By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh
New York City’s Department of Education is set to finally keep an old, seemingly- forgotten promise.
As reported by the NY Post, the DOE will be rolling out a fully-staffed program to support the thousands of students in the system who are in foster care. The central office, the first of its kind, will be opened for the next school year, focused on supporting students in foster care. “We are proud to build a team that is wholly devoted to serving our students in foster care,” said Suzan Sumer, a spokesperson for the DOE.
The move has been spurred by outcry from families, advocates and some local politicians who say it’s been too long in coming. Only about 43 percent of NYC students in foster care actually graduated on time in 2021, compared to 81 percent of NYC students on the whole. Advocates hope the specialized division could help improve the fate for these students who disproportionately drop out of school, leaving them ill-prepared for jobs and advancement. On Friday, over 30 advocacy groups joined together to send a letter to Mayor Eric Adams and Schools Chancellor David Banks, urging them to make good on a promise made by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration.
“Last fall, the City announced a first-ever DOE team devoted to meeting the unique needs of students in foster care. However, the DOE delayed posting these positions,” read the letter, co-signed by Advocates for Children and other child welfare and education groups. “While we understand that several positions are now moving forward, the DOE has still not committed publicly to hiring the full team that it promised to serve students in foster care,” it said. In the spring, the city council’s education committee had also prioritized the issue, holding an oversight hearing to support foster care students.
The DOE now has plans to fill all nine newly created positions in time for the upcoming school year. “We have already begun the hiring process for four of these important positions and are excited to share that three offers have already been extended,” said Sumer of the DOE. At least six of those new roles will be completely dedicated to serving students in foster care, as per the DOE, while another two posts will support those students as well as students living in temporary housing. The plan still falls short of the original plan proposed, but never fulfilled, by the previous administration, which had called for a full team of 11 staffers.
As per the Post, in their letter on Friday, advocates also demanded that the DOE guarantee bus transportation for foster care students. The transportation is required by federal law, and would help ensure that the students won’t need to change schools each time they are placed in a different home.
“For students separated from their families and placed in foster care, school has the potential to be an important stabilizing factor in their lives,” read the memo. “However, without guaranteed transportation, this potential often goes unrealized, causing many students to transfer schools and experience further instability.”
