Statement from Senator John Liu on new DOE school admissions policy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, September 29, 2022
Contact: Soojin Choi |347-556-6335| press@johnliusenate.com 

STATEMENT FROM SENATOR JOHN LIU ON NEW DOE SCHOOL ADMISSIONS POLICY

New York, NY - State Senator John Liu, chairperson of the Senate Committee on NYC Education, today stated the following about the NYC Department of Education’s planned changes to middle and high school admissions.

“Many parents and students were rightly outraged at last year’s randomized admissions process in which many students failed to place any of their ranked picks, and were forced to attend schools that were often unaligned with their interests and far from home. At first glance, the DOE’s plan appears to edge away from that widely loathed lottery and place greater emphasis on academic diligence and achievement.

“Chancellor Banks is right to recognize that many areas of the city have long been underserved by a lack of accelerated learning schools. Great to see this plan expand opportunities for more rigorous coursework via the creation of new screened schools for students and families who seek it in communities long devoid of such schools.

“Equity and achievement should never be mutually exclusive, and it remains unclear if the administration’s efforts to narrow the lottery bands, even to 15%, fosters true educational achievement and equity. The DOE and Chancellor Banks must be sure to work through this delicate balance by doing more to engage the parents, students and stakeholders across the city who feel excluded by previous administrations and still left out of the process today.”

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