NYCDOE VIDEO UPDATE: VACCINES FOR EVERYONE AGES 5 AND UP

Dr. Easterling, First Deputy Commissioner and Chief Equity Officer at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene joined NYCDOE Senior Deputy Chancellor Marisol Rosales for a discussion of COVID-19 vaccination. Frequently asked questions from parents provide the basis for this discussion.

Click to view on Parent University or on the DOE’s website under “Health and Wellness” category, (scroll down to view)

NYCDOE UPDATE: Vaccine Details for Children Ages 5 -11

People of all ages can get COVID-19. While COVID-19 is more dangerous for adults, children are still vulnerable. With more contagious variants of the virus, more young people are getting COVID-19 and being hospitalized. Some people also have long-lasting health problems after having COVID-19, such as difficulty breathing, muscle and joint pain, headaches and tiredness.

Getting children vaccinated also helps protect others, such as grandparents and relatives who have a medical condition that increases their risk for severe COVID-19. It even helps people in your community, since being vaccinated helps stop the spread of the virus.

The Pfizer vaccine is now approved and available for children 5-11 years old in NYC

• Children aged 5-17 must get Pfizer. It is the only FDA/CDC vaccine approved for children.

• The Pfizer vaccine is 2 doses, given 21 days apart, to be fully vaccinated

• The vaccine went through rigorous research, trials, and evaluation and is safe, free, and easily accessible in NYC.

• Everyone aged 5+ should get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible

• Even if a child (or their parent) had COVID-19, they should still get the vaccine because it helps protect them against infection, severe illness, or death from COVID-19.

• For more information about vaccines and children, families can go to nyc.gov/covidvaccine and see this FAQ.

• Parents or guardians can call 212-COVID19 (212-268-4319) with questions about the vaccine

• People should also talk to their health care provider with concerns or questions specific to their own medical situation.

Access:

• Find a vaccine site near you at nyc.gov/vaccinefinder or by calling 877-VAX4-NYC

  • You can search “Pfizer 5-11” under vaccine type for a site that administers to this age group

• City-run vaccine sites will offer vaccines for children aged 5+ starting November 3, and there will be temporary sites in over 1,000 schools starting on Monday, November 8, 2021. Sites at schools can be found on the DOE website.

  • For City-run sites, including H+H hospitals, appointments and walk-ins will be honored.

• The City is working to ensure that health care providers, including pediatricians and pharmacies, across the City have access to vaccine supply for children. These providers will likely start coming online over the course of this week, check with your doctor, local pharmacy or nyc.gov/vaccinefinder.

Consent:

• Children must have a parent or guardian's consent to get the vaccine. Children 5-15 y/o must be accompanied by an adult when they receive the vaccine, and if the child is accompanied by an adult who is not the parent or guardian, written consent or verbal consent by phone from the parent or guardian must be obtained at the time of vaccination.

  • For specific questions about school vaccinations, please discuss with your child's school

Incentives:

• The $100 individual incentive is available to children who get vaccinated. Children may use a parent's email address to redeem their visa gift card.

• Organizations participating in the $100 Vaccine Referral Bonus program (including PAs/PTAs) are also able to get the $100 incentive per child they refer to get vaccinated. See more information at nyc.gov/vaccineincentive

Resources:

• YouTube: Videos from NYC Health in ten languages

• Parent University: Live and pre-recorded classes on Covid-19 Vaccines. The courses are taught by experts from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), and include updates about COVID-19 vaccines, as well as live question-and-answer sessions.

• NYCDOE website: Health and Safety in Our Schools

New York City’s Public Libraries Announce No More Late Fines, Ever

As of October 5, 2021, everyone is getting a fresh start at the Library: All existing fines and replacement fees in all patron accounts have been cleared and erased. This is the case for all three of New York City’s public libraries: New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Public Library.

• Late fines will no longer accrue on borrowed materials returned after their due date.

• Please note: some replacement fees will still apply. Learn more about the new policies in Manhattan, Bronx and Staten Island (NYPL), Brooklyn and Queens.

Check out your local library for all the great free resources and services it offers!

UPDATE: Emergency Broadband Benefit: Internet Service Discount

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is an FCC program to help families and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Any families with children in schools offering free meals through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision can sign up for this program, which means it’s available to all students enrolled in New York City’s public schools.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price. Read more details on the FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit website, and watch the FCC’s video in English, Spanish, or American Sign Language to learn more.

NYCDOE UPDATE: Universal Mosaic Curriculum Community Engagement Town Halls

The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is co-designing the Universal Mosaic Curriculum—a rigorous, inclusive, affirming, and standards-aligned K–12 English Language Arts and Math curriculum by New York City educators for New York City public schools, to be available to all schools in fall 2023.

NYCDOE UPDATE: Ready4K, A Free Family Resource

The NYCDOE is excited to offer you Ready4K, a FREE resource for helping your child, Birth through 5th grade, stay on track with their learning goals. You will receive 3 texts/week with simple ways to bring learning into everyday moments, plus self-care ideas, because parental health is key! Families can get messages in Spanish, English, Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese, or Russian. To sign up, text "NYC” to 70138, or fill out the webform here.

