In preparation for the School Board Candidate Forum, we will host on August 22, at 7pm,  AQE/Metro Justice Education Committee will be discussing possible questions for that Forum at our monthly meeting this Monday, August 7 at 5:30PM.

Elections matter, as anyone could tell you on November 9th.  Let's explore the issues that matter most to this community.

What: AQE/Metro Justice Education Committee Meeting

When: Monday, August 7 at 5:30PM

Where: 1115 East Main St, Door 7 (Suite 207A), Rochester, NY 14609

July Meeting Minutes

AGENDA Here!

In case you missed it, there was a damning report released on the state of Special Education in RCSD. Metro Justice has advocated for and won clear discipline policies that reduce the use of catch-all categories for suspensions like "other disruptive incident." The report on special education cited a classification category known as "other health impairment," which African-American students in RCSD were classified as at a much higher rate than their white peers. The report also points out that no written procedures for handling special education currently exist in RCSD. 

Meanwhile, your voices were heard! New York State has updated it's plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act to:

• Make suspensions a Tier 1 indicator 
• Highlight New York's commitment to Culturally Responsive Education
• Reject any School Intervention Plan that does not demonstrate authentic parent involvement in the development process

These are just a snapshot of some of the changes you made possible, to read the full list check out: Changes to ESSA Plan

Finally, there has been a push by charter school advocates to create a separate teacher certification program that requires only 30 hours of training. Teaching is a difficult profession that requires years of study and practice. Creating a separate, watered-down certification process only leads to lower teacher quality and poorer outcomes for students. Tell SUNY Chancellor Zimpher you oppose this new teacher certification process at: chancellor@suny.edu

See you at the next meeting!
Eamonn Scanlon