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8/12/2019 Do We Know Where Our Children Are - An Analysis of Major Problems that Cause Children to Get Lost at the Start

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Do We Know Where Our Children Are - An Analysis of Major Problems that CauseChildren to Get Lost at the Start of the School Year

September 14, 2008

A Report By:

THE OFFICE OF THE BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT

ADOLFO CARRION

PREPARED BY:

Director of Policy Noah A. Franklin

Director of Education and Youth ServicesJesse Mojica

Deputy Director of PolicyJessica Colon

Policy InternsBrian ChenGrace AkinrinadeMaribel Vasquez

With a special thanks to Advocates for Children for their tremendous help, adviceand recommendations.


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Executive Summary 1

Introduction 3

Background Information on the Department of Education 3

Analysis 7

Conclusions 15

Recommendations 17

Appendix

TABLE OF CONTENTS


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Department of Education has undergone tremendous transformations over the past severalyears. Mayoral control has helped advance an ambitious reform agenda and the results have

been widely hailed. However, these changes have not come slowly. It seems that every yearwe have been confronted with massive adjustments to a system that has profound implicationson the lives of millions of New Yorkers. Lately, and with increasing urgency, we have heardfrom administrators, educators, parents, and students alike about problems that cause students toget lost in the system at this crucial time of year.

We have heard about students waiting to be told which school to attend well after the schoolyear has begun; parents waiting in the dark for their children to arrive home on buses that arechronically late; educators waiting to be given the information they need from the Departmentof Education to help parents and students navigate the education system.

In short, we have seen that there is a systemic problem in the way that the Department of Edu-cation approaches, and plans for the new school year. A systemic problem that has not goneaway despite all the changes the Department has undertaken; a problem that if allowed to per-sist, will continue to leave countless New York families out in the cold, waiting for their chil-dren to receive the quality education they have been promised, and deserve.

In this great City that presents itself as an example to the rest of the world - we must do bet-ter. We must learn from the frustrations of educators and families, and we must heed the les-sons of these past years. We must do this so that our children have the opportunity to learn, to

be educated, and to help us all continue to build an even stronger future for our City.

Our goal in presenting this report, " Do We Know Where Our Children Are? An Analysis of Ma- jor Problems that Cause Children to get Lost in the School System at the Start of the Year, isto unravel the recurring, systemic problems that emerge at the start of the year, and to urgeDOE to work with principals to come up with solutions and begin tackling these problems be-fore the next school year.

Methodology To assess the challenges confronting students at the start of the school year, we conducted inter-views with DOE officials and educational nonprofits, and held a focus group with Bronx school

principals. In addition, we surveyed all Bronx principals, asking about previous and current problematic issues. What are the major problems? They are problems with school bus services,

attendance, enrollment, pupil registration, and school transfers. These are problems foundacross the Bronx and across various grade levels. While the school year has just started, we feelsecure in saying that the problems raised by principals are not likely to evaporate over timewithout significant reforms from DOE.


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Recurring Major Problems Identified by Principals:

1. Too many principals find yellow school buses unreliable and difficult to deal with causingstudents to be late for school, stuck on buses for hours, neglected or abused.

2. Poorly planned registration and enrollment policies are causing widespread confusion andchildren are not being enrolled.

3. Too many students are not showing up during the first days of class or registering almost amonth after school starts causing students to miss valuable time in school.

4. Strict and complicated transfer processes are forcing too many students to stay in schools that

could be dangerous for them.

Suggested Solutions for DOE to Prevent Recurring Problems:

1. DOE must respond to excessive and repeated lateness and negligence of yellow school busdrivers. DOE must ensure bus drivers know their routes, children are assigned to the most con-venient routes and bus company personnel are properly trained to supervise children.

2. The DOE must simplify enrollment and registration for parents and principals and do a better

job of explaining new policies to parents and principals.3. The DOE must respond quicker to students that are absent or register late at the start of theschool year. Children that are absent or not registered at the start of the school year need to betracked better and DOE must do more to follow up with parents to ensure students are in schooland register on time.

