Adams Calls on Teenagers to Join Community Boards
Borough President Eric Adams is calling on teenagers to take advantage of a new law and get involved civically through joining their local community board.
The law, signed recently by Governor Andrew Cuomo, allows borough presidents to appoint up to two teenagers over the age of 16 to each community board in the city. Community boards have a variety of responsibilities, including dealing with land use and zoning issues, assessing the needs of their own neighborhoods, and addressing other community concerns.
To highlight the initiative, Adams will have a press conference today at 2:30 pm, at Borough Hall 209 Joralemon Street. Other speakers at today’s press conference will include local community board representatives, Alan Schulman of the Center for the Study and Practice of Social Studies, Sarah Andes of Generation Citizen, Al Kurland of the Police Athletic League, as well as Monifa StLouis, a student representative from the Boys and Girls High School Student School Neighborhood and Community Government.
Adams will also make a call to action on getting teenagers joining community boards tomorrow Thursday, November 20 at 6:00 PM in the Al Vann Library of Boys and Girls High School, 1700 Fulton Street.
Cross That Bridge Don’t Climb It
Following the third security breach of the Brooklyn Bridge in four months State Senator Daniel Squadron and Assemblymember Joe Lentol are introducing legislation to increase the penalties for trespassing on high-profile structures.
The proposal comes after Yonathan Souid, 23, of France, was arrested Sunday for allegedly climbing the Brooklyn Bridge to take photos. Souid was charged with second-degree reckless endangerment, third-degree criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, and a violation of administrative code which prohibits climbing, jumping or suspending oneself from structures. Bail was set at $15,000 bond or $7,000 cash and he was ordered to surrender his passport and to return to court on December 9.
“This defendant’s foolish and unlawful conduct is a breach of security and a danger to himself and others. It will not be tolerated. This is not a game and we will be seeking jail time,” said Kings County District Attorney Kenneth Thompson.
Greenfield Says Yeshivas Need Pre-K Too
City Councilmembers Members David Greenfield and Mark Levine called on Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday to immediately release requests for proposals (RFP) for half-day universal pre-kindergarten to enable most yeshivas that have been shut out of the full day UPK program to offer their students UPK.
“New York City’s full day Pre-K promise has not materialized for yeshiva parents. The sad truth is that the program was rolled out in a way that makes it very difficult for the overwhelming majority of yeshivas to participate. The least New York City can do is to give yeshivas a more robust half-day option. Despite a promise that a half-day program was coming, the most recent RFP eliminates it completely. Simply put we need a half-day RFP immediately for yeshivas,” said Greenfield.
Manhattan City Councilman Levine, who chairs the council’s Jewish Caucus said UPK was meant to be truly universal and without the half-day UPK option, tens of thousands of children are denied the benefits of the program.
Until the 2014/2015 school year private schools were largely able to access full and half day UPK. The Department of Education (DOE) offered UPK as either half-day at 2.5 hours or full-day at about 5 hours a day. Many community groups were able to offer these programs and approximately 85 yeshivas across the city had half-day UPK.
The lawmakers said after de Blasio’s full-day UPK initiative makes it extremely difficult for private schools to take part in Pre-K simply because a week of full-day expanded UPK would total more school hours than most private schools offer four year olds and it leaves no time for religious education.
Then after meeting with several prominent Jewish Organizations including the UJA, the Orthodox Union and Agudath Israel, in the spring of 2014 the Mayor’s office committed to adjusting the program to allow all parochial students equal access to the program. Though several changes were made to the RFP the administration did not adjust the hours for expanded full-day. As a result, this school year only 24 yeshivas and community groups are offering full-day UPK, totaling 1,174 new seats, or about 16% of the total yeshiva student population for four-year olds.
Thus the call for the city to release the half-day UPK RFP.
Jeffries Leads Congressional Black Caucus Discussion
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries yesterday led a discussion on the House floor entitled: The March Toward a More Perfect Union: Where Do We Go From Here?
The discussion was part of the Congressional Black Caucus initiative to encourage Congress and the nation to participate in an open and honest discussion on criminal justice reform, the need to raise the minimum wage, efforts by the President to fix our broken immigration system, the importance of strengthening the Voting Rights Act and other public policy items related to social and economic justice.
Today’s Events:
11 a.m. – Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams hosts a forum with leaders of Brooklyn’s houses of worship and faith-based institutions in an effort to address their challenges with city agencies, Brooklyn Borough Hall Community Room, 209 Joralemon Street.
3:45 p.m. – Borough President Adams signs sister city agreement between Brooklyn and Sabail District of Baku, Azerbaijan at Brough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street.
6:30 p.m. – Citizens Union and the New York Immigration Coalition sponsor a public forum on non-citizen voting, hosted by El Puente, JHS 50 Auditorium, 183 South 3rd Street, Brooklyn.
7 p.m. – Rep. Yvette Clarke hosts information session on Haitian Family Reunification program, 123 Linden Blvd., Brooklyn.
7 p.m. – Join Assemblyman Bill Colton pays tribute to the war veterans who have sacrificed so much to keep our country safe and strong for generations, Clubhouse, 29 Bay 25th Street, Brooklyn.
