The Problem
While there have been reductions in the use of exclusionary and punitive school disciplinary practices in the past decade, significant challenges persist for tens of thousands of students who are suspended from New York City public schools each year and thereby lose hundreds of thousands of days of regular classroom instruction time. At the same time, school-based policing interventions in the form of arrests, criminal court summonses, and handcuffing incidents have been found to interrupt students’ educational trajectories and result in students being pushed out of school before graduation. Because disparities in the use of school discipline and policing by race, gender, ability, and sexual orientation continue, developing creative approaches that effectively reduce both overall use of exclusionary practices and the discipline gap is an urgent priority.
Our Vision
CDF-NY envisions a public school system where schools are safe, restorative, healing environments and all students have the opportunity to learn and grow. Education justice means that schools value and respect the dignity of students, caregivers, and their communities. To this effect, New York public schools must work toward providing equitable resources, adopting culturally responsive curricula, preventing trauma, repairing harm, and promoting restorative practices. The intent behind restorative practices is to enable all people to remedy conflict or harm together, and prevent unwelcome behavior by facilitating relationship-building, acknowledging the root issues, setting clear behavioral expectations, and sustaining a positive school climate.
The Solution
We work in coalition with students across New York City who are redefining school safety and uplifting initiatives that provide the structure, support, and quality of relationships that most influence feelings of wellbeing. We advocate for and support the implementation of non-exclusionary approaches to strengthening school climate, such as guidance interventions, peacekeeping, and conflict resolution and mediation programs. The objective is to achieve change at all levels through policy change, sustainable investments, and ensuring alternatives are implemented with integrity – all while building awareness and generating support from decision makers and the people of New York.
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2023 CDF-NY Week of Action Digital Toolkit
The CDF-NY Week of Action Toolkit provides leaders like you with valuable resources to help promote the importance of advocating to our New York elected officials to pass a State budget that prioritizes marginalized children, youth, young adults, families and their communities in the areas of economic mobility, health equity, youth justice and child welfare.
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Leveraging Racial & Ethnic Impact Statements to Achieve Racial Equity in All Policies & Rules: New York’s Communities of Color Have a Right to Full Justice & Equity
Our State must take a stand and lead the nation in only legislating policies that uplift, not harm, our most marginalized communities. Now is the time to lead the nation in embarking on the path to achieving equity in all policies.
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PRESS RELEASE: In Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, The Children’s Defense Fund – New York Calls for a Just State Budget that Centers Children, Youth and Families
Today, as a part of its celebration of the life and world-changing legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., renowned civil rights activist and one of the greatest nonviolent leaders in world history, the Children’s Defense Fund – New York (CDF-NY) releases its Fiscal Year 2023- 2024 Legislative and Budget Agenda, titled Prioritizing the Needs of Children, Youth and Families: New York State Budget and Legislative Priorities.
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Prioritizing the Needs of Children, Youth and Families: New York State Budget and Legislative Priorities FY 2023 – 2024
As communities of color continue to navigate the triple crises of COVID-19, inflation, and systemic oppression rooted in racism, our State elected officials must do what is just, which is to put New York on a strong path to a just equitable recovery by centering and prioritizing the needs of the youngest New Yorkers along with marginalized children, youth and families in the FY 2023-2024 Budget and Legislative Session in ways that center their physical and mental wellness and economic health, thereby enabling them to have joy and to thrive.
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Leveraging Racial & Ethnic Impact Statements To Achieve Racial Equity In All Policies: National Context
Enacting new legislation and rules without first evaluating their potential to disproportionately impact New York’s communities of color only perpetuates deep-rooted and systemic racial and […]
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CDF-NY 2022 Final State Budget Response
Mired in last-minute negotiations to roll-back recent criminal justice reforms, including Raise the Age, the final State Budget is a disappointment for children, youth and families. While we cannot overlook important new investments in child care and health care for new mothers, the budget still failed to prioritize our children.
