PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Steven Mahoney, Parent of a District 75 Student
5:14:52
ยท
3 min
Steven Mahoney, father of a 9-year-old nonverbal autistic son with epilepsy attending a District 75 school, testifies about inequities and lack of inclusion for District 75 students in NYC public schools. He highlights issues with student MetroCards, school signage, and the limited availability of specialized programs like AIMS for lower-functioning children.
- Criticizes the exclusion of District 75 students from the student MetroCard program, limiting their access to after-school activities and cultural events
- Addresses the lack of visible representation and sense of belonging for District 75 students in shared school buildings
- Calls for expansion of the AIMS program, which is specifically designed for nonverbal, lower-functioning children, but has very limited availability
Steven Mahoney
5:14:52
Good evening, madam chair.
5:14:54
My name is Steven Mahoney, and my 9 year old son, Patrick, attends a District 75 School in Brooklyn, PS 36 k located at PS 192.
5:15:05
He's nonverbal, autistic, and has epilepsy.
5:15:10
We hear these buzzwords, accessible, inclusive, equitable.
5:15:15
Well, the student omni card I'm on the train.
5:15:18
I'm looking up at the billboard.
5:15:20
Patrick gets door to door bus service.
5:15:22
Therefore, he's excluded from this.
5:15:24
Meanwhile, the other kids attending public schools, after school programs, summarizing, cultural events, extracurriculars.
5:15:34
They're allowed to participate.
5:15:37
Why aren't our children who need a lot of extra support being discriminated against?
5:15:43
And it's not the MTA.
5:15:45
I went to a hearing with for the MTA, and they point to me right in the DOE's direction.
5:15:50
So they're the ones that set the rules.
5:15:52
How come our district 75 children are being discriminated against and not afforded equal opportunity that all students in New York City are?
5:16:00
It's, it's really not not fair.
5:16:04
One thing I noticed I I live in, District 20.
5:16:08
At the time, there were 10, District 75 schools located throughout that district.
5:16:14
I took a look around there, because what I noticed at my son's school, there's no, sense of home.
5:16:21
You see p s 192.
5:16:23
Where the heck does it say p s 36 k?
5:16:26
Where where do these kids get a sense of ownership or anything?
5:16:29
The only school that does it right in Brooklyn is PS 370 k located at 50 Avenue P.
5:16:36
They got a big floor mat with all three schools.
5:16:39
They got a big sign to their wing of the school.
5:16:42
All of our children should have a sense of ownership, a sense of belonging.
5:16:46
And, when I've attended these District 20 meetings, you hear the principal.
5:16:50
There's a school on 86th Street.
5:16:52
It's there's 3 new ones in our district for that have a District 75.
5:16:57
These principals refer to it as their school.
5:17:00
Where the heck is the District 75 principal that should be sitting next to them?
5:17:04
It's our school.
5:17:06
Inclusive.
5:17:07
Right?
5:17:07
It's not like I'm not your, your stepbrother here.
5:17:11
I'm another student in this school, and I may not be attending the general education program, but we're in the same house.
5:17:18
And this disparity has to be taken care of.
5:17:23
Variable message signs.
5:17:26
So we see the school's variable message.
5:17:28
But whatever programs are going on with District 75, if they're having a a bake sale, parent teacher, they don't have a billboard.
5:17:37
That should be shared.
5:17:39
They explained to me about the budgets.
5:17:40
Kevin Lanahan is the principal of PS 36, so he's supposed to put up 6 billboards.
5:17:47
No.
5:17:47
If you got a billboard, they should share it.
5:17:49
This is a simple solution.
5:17:51
Let's get the the district 75 let let let's get the parents and the kids.
5:17:55
We're not being educated in our community like we should be.
5:17:59
And one thing I want us to talk to you in closing, NEST, Horizon, and AIMS, as I know, AIMS is the only program specifically geared toward low functioning children who are nonverbal.
5:18:11
6 kids in the class, 6 one to 1.
5:18:14
There's only one site as of last year in each of our outer boroughs and 2 in Manhattan.
5:18:19
So when they report you their numbers on Nest, Horizon, and Ames, I want you to hold the feet to the fire.
5:18:25
Ask them how many kids are enrolled in Ames, because they need that extra support.
5:18:30
My son has a 1 on 1 para.
5:18:32
Because of that, he would have been excluded.
5:18:34
I said I was willing to waive, but there's no room because those same 6 kids, they have it for the 3 years.
5:18:40
And there's no, like, new class coming in.
5:18:41
When they go to the 1st grade, that's it.
5:18:43
There's no new kid in the garden.
5:18:44
I appreciate your time.
5:18:46
Thank you.