Latest news with #MelissaAvilesRamos
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Cellphone detox: Gov. Hochul says it's time for NY students, parents to brace for all-day ban
Back-to-school season in New York this year will mean 'detoxing' from your cellphones, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday. After a roundtable discussion with students, parents, union officials, and the head of the city's school system, Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, the governor assured reporters that schools are ready to transition to phone-free after New York passed a law to ban the devices for the full school day. Kids, on the other hand, may not be. 'Change is always hard,' Hochul said at the Walton High School Campus in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx. 'It's been a decade since cellphones have been in schools. So it's gonna be hard on the students. We have to prepare the parents for really looking at (a) 'detoxing period' for them.' 'My advice to parents is like I used to do with my kids,' she added. 'They're up until 9:30, 10 in the summertime. They're going to bed at 8 o'clock in September. So, you start weaning them in bed earlier. I'm suggesting the same for parents to help prepare your children for this. 'But as far as the school districts being prepared, I feel very confident that enormous work has gone in.' Under the new law, school districts are facing an Aug. 1 deadline to finalize and publish a policy that separates students from their phones while on school grounds, including during lunch and study halls. The Panel for Educational Policy — functionally the city's school board, except most members are appointed by the mayor — will vote on the revised rules next Wednesday. Then it'll be up to schools to implement the policy, which requires that phones be turned off and stored in a way chosen by their principals. Over half of city schools already collect cellphones or restrict them in some manner, according to data shared by the chancellor on Wednesday. The school system is also conducting a 'readiness' survey — to which hundreds of principals have responded so far — and working with schools on implantation plans based on their sizes and current practices, she said. Some schools may still have a long way to go until they're ready for September. In New York City, about $4 million of the state's $13.5 million investment will go toward local schools, officials announced Wednesday. Another $25 million has been earmarked by the city to help principals implement the ban. Mark Rampersant, who oversees school safety and climate initiatives for the system, told the Daily News schools recently received information about the available funding, which can be used for any of the costs associated with implementing the new policies. He expected requests were coming 'shortly.' Questions also remain about who will be exempt from the school cellphone ban and how students who leave campus during the school day can access their devices. The proposed citywide policy requires schools to provide exemptions for students who need the phone for their health, disability, or caregiving responsibilities if approved by a school counselor. But pressed by The News, education officials shared few details. 'We're collecting feedback,' said Aviles-Ramos. 'The law is very clear there has to be an exception process, but we are working with families and with teachers and with administrators.' But one thing is for certain — the new prohibitions are coming. 'This is happening,' the chancellor said, 'and if we slowly trickle it into the school year, what ends up happening is we miss the moment. Habits are built from day one, and so we are going to be ready on day one.' _____ Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NYC schools ‘shadow chancellor' to step down next month
The second-most senior official at New York City's public school system is stepping down from his post, Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos announced Tuesday night. First Deputy Chancellor Dan Weisberg, whose involvement in major education initiatives earned him the nickname of 'shadow chancellor,' joined the Adams administration at the start of the mayor's tenure. His last day is in August. 'Dan was at the center of all our critical work,' Aviles-Ramos said in a statement, focusing on his roles in standardizing curriculum and expanding college and career programs. 'On behalf of our staff, students, and families, we offer him our deepest thanks and wish him all the best in his next chapter.' Weisberg was credited by the former chancellor, David Banks — who was pushed out of the administration amid a federal investigation ensnaring City Hall — with having pushed for Aviles-Ramos to be his successor. A couple of years beforehand, Weisberg had tapped her to lead the system's response to tens of thousands of newly enrolled migrant students. Weisberg previously served as the school system's chief executive on labor issues under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who often clashed with the city's powerful teachers union. He left city government to work at TNTP, a well-known education nonprofit, which he eventually led as CEO. The city's Department of Education did not immediately name Weisberg's replacement.
CBS News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
NYC Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos reflects on her first year on the job
Melissa Aviles-Ramos looks back at her first year as NYC schools chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos looks back at her first year as NYC schools chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos looks back at her first year as NYC schools chancellor Thursday marks the end of the 2024-25 academic year for New York City public schools – the first under the leadership of Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. She sat down with CBS News New York education reporter Doug Williams for an exclusive interview. Melissa Aviles-Ramos' mid-year start Mayors pick their chancellors. Mayor Eric Adams first picked David Banks. He was bold, charismatic – equal parts educator and showman. But when the show ended abruptly due to Banks' involvement in the since-dismissed federal investigation into Adams, in came Aviles-Ramos. She started mid-school year and began by listening in what she called a "Five-Borough Listening Tour." "All the things that I started this year while listening and not changing over the system in the middle of the school year, I'd like to continue doing those things," she said. If Adams is reelected in November, it would give Aviles-Ramos more time to take what she heard and turn it into action. ICE and NYC public schools The school system became part of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement story in May when a 20-year-old Bronx high school student named Dylan was detained. "Do you have any way of knowing whether fears have led to absences?" Williams asked. "We know anecdotally that there is a fear out there," Aviles-Ramos said. The chancellor says exact numbers of absences or potential detainments would require knowing the exact number of immigrants and asylum seekers that are in the school system, and families don't have to disclose that information when they enroll. Aviles-Ramos headlined a rally for Dylan earlier this month along with advocates and elected officials. Many later criticized the mayor for not being more outspoken on the subject. "The mayor and I agree on this, and the reason why I stood at the rally is because he and I felt it was very important for me to recommunicate and reiterate our commitment to serving every child," she said. Parents report special education issues Perhaps no issue has been brought up more frequently this year than special education. Late last year, the United Federation of Teachers reported that roughly 9,000 students in the system weren't receiving their mandated special ed services. That's partially due to another number they reported: more than 2,000 unfilled provider jobs. The issue can manifest itself with chronic absences or on the school bus. Often when parents find the school that will provide what their child needs, it isn't exactly close by. One parent told CBS News New York her 6-year-old son, who is nonverbal and has autism, gets picked up by the bus at 7 a.m. and doesn't arrive at school until 9:30 a.m., half an hour after class starts. "We are far from where we need to be, right? Like, that's just something we have to own, and we know that," Aviles-Ramos said. "We are not resolving these things overnight, but we are putting the pieces in place to have a real change."