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Our New York Children’s Budget: A Community Vision for Prioritizing Our Children
New York can and must do better for our children, youth and families. This report is a blueprint for addressing the most pressing needs of New York children, and the Governor and the Legislature must adopt these proposals in the Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget to realize our bold vision rooted in making opportunities accessible, ending harm and transforming systems.
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PRESS RELEASE: In Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, The Children’s Defense Fund – New York Releases Its 2022 Legislative and Budget Agenda
Today, as a part of its celebration of the life and world-changing legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., renowned civil rights activist and one of the greatest nonviolent leaders in world history, the Children’s Defense Fund – New York (CDF-NY) releases its Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Legislative and Budget Agenda, titled Prioritizing the Needs of Children, Youth and Families: New York State Budget and Legislative Priorities.
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PRESS RELEASE: To Continue the Legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), The Children’s Defense Fund – New York Demands the Expansion of Voting Rights for 16- and 17-Year-Olds
Today we commemorate the legacy of Dr. King by calling for the passage of NYS Senate Bill S366, which would lower the voting age in New York State to 16 years and require that students receive education in civics and be allowed to register to vote in the classroom, and for the passage of H.J.Res.23, which would lower the voting age in America to 16 years old.
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Prioritizing the Needs of Children, Youth and Families: New York State Budget and Legislative Priorities (FY 2022-2023)
As our communities continue to navigate the COVID crisis across New York State, we must seize this moment to center the needs of the youngest New Yorkers and to build a bold new vision for marginalized children, youth and families to thrive.
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Centering Youth Voices at New York City’s Polls: 2021 Voter Issue Guide
As New Yorkers cast their ballots this Fall, supporting policies and platforms that prioritize child, youth and family wellbeing is critical. #VoteBecause the needs of the youngest New Yorkers and their families must be centered on Election Day – and every day.
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2021 Legislative Session Report Card
With the conclusion of the 2021 Legislative Session, we pause to take stock of progress for New York’s children and families, celebrate our victories and assess where further advocacy is needed to level the playing field for the youngest New Yorkers.
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Support Solutions Not Suspensions
The Solutions Not Suspensions Coalition is a group of organizers, direct service providers, student leaders, education attorneys, and advocates working to improve school climate and stop the school to prison and deportation pipeline throughout New York State.
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Youth Vision for Education Justice in NYC
Our vision for education in New York City includes safe, restorative, healing environments where all students have the opportunity to learn and grow.
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Response to the Governor’s Proposed FY 2022 Executive Budget
Last spring and summer, 4,200 New York children lost a parent or guardian to COVID-19 — that’s one out of every 1,000 of our State’s […]
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CDF-NY 2021-2022 Legislative and Budget Priorities
The Children’s Defense Fund-New York seeks to ensure that children are centered in all budget and legislation decisions, with a particular emphasis on racial impact, […]
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Bringing New York Children’s Voices to the Polls: 2020 Voter Issue Guide
As New Yorkers cast their ballots this Fall, protecting the programs and policies that impact our children, youth and families is critical. We urge New […]
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Solutions Not Suspensions Letter to New York State Education Leaders
The Solutions Not Suspensions coalition , on behalf of all New York school children, is calling on New York State education leaders to adopt policies […]
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CDF-NY Response to the 2020 Q1 Student Safety Act Data
Student Safety Act data from the first quarter of 2020 shows a 20% decrease in total NYPD interventions in New York City schools from the […]
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CDF-NY Response to the 2019 Q4 Student Safety Act Data
Student Safety Act data from the fourth quarter of 2019 shows a 14% decrease in total NYPD interventions in City schools compared to the same period in 2018: from 3,578 interventions to 3,654.
