Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Youth Leader from Future of Tomorrow and Urban Young Leader Collaborative
7:01:02
·
3 min
A high school student and youth leader, testified about the need for more resources in NYC schools, particularly for students of color, and called for divestment from school policing. He emphasized the importance of mental health support, counselors, and restorative justice programs.
- Demanded a hiring freeze on school cops and reallocation of funds to supportive programs
- Highlighted disparities in resources between schools with primarily students of color and predominantly white schools
- Proposed redirecting $100 million from vacant school police positions to expand restorative justice and mental health programs
High School Student
7:01:02
Hello and good evening.
7:01:06
My name is Jelai Castano and I'm a young leader with Future of Tomorrow and the Urban Young Leader Collaborative.
7:01:15
I am a Korean student at Murray Hill Academy, but before that I used to be a student at Frank and Kay Lane High School in Brooklyn.
7:01:22
Today I am here to demand that youths are investing more resources in our schools and communities and divest from the racist policing of students.
7:01:31
We need more resources like mental health, counselors, and social workers.
7:01:35
And fully founded programs like Student Success Centers and Restorative Justice that will help students like me thrive and succeed.
7:01:46
During my time living in The United States, I have attended have attended schools in different states including Florida.
7:01:54
In my experience, NYC school systems has been the most demanding and competitive, yet the least supporting and the most lacking in resources.
7:02:05
While I was at Frank and K Lane, I experienced a school system with a little resources, with little resources and little support, and a lot of police.
7:02:14
Lane, this is one of the many reasons why I decided to transfer over to Murray Hill Academy, where the students population might not have the same experience as me or look like me but the same wait.
7:02:37
But more resources and supporting learning environments students need.
7:02:43
As a student in the city, I experienced that schools with primarily students of color get less resources than other schools.
7:02:53
This is not fair.
7:02:55
It is time for the city to start prioritizing, supporting schools environment and resources for me, my peers, and the future students of this NYC public school system.
7:03:10
We deserve access to resources that predominantly white schools already received.
7:03:16
Today, I demand that you and the mayor pressure care non discrimination by securing and hiring a hiring freeze on school cops that does not allow with feel or attrition.
7:03:31
Cut the funding by secure by for the remaining back ends of school cost position and used the funding from both these divestments to protect and expand restorative justice, mental health, and other staff practices that help students learn and thrive.
7:03:53
You must cease all NYCPD, NYCPD, fuck, risk human hiring and training school cops.
7:04:05
Do not hire any new school police and mentally, permanently eliminate any school police academy classes.
7:04:13
This is the first step towards founding the resources we actually need.
7:04:19
By not hiring new school cops and cutting the current 675 vacant school cops positions, We could immediately have $100,000,000 to protect and expand restorative justice, mental health, and other programs that we need to have real safety and support.
7:04:44
This time for the mayor and the city to start theorizing our education, to invest in promising future of this city, to invest in us, the young students that will hopefully someday be leading this city and our communities.
7:04:58
Thank you so much.