NYCDOE UPDATE: 2022 NYC Public School Admissions Guide

The 2022 NYC Public School Admissions Guide is now available! This guide helps students and families participate in the admissions process. It onboards families to admissions and using MySchools while pointing to robust digital resources and personalized support options. The guide will be available for students and families who may be applying to:

• 3-K (children born in 2019)

• Pre-K (children born in 2018)

• Kindergarten (children born in 2017)

• Middle School (current 5th graders)

• High School (current 8th graders)

The printed guides are currently being delivered to schools, shelters, and community partners. We are aiming to finalize delivery in all languages by mid-November. All languages are now available online— scroll to the bottom of the page for links.

NYCDOE UPDATE: Supporting Students Affected by Homelessness

Join a Town Hall and open dialogue about supporting students affected by homelessness

The NYC Department of Education (DOE) is hosting a series of open dialogues through Virtual Town Halls, bringing together students, families, school and community partners to share ideas supporting public school students affected by homelessness. Feedback will inform the DOE's planning for the use of federal stimulus funds. See the flyer for more information.

Register here: Weds, November 17, at 4:15pm (Spanish interpretation available for this event)

You can also take our brief survey to share your priorities, concerns and ideas (available in translation). If you’d like to learn more or discuss your ideas, please contact STHInfo@schools.nyc.gov

NYCDOE UPDATE: Brilliant NYC Citywide Expert Panel

We are about halfway through our district engagement meetings. Thank you to those who have attended our meetings and shared their feedback on the blueprint of Brilliant NYC!

As we continue to co-design this work together, we are bringing in national and local experts. These experts will help us better understand the science behind accelerated learning and project-based instruction and contextualize how Brilliant NYC will look in our schools when implemented next fall. Please save the date on November 22 for a live-streamed event. For details on how to watch the citywide expert panel, visit the Brilliant NYC website. For questions, email BrilliantNYC@schools.nyc.gov.

NYCDOE UPDATE: Upcoming Community Education Council Town Halls with Chancellor Meisha Porter

Chancellor Town Hall with Community Education Council 11

Community Education Council 11

Wednesday, December 8, 2021 from 6:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.

All District 11 parents are encouraged to attend! Please see our flyers in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Bangla.

Register for this event at the following link https://learndoe.org/cec/

NYCDOE UPDATE: District 79 Offerings and Support Available

District 79 is New York City’s Alternative Schools district. We proudly serve over 50,000 students a year from 6 weeks old to 96 years old. Our Referral Center can be found citywide and offers students and families an opportunity to explore alternative options.

• Students interested in obtaining a High School Equivalency Diploma can enroll in Pathways to Graduation for 17-21 years old

• Adults 21 years and older can enroll in Adult Education.

• Families and students may also be interested in learning about District 79’s other offerings such as

  • LYFE (Early Childhood Education)

  • Co-Op Tech (Career and Technical Education)

  • Judith S. Kaye Transfer High School.

The District 79 team is here to support NYC. If you are interested in organizing a presentation for families, please reach out to Manny Pica at mpica@schools.nyc.gov.

Special Education Recovery Services

Beginning this fall, every DOE school will offer an after school or Saturday program (or a combination of the two) to deliver Special Education Recovery Services. Special Education Recovery Services are specialized instruction and related services, targeted to each student’s individual needs. These services will be provided to students with IEPs in addition to their regular school day. They offer the opportunity for children to receive additional services as soon as possible, without any need for parents to make a request or wait through an administrative process.

To learn more about Special Education Recovery Services, visit the Special Education Family Resources page on the DOE website.

Face Covering Policy

The DOE’s face covering policy has been updated to align with the NYS Commissioner of Health’s determination that all persons entering a NYC Department of Education building must wear a face covering. This policy provides schools with examples of how they can use age and developmentally appropriate strategies to support children towards improving mask tolerance and includes steps to take when children will not wear face coverings (not including children with approved mask exemptions). We are delighted to share that our students have been phenomenal at taking care of themselves and each other by wearing their face coverings.

If your child is not medically able to tolerate a mask, please let your school know so that an alternative accommodation can be provided. For questions about the face covering policy, please contact your school.

SUBMITTING COVID TESTING FORMS

The DOE increased random COVID-19 testing in all elementary, middle, and high schools for students in grades 1-12 from biweekly to weekly. We can only test students whose parents have provided an updated testing consent form to their school. You are encouraged to provide this consent for your child if you have not done so. If you have already submitted a testing consent form for the 2021-22 school year, that consent form remains in effect. If you have not yet submitted your consent, you can do so one of two ways: 

• Fill out the form using your NYC Schools Account (NYCSA): schoolsaccount.nyc or

• Download the form online at schools.nyc.gov/covidtesting and bring the completed form to your child’s school.

Chancellor’s Regulation A-660 Posts!

We are excited to announce that the revised Chancellor’s Regulation A-660 has posted! We want to thank the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council (CPAC) for making this a priority, and acknowledge the incredible work of the A-660 working group. These proposed amendments are the result of collaboration and partnership between parent leaders and DOE - this is a proud moment!

The proposed amendments will: expand PA/PTA membership to include parents of students in an early childhood program offered by a district school; provide updated guidance around remote and hybrid meetings; and modernize financial rules.

We are committed to becoming self-reliant learners who are prepared to work as agents of change equipped to resist and dismantle systemic injustice and to create a more just and equitable society.