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CDF-NY Testimony to NYC Council Executive Budget Hearing-Finance
We need a just City budget that prioritizes youth and refuses to balance cuts on their backs. Now, more than ever in the recent history […]
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What Children and Youth Need Now: Addressing Education and Youth Justice During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has destabilized our economy and exacerbated the inequities that exist in our communities state-wide. Our justice and education systems must swiftly adjust […]
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Solutions Not Suspensions Letter to the NYS Chancellor
The Solutions Not Suspensions coalition is requesting that we work together to minimize the long-term traumatic impact of the COVID-19 health pandemic on students and […]
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CDF-NY Priorities in the New York State FY2021 Final Budget
Children’s Defense Fund – New York (CDF-NY) examined the budget’s impacts on children and families, with attention to on child welfare and family wellbeing, economic […]
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Safe Schools are Strong School Communities
The Dignity in Schools Campaign-New York (DSC-NY) is a local chapter of the national Dignity in Schools Campaign coalition. DSC-NY is made up of 23 […]
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CDF-NY 2020-2021 State Budget and Legislative Priorities
The Children’s Defense Fund-New York provides our 2020-2021 State Budget and Legislative Priorities.
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“Unthinkable” A History of Policing in New York City Public Schools & the Path toward Police-Free Schools
This report provides a condensed political history of policing and schooling in New York City, and offers a frame for using this history to move […]
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CDF-NY Response to the 2019 Q2 Student Safety Act Data
An analysis of the Student Safety Act data from the second quarter of 2019 shows a small, 4% increase in the total number of NYPD […]
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New York City Department of Education Student Safety Act Data: School Year 2017-2018
Every October 31st, the New York City Department of Education is required to release Student Safety Act data for the previous school year, making public […]
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NYPD School Safety Budget Explainer
In the City’s budget documents, school safety spending can be found in both the Department of Education’s (DOE’s) and the NYPD’s budgets. Because the DOE […]
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The New York State Solutions Not Suspensions Act (S767A)
The Solutions Not Suspensions Bill is designed to reduce the reliance on suspensions and punitive discipline in order to transform schools, and grow school-level capacity […]
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Landscape of Guidance Counselors & Social Workers in NYC Schools
According to the annual report on guidance counselors pursuant to Local Law 56 of 2014, reported on February 15, 2019, there were 2,881 full-time guidance […]
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CDF-NY Response to the SY19-20 Discipline Code
The Children’s Defense Fund – New York (CDF-NY) applauds Chancellor Carranza and the DOE’s Office of Safety and Youth Development for this tremendous commitment to […]
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CDF-NY Response to the 2019 Q2 Student Safety Act Data
An analysis of the Student Safety Act data from the second quarter of 2019 shows a small, 4% increase in the total number of NYPD […]
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City Unveils Long-Anticipated School Climate Reform Package
The Mayor’s Office and New York City Department of Education announced a new “School Climate Reform Package,” following through on select recommendations that the Mayor’s […]
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City Confirms Breakthrough, Transformative New Investment in School Social Workers
Today’s handshake agreement on the Fiscal Year 2020 budget includes a remarkable new investment set to sustain 200 new social workers in New York City’s […]
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Testimony for the NYC Council Committee on Education, Preliminary Budget Hearing – Education
Testimony by CDF-NY Education Justice Intern Gary Edwards about divesting from school policing and investing in restorative and supportive alternatives.
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CDF-NY Response to the 2019 Q1 Student Safety Act Data
An analysis of the Student Safety Act data from the first quarter of 2019 shows a small, 3% increase in the total number of NYPD […]
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Testimony: For the Deconstructing the Prison Pipeline Task Force
Testimony on the educational policies and practices that push students out of school before graduation, and subsequently fuel the prison pipeline.
