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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Esther, Youth Leader from Make the Road New York
9:21:59
ยท
3 min
Esther, a youth leader from Make the Road New York and Urban Youth Collaborative, testified about the need for more guidance counselors, concerns about ICE presence near schools, and the importance of restorative justice practices in schools. She called for the removal of police from schools and increased investment in mental health resources and restorative justice programs.
- Highlighted the issue of having only one guidance counselor for 500 students in her high school
- Shared personal experiences with peer mediation as an example of effective restorative justice practices
- Demanded that the city stop hiring new school cops, cut funding for vacant school cop positions, and redirect $100 million to expand restorative justice and mental health services
Esther
9:21:59
Hello.
9:22:00
My name is Esther.
9:22:01
My pronouns are sheher.
9:22:03
I'm in tenth grade.
9:22:04
I'm a youth leader with Make the Road New York and Urban Youth Collaborative.
9:22:08
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to stand up for my community and talk about key problems and solutions.
9:22:14
As of right now, there is only one guidance counselor.
9:22:16
Even then, my guidance counselor is still busy with the other 500 students in my high school and I can never find time to speak to her one on one.
9:22:25
That one guidance counselor is away on parental leave and someone is filling in for They are are building connections with students and helping them, but as soon as the actual counselor comes back, that connection is gone.
9:22:38
If we had more than once one guidance counselor, this wouldn't be such an issue because there would be other other people ready to fill in for her role.
9:22:47
Our mayor has not prioritized our health.
9:22:50
He has threatened to cut money from important resources.
9:22:53
Some key resources needed for students that are being threatened is the mental health continuum, student success centers, restorative justice, and community schools.
9:23:02
We urgently need police free schools to protect the immigrant students and their families from deportation.
9:23:09
Just last week, there were confirmed reports of ICE trucks outside of one of the high schools in Port Richmond.
9:23:16
Youth were uncomfortable and full of anxiety.
9:23:19
This is how impacted young people are at the mere presence of their vehicles.
9:23:24
A couple of weeks before that, one of our youth members experienced ice banging on the door repeatedly.
9:23:31
They were not looking for them, but their aggressive present made the rest of our peers feel fearful.
9:23:37
The other day, one of my peers sent a photo of a police officer with a jacket that she said had ice on it.
9:23:43
When he turned around, she realized the design on the coat split the world's police in the middle.
9:23:49
This is our reality, one that many young people across across the country have to navigate through.
9:23:56
If New York divested from all forms of policing and disciplinary practices, there wouldn't be such a high risk for immigrants to get deported.
9:24:06
We need to redirect those funds into systems that create a safe and supportive environment for the students where they actually belong.
9:24:14
A prime example of restorative practice is peer mediation.
9:24:18
Peer mediation is a resource we are lucky to have in our school.
9:24:21
I happen to be a part of this program and get
Amber C.
9:24:23
to
Esther
9:24:23
facilitate mediations.
9:24:26
Before I became a facilitator, I was once part of a mediation as well.
9:24:30
There was a conflict between me and a student about unsure rumors and miscommunication.
9:24:34
A dean guided us to the mediation center where we got to hear each other's side of the story.
9:24:39
This happened a year ago.
9:24:41
I haven't had any problems with this student since.
9:24:44
This is an important example to show peer mediation and restorative justice is helpful in schools and helps keep students from getting into fights.
9:24:52
It hurts to see not enough schools in New York have this key resource.
9:24:56
What the students really need is for elected officials to listen to all voices and remove police from school and invest and expand the staff and practices that truly keep us safe.
9:25:06
We demand that the city and mayor prioritize the students by one, stop hiring a new school stop hiring any new school cops immediately.
9:25:15
Two, cut funding for the remaining hundreds of vacant school cop positions.
9:25:19
And three, use that funding of a hundred million dollars to protect and expand restorative justice, mental health, and other practices that help students thrive.
9:25:29
More than ever, we need our mayor to listen to student voices and divest the funding from the policing division into resources that actually let students succeed in their environment.
9:25:39
Thank you.