NYC must fully fund schools supporting asylum seeker children

On October 31, 2022 the New York Immigration Coalition, Comptroller Brad Lander, City Council Committee on Education Chair Rita Joseph, allies and immigrant New Yorkers held a press conference at the Tweed Courthouse steps to call for transparency, full funding for, and proper placement of newcomer asylum seeker students in New York City schools. 
Currently, October 31 is the day that schools submit their final headcounts for budgeting to the NYC Department of Education (DOE). But new asylum seeker children may continue to arrive beyond this date. In order for schools to meet the needs of all of their students, schools must be adequately resourced and receive funding for students who arrive after October 31. The DOE must also place newcomers, many of whom are English Language Learners (ELLs), in the right schools with the right academic and social-emotional supports to meet their unique needs and unlock their potential. This includes older newcomer youth, who now have access to six new programs opened by the DOE in Transfer High Schools outside of Manhattan  – a model that should be deepened and fully funded to serve newcomer immigrant youth where they live and work. 

Image courtesy of thesatimes

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