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January 2021
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LONG ISLAND ADVOCACY CENTER

January 2021

LIAC remains open and ready to serve families!

We can help! Reach us TODAY!

Visit us online at www.theliac.org for valuable updated information, links to more in-depth guidance, or to fill out an online intake.            

El Long Island Advocacy Center brinda servicios y recursos en español. Por favor visite nuestro sitio web para más información.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) released a memo earlier this month addressing the current needs of all students, with a specific focus on the impact of COVID-19 on high school seniors who will be graduating this year.  The memo highlights the continuing need for quality instruction during hybrid and/or remote learning, the importance of meeting students’ social-emotional needs, career plans for students, information for students and parents about the college financial aid process, virtual office hours for school counselors and support staff, engaging parents as partners in the educational process, and end-of-the year traditions and ceremonies.

The memo also includes resources for students and parents, such as:

You can read the entire memo on the NYSED website by clicking here.

                                                         BULLYING

Students have the right to be safe and free from bullying, harassment, and discrimination at school.  Anyone can be bullied and anyone can be a bully: students, teachers, administrators, staff, or parents.

New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) was established to provide a school envirogment free of discrimination and harassment. DASA also focuses on the prevention of harassment and discriminatory behaviors through the promotion of educational measures meant to positively impact school culture and climate.  The act also requires all schools to investigate, discipline, and mediate acts of bullying.

DASA defines bullying and harassment as the creation of a hostile environment by:

  • conduct,
  • threats,
  • intimidation,
  • abuse, and/or
  • cyberbullying, that:

(a) has or would have the effect of unreasonably and substantially interfering with a student’s educational performance, opportunities or benefits, or mental, emotional or physical well-being;

(b) reasonably causes or could reasonably be expected to cause a student to fear for his or her physical safety;

(c) reasonably causes or would reasonably be expected to cause physical injury or emotional harm to a student; or

(d) occurs off school property and creates or would foreseeably create a risk of substantial disruption within the school environment, where it is foreseeable that that the conduct, threats, intimidation or abuse might reach school property. The harassing behavior may be based on any characteristic, including, but not limited to a person’s actual or perceived:

  • sex/ gender,
  • weight,
  • ethnicity,
  • national origin,
  • religion/religious practices,
  • disability, and
  • sexual orientation.  

If your child is avoiding school or extracurricular activities, appears anxious or afraid, is unhappy, has injuries, or has experienced a gradual decline in school performance, bullying may be a factor.  

Do you suspect your child is being bullied? Here’s what you should do:

  • Talk to the principal, a teacher, or an administrator to express your concerns;
  • Follow up in writing to summarize your conversation;
  • Complete and submit a DASA complaint form: (click here for sample complaint form)
  • it must be in writing,
  • you should be as specific as possible, and
  • email or hand-deliver the complaint directly to the DASA coordinator for your child’s school.

Every school has its own designated DASA coordinator and every school district has a DASA coordinator to oversee the entire district.  Your school district’s website

 will have a list of all the DASA coordinators in the district and their contact information. The full Dignity for All Students Act, along with updates, and comprehensive list of resources is available on the NYSED website.

When the U.S. Congress approved COVID-19 relief funding for schools in the spring of 2020, New York reduced state funding for education by the same amount. That means New York schools didn’t get any extra funding to help them through the pandemic.

Congress passed another relief bill with funding for schools in December 2020. But, once again, the proposed New York State budget would cut state funding for schools, forcing districts to use some of the new federal dollars to fill the gap. State funding for NYC schools alone would be cut by hundreds of millions of dollars, meaning NYC might need to use its federal COVID-19 relief funding for regular day-to-day expenses, instead of using it to reopen schools safely and provide extra support to students who have struggled with remote and blended learning.

Advocates for Children has set up a fast and easy way for all of us

to help get the word out to the people making these decisions!

Click here to email Governor Cuomo and NYS legislators to tell them to increase, not cut, state funding for education at a time when the need is greater than ever. We need our leaders in Albany to ensure school districts can use all of their federal COVID-19 relief funding to reopen schools and help students catch up.

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LIAC Archived Newsletters:

May 5, 2020

June 10, 2020

June 25, 2020

July 15, 2020

OPWDD Video Presentation

August 13, 2020

August 31, 2020

September 15, 2020

September 30, 2020

October 15, 2020

October 30, 2020

November 20, 2020

December 22, 2020