4. The DOE must simplify the School Transfer Process. The DOE can do more to allow chil-dren who have legitimate reasons to transfer within practical limits, especially when it is recom-mended by principals.


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INTRODUCTION

In recent years, Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion has received numerous complaints at

the start of school year from principals seeking assistance and has made efforts to intervene ontheir behalf with DOE to resolve problems which students are facing that are beyond the meansof the principals authority. Typically, these principals call the Office of Bronx Borough Presi-dent (BBP) because their attempts to navigate New York City's complex education system have

been frustrated.

Principals indicate that dealing with new school year problems can at times amount to havingtwo full-time jobs, one consisting of putting out fires while the other involves fulfilling theirexisting responsibilities. To compound the problem, principals often reach out to DOE centraladministration staff regarding these problems- only to find their emails, phone calls, and voice-mails unanswered. In addition to entrenched bureaucratic and societal issues, DOE has madenavigating its complex education system to be all the more challenging for principals due to re-organizations over the last six years.

Pursuant to the New York City Charter, the BBP is empowered to track complaints about cityservices in the Bronx and report to the city administration and the public on recurring com-

plaints and the BBP's recommendations for improving the city's response to such complaints.In accordance with this responsibility, the BBP conducted a survey of Bronx principals to deter-mine what issues that have been problematic for students in the past at the start of the school

year, in order to determine if the city's response is adequate and what can be done to improve it.This report is based on the findings of this research.

Prior to this report, the BBP released the Back to School Enrollment Fact Sheet on August5th, 2008, which was distributed throughout the borough to help parents prepare for the newschool year and be ready to navigate the confusing public school enrollment process. (See theAppendix for a copy of the Fact Sheet) The fact sheet was released as a part of an outreachcampaign by the Borough President to address repeated issues that arise for parents when deal-ing with Bronx public schools at the start of year.

BACKGROUND ON DOES ROLE

Before examining problematic issues at the start of school year, this report first looks at the background of specific DOE departments and programs responsible for dealing with these is-sues including: the Office of Student Enrollment Planning and Operations; the Office of PupilTransportation; the Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy; and special education ser-


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vices and attendance procedures.

NYC Department of Education

The New York City Department of Education operates the largest public school system in theUnited States, serving children from pre-kindergarten to secondary education, as well as specialeducation and home-schooled students. It is composed of over 1,450 schools, 135,000 employ-ees (including more than 80,000 teachers and 1,400 principals), 1.1 million students and an an-nual budget of greater than $17 billion.(1) On any given school day, there are at least 55, 300classes in session.(2)

In the Bronx public school system, there are a total of 353 schools, 353 principals and 199,772students. There are 122 elementary schools with 74,215 students; 45 elementary/ middleschools with 32,659 students; 61 middle schools with 29,573 students; 26 middle/ high schoolswith 12,119 students; and 90 high schools with 48,236 students. Finally, for schools that covergrades k-12, there are 9 schools and 2,970 students.

Office of Student Enrollment, Planning and Operations

The Office of Student Enrollment Planning and Operations (OSEPO) serve a critical role at thestart of school year. In the months leading up to and during the start of the new school year,OSEPO is responsible for coordinating student enrollment planning and policy for all schools

except those in District 75 and District 79.(3) On a citywide basis for all grade levels, OSEPOtracks enrollment numbers at schools to determine placement options considering the number,academic levels and special needs of students admitted to all schools; manages the placementdecisions of student going into particular schools in accordance with established admissions

processes and procedure; determines what school a student is eligibility to attend is based ontheir residence within a defined geographical area within a zoning district; evaluates and deter-mines transfer approvals for students seeking to move from their current school to any otherschool; directs programs that allow students to apply to their schools of their choice; and createsmaterials and host educational forums that help students and parents make decisions at critical

junctures- like going from middle school to high school and determining which schools to at-tend.(4)

School Transfer Process

When a student seeks transfer from one school to another, schools are required to meet with the


