No More Late Assignments
It’s time for Mayor de Blasio to integrate New York City high schools, now.
In February, Teens Take Charge launched its Enrollment Equity Campaign in response to five years of inaction from the administration to address the crisis of segregation in New York City’s public high schools. We decided that we had seen enough delays and diversions, heard enough excuses and talking points.
Four months later, despite meetings, presentations, op-eds, speaking appearances, and a large student rally on the steps of the NYC Department of Education headquarters, we find ourselves in a similar place: waiting.
Many are celebrating the School Diversity Advisory Group (SDAG) recommendations that the Mayor accepted on Monday. We, too, are glad to see the adoption of recommendations framed around IntegrateNYC’s 5Rs of Real Integration, and we are excited that the Student Voice Working Group recommendations — creating a student General Assembly and an elected body of students that meets quarterly with the chancellor — have been approved. A host of additional goals, including reducing racial disparities in resources and discipline, signal to us that the NYC DOE is moving in the right direction.
But let us be very clear. These recommendations do not match the scale or the urgency of the crisis of segregation in our schools. None of the initial recommendations include mechanisms for disrupting the segregated enrollment in the city’s 480 public high schools. The recommendations have no deadlines for implementation. It is also unclear how the DOE will measure progress toward the goals, many of which are framed as suggestions.
We know that a final report from the SDAG is forthcoming, and we will continue to urge that group to include our Enrollment Equity Plan, which can be implemented immediately.
Our deadline for Mayor de Blasio to approve our plan, or a comparable one, is June 26, the last day of school. We are not taking late assignments.
ABOUT TEENS TAKE CHARGE
Teens Take Charge is a student-led coalition that advocates for educational equity. With more than 60 active members from 40 high schools across the five boroughs, Teens Take Charge is committed to building a diverse base that shows the city what’s possible when we choose to educate our students together. Learn more at teenstakecharge.com.
Contact:
Sophie Mode (Co-Director of Press) | sophiepmode@gmail.com
Ayana Smith (Co-Director of Press) | ayanas008@gmail.com