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CDF-NY Priorities in the New York State FY 2020 Final Budget
On April 1, 2019, the New York Legislature adopted the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 final state budget. The final budget includes $175.5 billion in spending. […]
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CDF-NY February 2019 School Safety Division Budget Brief
According to the new Preliminary Budget documents, the SSD budget for Fiscal Year 2019 was adjusted and grew to include over $314.8 million – the […]
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NEW YORK CITY STUDENT SAFETY ACT 2018 & 2017 NYPD REPORTS: EIGHT QUARTERS IN REVIEW
An analysis of the Student Safety Act data from the year 2018 shows a 7% increase in total NYPD interventions in New York City schools […]
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CDF-NY Response to the 2018 Q4 Student Safety Act Data
An analysis of the Student Safety Act data from the fourth quarter of 2018 shows a small, 2.1% increase in total NYPD interventions in New […]
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New York City Student Safety Act, 3rd Quarter 2018 Reporting, July 1 to September 30, 2018
An analysis of the Student Safety Act data from the third quarter of 2018 shows a small, 1.7% decrease in total NYPD interventions in New […]
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New York City Department of Education Student Safety Act Data: School Year 2017-2018
Every October 31st, the New York City Department of Education is required to release Student Safety Act data for the previous school year, making public the use of suspensions and classroom removals in New York City public schools. The latest numbers show that the use of suspensions grew 4.1% and classroom removals grew 11.4% during the 2017-2018 school year compared to the year before.
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New York Police Department Student Safety Act Data: July 1, 2017 TO June 30, 2018
During the 2017-2018 school year there were 11,009 incidents in schools reported by the NYPD through the Student Safety Act, a local law established to bring transparency to the scope of police contact with students in NYC schools. Reported incidents are categorized as “interventions” and refer to arrests, summonses, child in crisis incidents, juvenile reports, PINS / warrants, and mitigated incidents.
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CDF-NY Testimony: New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Education School Health, Mental Health, and Physical Education
As the Assembly considers best practices to meet student’s health and mental health needs, it is vital that you ensure there is continued funding to help school districts improve school climate and safety. This week marks the 9th annual week of action against school pushout, a national effort carried out by the Dignity in Schools Campaign, a coalition of organizations dedicated to ending the school-to-prison pipeline.
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Fiscal Year 2019 and 2018 Department of Education Guidance Counselor and Social Worker Spending
In Fiscal Year 2019, Mayor de Blasio allocated $12 million and the City Council allocated $2 million to expand “Bridging the Gap,” a program that […]
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2018 Election Guide: New York’s Children
Having the basic necessities of life such as nutritious meals and financial security is a universal human right and something all people concerned with the well-being of children should work to secure.
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Testimony of the Children’s Defense Fund-New York For the New York City Council Committee on Public Safety and Committee on Education Oversight Hearing on School Emergency Preparedness and Safety
Urging the DOE to replace punitive school discipline and safety policies in New York City schools with social and emotional supports that encourage a positive […]
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Education Justice Policy Brief: What is the Student Safety Act?
The Student Safety Act is the result of a four-year campaign by a coalition of organizations seeking to bring to light the scope and impact of school disciplinary and safety policies in New York City Schools.
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CDF-NY Response to the 2018 Q2 Student Safety Act Data
An analysis of the Student Safety Act data from the second quarter of 2018 shows an increase in total NYPD interventions in New York City schools compared to the same period in 2017 – from 2,620 interventions to 3,060.
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CDF-NY June 2018 School Safety Division Budget Brief
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CDF-NY Urges the City to Address Increased Reliance on Suspensions and Support Schools to Utilize Alternatives to Exclusionary Discipline
A new report released by the Department of Education as part of the Student Safety Act shows that, after years of movement, progress to end […]
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Testimony for the New York City Council Committee on Public Safety Oversight Hearing on NYPD’s Gang Takedown Efforts
Our testimony intends to highlight the ways that intersections between current gang policing, school policing, and school discipline threatens to push more young people of […]
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Tax and Budget Proposals Will Make Paying for College More Difficult for Students
Congressional Republicans have taken enormous steps towards ensuring that college is less affordable and more out of reach for students across the country.
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Proposed Congressional Tax and Budget Cuts Threaten SNAP for Children and Families
The congressional tax cuts proposed to disproportionately help corporations and the wealthiest would inevitably have to be paid for through budget cuts to important programs […]
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House’s Budget Resolution Does Not Prioritize America’s Vulnerable Populations
In New York, these budget cuts would deprive disadvantaged children and adults of basic necessities and push them deeper into poverty.
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