Senator Andrew Gounardes and Councilman Justin Brannan Host First Meeting of Special Education Advisory Committee

Brooklyn, NY -- Senator Andrew Gounardes and Councilman Justin Brannan last night hosted the first meeting of a newly-formed Special Education Advisory Committee, comprised of parents of children with special needs and educators. The committee will seek to find local, city and state policy solutions for improving New York City’s public school system for the City’s more than 200,000 students eligible for special education. 

The elected officials will use the committee’s advice and experience in navigating the system to help guide them in addressing the vital issue of special needs education. The meeting took place in Bay Ridge on the evening of Monday, September 23rd and will continue regularly. 

“Every single student with special needs deserves to have a world-class education and to have the services they need, but too many children are suffering right now with insufficient services or poor educational quality. The Special Education Advisory Committee will channel the expertise of the people closest to the issue, parents and educators, to try to bring about real solutions for this vulnerable population,” said State Senator Andrew Gounardes.

“Too often, parents of children with special needs feel like they are on their own, up against a bureaucratic behemoth. Our goal is to find solutions for each and every student and this advisory committee, by pooling our collective knowledge of how to best navigate the public school system, will strive to do just that,” said Councilman Justin Brannan.