CBS News
07-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Queens high school student detained after immigration court hearing, officials say
Another New York City public school student has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE agents detained an 11th grader from Queens outside a local courthouse during a scheduled immigration appointment earlier this week, New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles Ramos confirmed. The student's identity has not been made public. Aviles Ramos released the following statement: "We are deeply saddened to learn that one of our students was detained by ICE while attending a legal hearing to seek asylum. This young person should be returning home from school today, surrounded by family — not facing detention. Our commitment to all students, including our newest New Yorkers, remains unwavering. Our policies have not changed: schools are and will continue to be safe, welcoming spaces for every child. This incident did not happen in a school, and we urge families to keep sending their children to school, where they belong." The New York ICE field office did not respond to a request for comment on the detention. The student's whereabouts remain unknown to his family. Bronx student remains in ICE custody Assemblymember Claire Valdez represents the Ridgewood neighborhood and has been in contact with both the school and the 11th grader's family. "They are in incredible pain right now. They are terrified for their son. They are terrified for the rest of their family," Valdez said. "I don't think that you have to be a parent to put yourself in their shoes and to imagine someone that you love more than life itself being taken away in this incredibly, incredibly cruel way." This is the second time in recent months a New York City public schools student has been detained by ICE. Back in May, a 20-year-old Ellis Prep High School student named Dylan was picked up during an asylum hearing. He remains in ICE custody. "They're just summarily grabbing people literally off the streets or in courthouses and shipping them to God knows where, where their own families don't even know," Sen. Michael Gianaris said. "These are our neighbors. These are our children. It's unbelievably cruel, and New York state has a responsibility to stand up against it," Valdez said.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
NYC public schools newsletter accusing Israel of ‘genocide in Gaza' prompts new crackdown
The New York City schools boss has suspended release of mass communications sent to educators, students and parents without her approval — sparked by a furor over a recent Department of Education newsletter claiming Israel is committing 'genocide in Gaza.' The Post first reported Wednesday on the antisemitic message that was included in a 14-page 'Teacher Career Pathways' spring 2025 newsletter — sent out to 'master teachers' across the system's 1,800 schools. Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos said newsletters and other mass communications cannot be released without first being reviewed by her office, amid consultation with Mayor Eric Adams' office. 'It is egregious and deeply disappointing that despite our efforts to streamline communication protocols in this massive system, politically one-sided materials that are deeply offensive to the Jewish community were once again shared with educators,' Aviles-Ramos said in a statement Thursday. 'I profusely apologize for this. Moving forward, all system-wide communication will be directly signed off by my office until we can further build team capacity to reflect our core values and the highest commitment to curating materials that ONLY reflect political neutrality.' Adams — who is considering running for re-election under an independent 'EndAntiSemitism' ballot line -— was furious after hearing of the Israel-bashing message sent out by his education department. 'Let me be clear: Schools are where our children should feel safest, which is why neither antisemitism, nor any other form of hate, has any place in New York City Public Schools,' the mayor told The Post. 'As the home of the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel, we must ensure our Jewish students, families, and educators feel welcomed, not targeted. Today, our city's public school system is taking direct and sweeping action to ensure that no politically one-sided rhetoric ever appears again in any official communication sent from our schools.' Meanwhile, a DOE directive sent to educators Thursday was even more explicit. 'Effective immediately, please pause all newsletters and mass communications from your teams and divisions until further notice,' the memo sent by a DOE supervisor obtained by The Post said. 'This applies to any staff-facing, family-facing, or citywide messages, regardless of audience or platforms,' the memo sent to educators said Earlier this month, Aviles-Ramos was also forced to apologize for a different newsletter that linked to a 'Stop Gaza Genocide Toolkit' — sparking outrage in the Jewish community. That 17-page document contained radicalized messaging that encourages readers to 'Stop arming Israel and free Palestine!' Meanwhile, an anti-Israel group last week sent an email blast to hundreds of city teachers pushing for a May Day strike and other 'civil disobedience' to protest the Gaza war. The Labor for Palestine Network called for union members to rise up against 'the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza' and even coordinate their efforts with student groups, which teachers were told to ignore by city school officials. Jewish educators applauded the action from the chancellor and City Hall. 'We thank the chancellor for recognizing that certain mass email communications and distributed resources have reflected historical inaccuracy and bias, undermining the Department of Education's core commitment to political neutrality,' said Karen Feldman, co-founder of the New York City Public School Alliance.' 'We welcome her efforts to build a team that truly reflects and upholds these values. However, we must emphasize that this is not an isolated incident—what we are facing is a systemic problem that demands comprehensive and sustained attention.'
