In a dramatic step, New York state’s education department is abandoning its efforts to impose punishing regulations on yeshivas and private schools, citing what they called an “unprecedented” number of comments against the proposal.
The Board of Regents, at their monthly meeting Monday, summarized the 140,000 comments submitted by citizens from across the state over the summer, with most of them asserting that the proposed regulations would infringe on their rights as parents to choose their children’s education.
Shannon Tahoe, the education commissioner, acknowledged that the vast majority of yeshivas were providing the constitutionally mandated education that is “substantially equivalent” to public schools but there are a few who do not. She said that the agency will now sit down and talk to “stakeholders” in the private schools to formulate a system that works for everybody.
{Matzav.com}
דידן נצח!!
I’m not so sure we are out of the woods yet. According to an article in the Daily Gazette, it doesn’t sound like they are abandoning the plans altogether:
“Tahoe said department staff would continue to discuss the regulations with both the public and private sectors of education as they worked toward new changes to the proposed regulation.
“This is difficult, this is hard, and this is going to be a process,” said Tahoe, adding that it would be “prudent” to seek more input from the education field. “We have to think through this delicately.”
While at least one board member said it was time to “stop kicking the can” and take action, other members appeared more content with moving forward cautiously as state officials seek to walk a tight line between enforcing the legal requirement while respecting the religious faith of private school families across the state.
But the Regents also signaled they didn’t plan to back off the statutory mandate to ensure students in private schools receive an education deemed “substantially equivalent” to those in public schools.”
“Collectively, public schools and non-public school are part of one umbrella,” Chancellor Betty Rosa said. “And we have to make sure that everything we do is about educating all children – and all means all.”
https://dailygazette.com/article/2020/02/10/regents-slow-process-on-private-school-regulations-after-flood-of-comments
chasdei hashem! thank you to aguda, pearls, torah umesorah and the askanim!
Mazel Tov.
Let’s see. They learn law, history, literature, logic, and philosophy and they do it in three languages. I’ll stack that up to the typical New York State public school student any day.
Will they ever realize that “a system that works for everybody” ultimately works for nobody???
Boruch Hashem!!! S’bhol Dor V’Dor Oimdim Alainu L’Chaloysanu V’HKB”H Matzailanu M’Yodom!
As a native New Yorker, I would like to share the following:
For many decades New York State has administered (Board of) Regents examinations in major high school subjects: mathematics, the sciences, English, etc. Yeshiva and Bais Yaakov students have consistently scored higher on these examinations than their public school counterparts.
This proves that the General Studies education in Yeshiva and Bais Yaakov high schools is SUPERIOR to that in the public high schools!
Are people really going to play dumb about how well some students do? This was never about Bais Yaakov. It’s always been about the Chasidish schools where the boys don’t speak English and the Hashkafa is to specifically NOT teach Secular studies. Things may be delayed for a while, but eventually it’ll catch up. The law is simple. All children MUST attend Public School. The only exemption is if a Private school provides an Equivalent secular education. Since the Chasidish schools don’t, it’s only a matter of time before they are forced to.
There are yeshiva students that get a great secular education, while others, from certain sects, get a much inferior one.
The two groups cannot, and should not, be conflated (despite the attempt of some to muddy the waters, confuse things, and do so).