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families to review transfer requests and provide all supporting documentation when a transfer isrequested and warranted. Acceptable causes for transfers include: Childcare Location HardshipTransfers (elementary school students only); Sibling Transfers (elementary school studentsonly); Medical Issue Transfers; School Safety Transfers; and a Travel Hardship Transfer. Other

transfers may be granted to address a particular hardship, provided all requisite documentationis presented. In all cases, the OSEPO will either deny or approve the transfer request and willdetermine the school to which a student will transfer.(5) If a student gets turned down for trans-fer, they can appeal to the Borough Enrollment Office . If that doesn't work, they can turn to thechancellor's office. Each request will be reviewed by the Office of Zoning and Integration tomake sure both the student and the district have followed transfer request guidelines.(6)

Office of Pupil Transportation

DOEs Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT) is responsible for ensuring that eligible generaleducation and special education students receive safe, reliable, and clean transportation ser-vices.(7) OPT oversees the transportation of more than 170,000 students. OPTs primary focusis stop-to-school busing, door-to-door busing, providing student MetroCards for use on publictransportation, and bus service for school field trips.(8)

A significant part of OPTs monitoring role in pupil transportation is ensuring that bus contrac-tors comply with service requirements and safety regulations.(9) To that end, OPT inspectorsregularly do inspections to evaluate yellow buses that are used to transport students., Inspectorsfocus primarily on the safety and soundness of the operating conditions of the yellow buses.Most inspections seek to ensure that school bus contractors properly maintain school bus equip-ment.(10)

OPT also monitors other services such as the scheduling and the timeliness of bus arrivals anddrop offs of students. Yellow bus contractors are required to report all school bus delays toOPT.(11) In addition, parents or a school may report a yellow bus delay to OPT. When a school

bus is reported delayed, OPT posts these delays on its website so that parents and OPT person-nel can keep track of real- time delays taking place.(12) In addition, OPT oversees and dealswith inadequate/ nonperformance of duties by bus drivers or matrons.

Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy

The Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy (OFEA) also provides outreach and assis-tance to parents about the enrollment process at the start of school year. OFEA provides a sup-

port team structure for new and current parents at schools, which is organized from individual
http://www.insideschools.org/st/ST_enrollment.phphttp://www.insideschools.org/st/ST_enrollment.php


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school level to school district level to borough-wide level.(13) Largely through Parent Coordi-nators based on schools, OFEA is the first and central point of contact for parents who needhelp with a particular issue regarding their childs school. Parent Coordinators that are trainedto help parents find answers to their questions and concerns that arise in the process of enroll-

ment; i.e. such dealing with registration problems, assisting with the school transfer process,and helping to secure special education services.(14)

Attendance Tracking Programs

Every child from 6 17 years of age is required to attend school full time.(15) The chancellor isresponsible for setting the overall minimum standards and guidelines of attendance, and ensur-ing schools have adequate resources to carry out the chancellors attendance policies. Principalsare responsible for planning, implementation and supervision of the school attendance program.

Teachers are responsible for taking attendance for each student and maintaining accurate re-cords. The attendance coordinator (a school administrative assistant), under the supervision ofthe principal, is responsible for the overall operation of the school attendance program. Thisincludes ensuring that each students attendance is recorded accurately, all documentation isappropriately signed and available for review, parents are contacted following a students ab-sence, all documents related to attendance tracking are filed appropriately and all proceduresare followed.(16) When a student has been absent for 10 consecutive days, 20 aggregate daysand 8 days after a prior problem, they become an absentee case. Absentee cases that cannot beresolved by the school attendance coordinator must be referred to the principal for action. Sub-sequently, the principal could contact the Administration for Childrens Services (ACS) to fol-low up with the family.(17)

Special Education Services

The delivery of special education services is governed by the federal law called IDEA(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). If a child has a disability, he or she may havemany rights under the IDEA and also be entitled to accommodations or services under anotherdisability law known as Section 504. The basic steps to get special education services are: Re-ferral- referring a child for evaluation; Consent- parental consent for evaluation and to initiateservices; Evaluation- evaluating the child; IEP review meeting- meeting with the parent and

professionals to make decisions about eligibility and create an Individualized Education Planfor the child; and Recommendation- recommending and offering services, which could includea classroom setting, for the child.(18)


