PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Rochelle Du, Integrated Schools Project Coordinator at New York Appleseed
5:47:15
ยท
145 sec
Rochelle Du, representing New York Appleseed, testified about barriers faced by special education students in New York City public schools, focusing on segregation issues. She highlighted challenges in admissions processes and transportation services for students with disabilities.
- Discussed the "five r's of real integration" framework, emphasizing race and enrollment and resources
- Pointed out the underrepresentation of students with disabilities in specialized high schools and screened programs
- Urged officials to address outdated bus contracts and improve transportation services for students with disabilities
Rochelle Du
5:47:15
Good evening.
5:47:16
My name is Rochelle Du, and I serve as the integrated schools project coordinator of New York Appleseed, a nonprofit advocating for integrated schools and communities across New York City and state.
5:47:28
Special education students face a myriad of barriers that continue to reinforce segregation across New York City public schools.
5:47:35
The five r's of real integration is a framework that Applesey uses as both a tool to assess the challenges fueled by segregation and a metric to evaluate how well students receive the care, support, and opportunities they need to thrive.
5:47:48
In the service of time, we will focus on 2 r's today, race and enrollment and resources, but urge council members to read our full written testimony.
5:47:57
For race and enrollment, we note that even with improvements over the past 5 years, the admission process remains burdensome and exclusionary, limiting access for students with disabilities to some of the most popular schools in the city.
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In 2024, only 88th graders with disabilities were admitted to the 8 specialized high schools out of the 36 100 students admitted total.
5:48:19
Recent data also illustrated that students with disabilities are underrepresented in the group that receives first priority to screen programs and overwhelmingly overrepresented in the lowest priority groups.
5:48:31
For resources, yellow bus service is vital for many students, particularly students with disabilities, to get to school.
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And yet, year after year, families have to fight to get the transportation they not only deserve, but oftentimes that is mandated for them by law.
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The time to find urgency on this issue was several years ago.
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And as a first step, we strongly encourage city officials to engage with advocates and the necessary state actors to create an effective pathway to rebid on bus contracts as many contracts for this service have not not been updated since 1979.
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It is unreasonable to expect 21st century service under contracts that were designed for the needs of students 45 years ago.
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Today, we aim to amplify the voices of parents of students with disabilities who have increasingly increasingly come to us over the past 2 years.
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They ask to be seen beyond the silo of special education issues, recognizing that many of the barriers they face are similar to obstacles other marginalized groups encounter due to persistent unaddressed segregation.
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Thank you for listening.
5:49:35
I welcome any questions and can be contacted at rduat nyappleseed.org.