacerbating overcrowding.
- Urges the committee and council to hold the mayor and the Department of Education accountable for non-compliance with the class size law and education budget cuts.
- Advocates for the use of surplus and rainy day funds to ensure compliance with the class size law, highlighting its importance for students across New York City.
Maggie Sanchez
4:14:15
Esteemed committee on education.
4:14:17
My name is Maggie Sanchez.
4:14:19
I am a public advocate appointed to the citywide Council of Special Education, and I am speaking on my personal behalf capacity.
4:14:28
As a parent of a student with autism, I'm here to speak on the class size law passed in 2022 and how not abiding by this law negatively impacts students like my child and others.
4:14:40
As a former public school student myself, I know how large class class access can impede students learning.
4:14:48
Now imagine how the experience is for students with disabilities who have auditory processing disorder or other diagnoses, who already have a difficult time navigating crowded spaces.
4:15:01
How can those students be expected to meaningfully learn in classrooms of over 30 to 40 students?
4:15:07
It's just too overwhelming.
4:15:09
It is for my child and for many others as well.
4:15:12
I keep seeing the in-depth meetings schools with low enrollment moved to collocations taking space that could be used to lower class sizes.
4:15:22
Right now, there are students in class rooms of 40 students or more.
4:15:26
Having to sit on the having to sit on the floor due to lack of available desks for them to learn.
4:15:33
Many of them are multilingual learners.
4:15:36
For example, in district 6.
4:15:38
That is why the class size law is so important.
4:15:41
That is why measures like not implementing cuts to the capital plan and the utilization of 3,300,000,000 surplus and $3,000,000,000 in rainy day funds are clear sorry.
4:15:56
Critically important.
4:15:57
And need to be taken by the Department of Education to abide by the class size law.
4:16:02
I sincerely intrigued that this committee and the council, as a whole, continue to hold the mayor, in the Department of Education accountable on this issue and on the cuts to education that have been implemented.
4:16:14
These cuts are as well as planned upcoming cuts to education are making it extremely difficult for students and schools across New York City.
4:16:24
Thank you, chair Joseph, for being the voice of families like me.
4:16:28
Thank you to all of the the committee members as well.
4:16:33
Thank you so much.