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Each student who is recommended for special education is evaluated at their school by an Indi-vidualized Education Program (IEP) team, which is comprised of school staff and a students

parents. If the team determines that a child has a disability that requires special education ser-vices, DOE will work to make certain that the child is provided with what he or she needs to

succeed. This process is overseen by the principal and the school-based IEP team. For childrenwho are not attending public schools, this process is overseen by Committee on Special Educa-tion (CSE). Generally New York State regulations mandate that DOE complete the special edu-cation process within 60 days from the time a parent consents to an evaluation or referral for re-evaluation.(19)

ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS

METHODOLOGY

Several methods of research were utilized to conduct this analysis. First, a review of press cov-erage and studies of DOE policies was conducted. Second, interviews were done with the non-

profit, Advocates for Children and the DOE, and a focus group was held with Bronx principals.Lastly, two rounds of a survey were undertaken of all Bronx principals to learn more about theissues they face at the start of the school year.

Interviews and Focus Group

In July 2008, the BBP conducted an interview with staff from the nonprofit organization, Advo-cates for Children, to learn more about the challenges Bronx families face at the start of theschool year. Major areas of concern raised during the interview included: difficulties with thenew DOE process for pre-K and Kindergarten students, the lack of outreach to immigrant par-ents, poor dissemination of information, and serious concerns with placements and availableresources for special education students.

In July 2008, the BBP met with the Department of Education to learn more about registration,enrollment, transportation, parental outreach and other issues that arise at the start of the schoolyear. Representatives from the Office of Student Enrollment Planning and Operations(OSEPO), the Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT), the Office of Family Engagement (OFEA),the Chancellors Office of Communications and Media Relations, and the Chancellors Officeof Intergovernmental Affairs were present.


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In July 2008, the BBP conducted a focus group with 5 principals and 3 assistant principals fromthe Bronx to learn more about the challenges they deal with at the start of the school year. The

principals were from all areas of the Bronx and represented elementary, middle and highschools. Major areas of concern raised during the focus group include: list notices, over-the-

counter placements, a lack of sufficient resources for newly enrolled special education students,and the inability to place zoned students in a school due to overcrowding.

Online Survey

The BBP created and conducted a survey , The Bronx Back to School Survey , of Bronx principals in order to identify what issues are the most problematic and widespread at the start of theschool year. The survey was available online through the Survey Monkey website. (See appen-dix for a copy of the survey questions and summary of results). A link and instructions to the

survey was emailed by the BBP Director of Education and Youth to all 353 Bronx publicschool principals on August 7 th, 2008 with a due date of August 15 th. Follow up emails and callswere made to school principals by the BBP to remind them to complete the survey before thedue date.

The survey had a response rate of 52%. There were 207 responses to the survey and 185 sur-veys were completed (Three respondents did not identify their name or school and not all sur-veys were completed past the first section. Surveys that were not completed past the first sec-tion were not included in the analysis.) These principals represent over 100,000 Bronx publicschool students. The survey results were representative of all grade levels and school districts inThe Bronx. (See the appendix for more detailed information about the profile of the survey re-spondents). The survey asked questions related to general information about each respondentand common problems that schools face at the start of the school year. Questions about specificissues concerning registration, zoning and transfers, special education students, parental out-reach, translations services and transportation were also included.Another survey requesting open feedback of concerns during the first week of the school yearwas also sent to all Bronx principals on September 2 with a due date of September 5. 79

principals responded. (For a copy of this survey see the appendix). This second survey con-

firmed many of the problems that were identified during the first Bronx Back to School Sur-vey but also identified alarming problems for special education students. Many principals havereported transfers of special education students that were supposed to take place last springhave not occurred and students are not being placed in appropriate schools. Additionally, many

principals have major delays and other scheduling deficiencies with yellow bus service for spe-cial education students.


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SURVEY FINDINGS

Principals that responded to the Bronx Back to School Survey identified a wide variety of problems they experience at the start of the school year. Though many problems appear to be pervasive throughout all public schools, there were specific problems that were unique or par-ticularly burdensome for each grade level. These areas of concern encompass multiple issuessuch as yellow school bus arrival times, parental knowledge of the transfer process and late reg-istration. The survey also found that elementary, middle and high schools are dealing with sev-eral specific yet pervasive issues through each school level.

