Dear
New Yorker,
We are happy to announce that, at the urging of the NYC Council, the NYC Department of Education's (DOE) Division of Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners has created additional resources for families with questions about the citywide expansion of the special education reform initiative that will go into effect this coming September of 2012.
Under this initiative, every effort will be made to enroll students with special needs in their zoned community school.
To that end, the following services are being offered to help families get their questions answered in a timely manner.
Beginning August 1, 2012, families who need assistance with their children's placements or have any questions, can do any of the following:
- Call a dedicated hotline for special education support at (718) 935-2007;
- Call 311 and ask for services for parents;
- Attend family office hours in nine sites across the five boroughs with day, evening, and weekend hours beginning July 31, 2012. During office hours, a special education specialist will be available to help resolve families' questions about the special education reform initiative and work to reach solutions to support their child(ren). The complete schedule of dates, times and locations are attached and also available through the DOE's family web site at: http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/SpecialEducation/when-is-the-next/2012parent-information-session.htm .
For more information about these services, please feel free to contact Ms. Mathangi Subramanian in the Council's Policy Division via e-mail at msubramanian@council.nyc.gov or via phone at 212-788-9194.
We believe that every student deserves a great education and that every family should have the information that they need to make sure that their children are in a positive, supportive, and healthy learning environment.
We hope you will help spread the word about these additional services.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Christine C. Quinn
Speaker
NYC Council
Robert Jackson
Chair, Education Committee
NYC
Council