The proposed legislation would require educational continuity materials and information be provided to families with children applying for shelter during the intake process at an intake facility, such as the Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) intake center. The Department of Homeless would permit Department of Education (DOE) staff access to such intake facilities for the purpose of holding discussions with shelter applicants on educational opportunity. Such staff would inform shelter applicants about the rights of homeless students with respect to educational rights and transportation, early childhood care, early childhood education and early intervention services. Staff would provide families with information on students’ rights under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and any information provided to families would include contact information for DOE. In the event a representative of DOE is unavailable to hold such a discussion, contact information for relevant staff at DOE would be provided to a shelter applicant along with written materials and information.
- Enacted
History
Affirmative
- Adrienne E. Adams
- Inez D. Barron
- Joseph C. Borelli
- James G. Van Bramer
- Fernando Cabrera
- Margaret S. Chin
- Andrew Cohen
- Costa G. Constantinides
- Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.
- Elizabeth S. Crowley
- Laurie A. Cumbo
- Chaim M. Deutsch
- Daniel Dromm
- Rafael L. Espinal, Jr.
- Mathieu Eugene
- Julissa Ferreras-Copeland
- Daniel R. Garodnick
- Vincent J. Gentile
- Vanessa L. Gibson
- David G. Greenfield
- Barry S. Grodenchik
- Corey D. Johnson
- Ben Kallos
- Andy L. King
- Peter A. Koo
- Karen Koslowitz
- Rory I. Lancman
- Brad S. Lander
- Stephen T. Levin
- Mark Levine
- Alan N. Maisel
- Melissa Mark-Viverito
- Steven Matteo
- Darlene Mealy
- Carlos Menchaca
- Rosie Mendez
- Annabel Palma
- Bill Perkins
- Antonio Reynoso
- Donovan J. Richards
- Ydanis A. Rodriguez
- Deborah L. Rose
- Helen K. Rosenthal
- Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
- Ritchie J. Torres
- Mark Treyger
- Eric A. Ulrich
- James Vacca
- Paul A. Vallone
- Jumaane D. Williams
Absent
Int. No. 1714-A
By Council Members Levin, Gibson, Kallos, Palma, Johnson, Adams and Menchaca
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to educational continuity
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 3 of title 21 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 21-321 to read as follows:
§ 21-321 Educational continuity. a. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
Intake facility. The term “intake facility” means the location where families with children apply for temporary emergency housing with the department, such as the prevention assistance and temporary housing facility, or a successor entity.
Shelter applicants. The term “shelter applicants” means families with children in the process of applying for emergency shelter with the department at an intake facility with no prior shelter history or application for shelter within the last 90 days.
b. As part of the intake process at an intake facility, the department shall offer or otherwise make available to all shelter applicants written materials and information on educational continuity. The department shall additionally permit the department of education access to intake facilities for the purpose of holding discussions with shelter applicants on educational continuity, and shall work with the department of education to facilitate such discussions. Such materials, information, and discussions shall include but not be limited to the following:
1. Information on the education rights of any preschool-aged and school-aged children relating to school access and educational continuity rights;
2. Information on transportation and/or enrolling in a new school for any school-aged children;
3. Information relating to early childhood care and education options for shelter applicants with children under 5 years old, including 3-K and Pre-K for All, EarlyLearn, and other forms of subsidized child care, including child care vouchers;
4. Information relating to referring children for evaluations for early intervention services and preschool special education services; and
5. Information on homeless students’ rights, including a summary of students’ rights pursuant to the McKinney-Vento homeless assistance act of 1987, as enacted by public law 100-77.
c. Any information provided to shelter applicants concerning educational continuity shall include contact information for relevant staff at the department of education. In the event that a representative of the department of education is unavailable and is not scheduled to be available to discuss educational continuity with a shelter applicant during the intake process at an intake facility, the department shall provide such shelter applicant with written materials pursuant to subdivision b and with contact information for relevant staff at the department of education who can assist with matters related to educational continuity.
§ 2. This local law takes effect 180 days after it becomes law.
AV/ACK
LS # 10605.10607
12/11/2017 6:53pm