Tuesday is final day to vote for NYC public school education councils
Updated May 11, 2021;
Posted May 11, 2021
Tuesday is the last day to cast your vote for education councils in New York City public schools. (Staten Island Advance/ Jan Somma-Hammel) Staten Island Advance
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The deadline to vote for community and citywide education councils for the 2021-2023 term, including for Staten Island’s community education council (CEC) 31, is Tuesday.
Education councils are elected every two years, and elections are now open to fill all 325 elected seats for the two-year term that begins on July 1. Councils give parents a voice in shaping the policies and priorities for New York City schools.
Voting period open for NYC public school education councils
Updated 11:28 AM;
Today 11:28 AM
The voting period for the community and citywide education councils ends May 11. (Staten Island Advance/ Jan Somma-Hammel) Staten Island Advance
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The voting period for community and citywide education councils is open for the 2021-2023 term, including for Staten Island’s community education council (CEC) 31.
Education councils are elected every two years, and elections are now open to fill all 325 elected seats for the two-year term that begins on July 1. Councils give parents a voice in shaping the policies and priorities for New York City schools.
Glen and Emily Stephens experienced the tragedy of a lifetime in 2012 when their 6-year-old son, Gabriel, died of complications from the flu. Gabriel had suffered from the physiological and neurological disorder Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome for years.
But when one door closed, another soon opened: Glen and Emily applied to be foster parents with the eventual goal of adoption. That’s when they met John, a 2-year-old boy removed from the home of his birth mother after being rushed to the emergency room with a hemorrhaged retina and active hydrocephalus.
John was later diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, and ADHD combined type with impulsivity. But now with the Stephens family, John found himself in a safe, loving, and nurturing home.
Even as a bill to reopen schools across North Carolina garnered unanimous bipartisan support and was fast-tracked through the legislature, North Carolina’s teacher’s union released a statement blasting Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and lawmakers from both political parties for the compromise.
In a rare instance of bipartisan agreement, Cooper joined with both Republican and Democratic leaders in the N.C. House and Senate at a news conference Wednesday, March 10, to unveil a new school reopening plan for the entire state. Fewer than 24 hours later, Senate Bill 220 has won unanimous support from both chambers of the General Assembly a 49-0 vote in the Senate on Wednesday and a 119-0 vote in the House on Thursday. Cooper signed the bill into law later that day.
Article updated at Thursday, March 11. to include Senate and House proceedings and governor’s signing.
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican lawmakers have reached an agreement on reopening public schools for in-person instruction under a compromise plan that returns most decision-making autonomy to local school boards.
The state Senate voted 49-0 to approve the measure after less than 10 minutes of debate. The House on Thursday, March 11, also passed the bill in a unanimous vote. Cooper signed it Thursday night.
The new measure, Senate Bill 220, was a major victory for parents, students, and General Assembly lawmakers committed to getting students back into the classroom, House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, said Thursday.