Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Mari Moss, Board Member of Community Action Board for Region Nine
5:33:54
·
132 sec
Mari Moss, a mother of three and board member of the Community Action Board for Region Nine, testified about her experiences with parental alienation, domestic violence, and the need for better support systems in schools and institutions for survivors and their children.
- Highlighted her background in education, social work, and community development
- Shared personal struggles with domestic abuse and institutional failures in protection
- Called for mandated trauma-informed training for school staff and improved parental rights protections
- Thanked council members Rita Joseph and Tiffany Caban for their support and leadership
Mari Moss
5:33:54
Good afternoon.
5:33:55
My name is Mari Moss and I am the proud mother of three little Harlem girls named Kalia, Sofia and Anya who are growing up in New York City public schools.
5:34:06
I'm a former chair of the school leadership team at PS one hundred seventy five, a former private school teacher and a social worker who supported early childhood programs like Help Me Grow and Home Visiting Nurse Services.
5:34:20
I currently serve on Community Action Board for Region Nine which allocates federal funding to nonprofit and after school programs in East And Central Harlem.
5:34:29
Professionally, I've contributed over a billion dollars in development across New York City resulting in over 5,000 jobs and helping direct over 7,000,000 in federal funding to Harlem last year alone.
5:34:42
Since 2017, I've come before this council to testify about parental alienation and domestic violence cases.
5:34:51
While pursuing my master's in public administration, I endured escalating abuse from my then husband.
5:34:58
I believe I could I could persevere for my children, but I was blindsided when police, courts, and school staff failed to protect us, instead compounding the trauma.
5:35:11
Parent liaisons and principals extended the abuse rather than intervening, violating my rights, and causing lasting harm to me and my daughters.
5:35:20
In the face of this adversity, I want to thank council member Rita Joseph for helping me gain access to parent teacher conferences despite my circumstances.
5:35:30
And, I also want to thank council member Tiffany Caban for her leadership in accelerating access to housing beyond shelters and supporting access to capital, which is crucial for survivors trying to overcome financial control that often comes with abuse.
5:35:45
Through my initiative letter to legislation, I'm urging this council to mandate trauma informed training for school staff, fund parental rights protections, and hold institutions accountable for how they treat survivors and children.
5:36:00
Let us protect not only our budgets but the families who count on this city to do what is right for them.
5:36:05
Thank you.