The top areas of concern confronting each grade level are:

Elementary Yellow School Buses Middle Schools Transfers and Zoning High Schools Registration

Overall, the top 5 issues for all schools were:

No shows/Absent students School Transfer Process Changes to the Enrollment Process Late Registration Lack of Parental Knowledge about the Registration Process


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Major Problems Confronting Each Grade Level

All grade levels (elementary, middle and high schools) experienced many of the same prob-lems. However there were particular problems that disproportionately impacted one grade levelor were only experienced by one grade level. The following summary provides a brief overviewof the responses and findings for the top problem confronting each grade level.

Elementary Schools Many elementary schools are experiencing serious problems with thereliability of Yellow School Bus service. Of particular concern for principals were scheduling,

pickups, and bus routes. 69% of principals identified off-schedule bus arrival times as a prob-lem that occurs very often or often. 59% of principals identified the size of bus routes as a prob-lem that occurs very often or often. 52% of principals identified buses picking up at all sched-uled stops as a problem that occurs very often or often.

Special Education buseswere late at least 1 and one-half hour late. One child wasbrought and left at ourschool but she belongs atanother school.

~Bronx School Principal


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Middle Schools - Almost half of all middle school principals identify significant problemswith zoning and transfer issues . 46% identified parental knowledge of their zoned school asvery problematic or problematic. 51% identified student ability to transfer due to zoning and51% identified availability of seats for a students zoned school as very problematic or prob-

lematic.

High Schools - High School principals reported having the most problems with the overallregistration process. 71% identified DOE school transfer process, 69% identified parentalknowledge of registration process, 65% identified students registering in the 3 rd of 4 th week ofSeptember, 57% identified transfer of documents from one school to another and 48% identi-fied receiving a DOE list notice or over the counter placements for new students as very

problematic or problematic.

I am so over-crowded I don'thave enoughchairs for the stu-dents. I informedHS Enrollment thatthey were sending

too many studentsbut they keptsending them any-way.

~Bronx SchoolPrincipal

Zoning regulationsare not being fol-lowed by the officeof enrollment.

~Bronx SchoolPrincipal


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General Problems Confronting All Grade Levels

1. A majority of school principals struggle with the number of absent students. These stu-dents are either currently enrolled or newly enrolled and do not show up during the first days orweeks of class. 60% of all school principals identified No Shows/Absent Students as very

problematic or problematic. 50% of elementary schools, 60% of middle school and 65% identi-fied this issue as very problematic or problematic.

2. A majority of all schools are experiencing significant problems with the DOE school transfer process for students. 55% of all school principals identified the DOE School TransferProcess as very problematic or problematic. This problem disproportionately impacts studentsin middle and high schools. 33% of elementary schools, 61% of middle schools and 71% ofhigh schools identified this issue as problematic or very problematic.

Our only problem is noshow students and thearduous task of track-ing down no shows,especially those thathave moved out of city/state/country.


There has to be a bet-ter way of placing stu-dents who are our mostin need of consistency,understanding and re-

spect.



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3. A majority of all schools are experiencing significant problems with DOE changes to theenrollment process. 54% of all school principals identified DOE Changes to Enrollment Proc-ess as very problematic or problematic. This issue is more problematic for middle and highschools. 39% of elementary schools, 65% of middle schools and 58% of high schools identified

this issue as very problematic or problematic.

4. A majority of all principals reported late registration of students is a serious problem. Thisincludes students who register during the 3 rd or 4 th week of class. Overall, 53% of principalsreported students registering during the 3 rd or 4 th week of September were very problematic or

problematic. This is a particularly challenging problem for middle and high schools. 36% of all

elementary schools, 53% of all middle schools and 65% of all high school principals identifiedthis issue as very problematic or problematic.

Office of Student Enroll-ment is always an issue.They just register kids inthe school with no commu-nication to the school.


We have had our usualhuge number of no-showstudents (over 150)



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5. A majority of all school principals identify the lack of parental knowledge about the regis-tration process as a significant problem.

51% of all school principals reported Parental Knowledge of Registration Process as very problematic or problematic. This issue is particularly problematic for middle and high schools.30% of elementary schools, 53% of middle schools and 69% of high schools identified this is-sue as very problematic or problematic.

The changes to the enroll-ment process force schoolsto complete registration forparents, placing us at oddswithin our own communi-ties.



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CONCLUSIONS

While some problems confronting school principals at the start of school year are related to theoverhaul of New York Citys public education system, other problems are due to bureaucratic

problems and societal issues that have existed for decades. The goal of this report is to deter-mine the causes of problems that come up at the start of school year. The following paragraphswill outline some of the multiple causes that have been identified.

1. Too many school principals find yellow school buses unreliable and difficult to dealwith.

Principals are reporting wide spread problems with off-schedule bus arrival times, buses pick-ing up students at all scheduled stops and the size of bus routes. This issue impacts the citysmost vulnerable school children - elementary school students and special education students ofall grade levels. Late buses cause students to miss valuable class time, are disruptive to schooladministrators and teachers, and can increase absences for students who cannot wait a long pe-riod of time outside for buses. According to principal responses, the DOE appears to be doing a

better job of ensuring the buses are functioning mechanically. Therefore, this issue is more of aresult of the management at bus contracting companies, the level of training for bus drivers, andthe size and locations of bus routes.

During the last couple of years, DOE has made and is continuing to make several ambitious at-tempts to consolidate bus routes to increase their efficiency. These reforms have had their prob-lems but, according to the DOE, are leading to greater efficiency. However, there is also a prob-lem with the level of oversight principals have over bus drivers and bus companies. Bus driversor contracted bus companies have absolutely no accountability to the principals and schoolsthey serve. The current system places the rights of bus drivers and bus companies over studentsand principals. They are only accountable to the DOEs Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT).If a driver is repeatedly late in dropping off students at school it is very difficult for a principalto document these late arrivals then navigate the complaint process with the bus contractor and

OPT. Processing complaints against a bus driver or bus company can take months, especially ifthere is an appeal by the driver.

2. New registration and enrollment policy changes are causing widespread confusion andadministrative problems.

The process from start to finish is poorly understood by too many parents, students and admin-


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causes too many administrative problems for principals. The current process can lock a studentinto a choice that was poorly informed. Of course, students should not be allowed to transfer toany school they wish at any point during the school year because this would be too disruptive tostudents and schools. The current regulations regarding that currently limit transfers to docu-

mented medical or safety reasons do prevent many needless transfers. However, the transfer process as it stands now also forces students into a choice they may no longer want for very le-gitimate reasons.

The current middle school transfer zoning and zoning process is especially confusions for mid-dle schools, making it more difficult for students to transfer, and limits the availability of seatsfor students in their zoned school. Currently, some districts are zoned and others are choicedistricts. Most elementary and middle schools in New York City are zoned, which means thatstudents attend a school determined by their address and typically close to where they live.However, students in middle school districts that allow other options, or choice districts, canalso apply to schools outside their immediate neighborhoods. These distinctions may be clear tosomeone very familiar with DOE regulations, but this is not always so clear to parents. In par-ticular, it can be problem to a parent who might have moved from a choice district to a zoneddistrict.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The purpose of this report is to highlight recurring problems that principals experience at thestart of the school year and bring them to the attention of the DOE. The following recommenda-tions should be a starting point of dialogue between the DOE, Bronx school principals and theOffice of the Bronx Borough President to begin tackling these challenges. These problems arenot occurring as isolated incidents, but are systematic. Therefore, these problems require a sys-tematic response from the DOE because principals on their own cannot remedy these issues.

1. The DOE must respond to recurring problems with yellow school buses.

Every year there are reports of late, lost, abusive or negligent bus drivers and bus companies atthe start of the school year. These repeated problems are unacceptable because they put ourchildren in harms way and are preventable. The DOE must do more to ensure that bus driversknow their routes, children are assigned to the most convenient routes and bus company person-nel are properly trained to supervise children before the start of the school year. The DOE, Of-fice of Pupil Transportation and contracted bus companies must be held accountable to princi-

pal complaints.


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To improve yellow bus service and make bus companies more responsive to principal concerns,DOE can increase the severity of violations issued to bus contractors and for scheduling defi-ciencies with yellow bus service; provide a role for principals in reviewing the renewal of con-tracts for bus companies serving their school; and expand initial efforts to have cameras and

GPS tracking systems on all buses as soon as possible, if the pilot is successful.

2. The DOE must respond to recurring problems with registration and enrollment.

The current registration and enrollment process is causing too many problems in our schoolsand making the start of the school year chaotic for too many children, parents and principals.Children are registering late, are enrolled in schools without adequate services for them and toomany parents and school administrators are confused about constantly changing policies. TheDOE must streamline these processes, and ensure new enrollment and registration processes arefully tested before being applied to all city schools. Most importantly, the DOE must do more tokeep parents, principals and students informed about changes with better outreach and informa-tion dissemination.

To improve the registration and enrollment process the DOE can start with providing accurateand reader friendly information on the DOE website and making better use of parent coordina-tors. The DOE should also initiate more pilot programs in targeted areas for enrollment changesto work out the kinks before rolling them out citywide.

3. DOE needs to be more pro-active in responding to chronic student absences at the startof the school year and students who register late.

Efforts to reduce absenteeism must include the child, the family, the school, and the DOE.Bronx principals report that many students are registering several weeks after the normal regis-tration date or are absent during the first days of class. Parents must share some of responsibil-ity and should be accountable for registering their children on time. However, given the respon-sibility of schools to look after the welfare of students, DOE also needs to do a better job oftracking down chronically absent students in a timely manner.

To improve attendance during the first days of schools and prevent late registrations, the DOE

can create an early response to absence system for calling parents to ensure a first day re-sponse to all absences by school administrators. In addition, the DOE can require the Office ofFamily Engagement and Advocacy to be charged with reaching out to the parents of late regis-tering students within three days of missing attendance to determine the reasons for their ab-sence and ensure the student comes in for registration.


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4. DOE needs to simplify the school transfer process.

While parents and students have the greatest responsibility to ensure they understand this proc-ess, DOE can do more to provide accurate and timely information to them and allow students totransfer within practical limits. To simplify the transfer processes for students who need them,

DOE can reduce the quantity of documentation required to have transfers approved under thecurrent process; eliminate the requirement of police report for safety transfers and require onlythat schools fill out an occurrence form. DOE should also allow middle school students onechance to transfer schools after their first year. To increase the parental and student knowledgeabout the transfer process the DOE can send a letter in the fall to all 9 th graders informing themthat they can reapply for a different high school in the 10 th grade.


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ENDNOTES

1. "DOE Mission Statement." idealist.org. June 18, 2008 . Action Without Borders. August 19,2008 .

2. Lukin, J. (2003) First Class School Safety: A Proposal from the New York City Departmentof Education, Office of School Safety and Planning to the United States Department ofEducation

3. "Regulations of the Chancellor." ADMISSIONS, READMISSIONS, TRANSFERS, ANDLIST NOTICES FOR ALL STUDENTS. June 17, 2008. New York City Department ofEducation. August 21, 2008 .

4. "Office of Student Enrollment Planning and Operations ." New York City Department ofEducation. August 21, 2008 .

5. http://docs.nycenet.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-11/A-101.pdf

6. http://insideschools.org/index12.php?s=1&a=417. "Parent Resources." Pupil Transportation . New York City Department of Education. Au-

gust 19, 2008 .

8. Lukin, Ibid 9. Thompson, Ibid, 1.10. Thompson, Ibid, 4.

11. Thompson, Ibid, 10.12. Thompson, Ibid, 6.13. "Family Engagement and Advocacy." Offices & Programs. New York City Department of

Education. August 20, 2008 .14. "DOE Parent Coordinators and Parent Support Offices." Keep It Going NYC. August 21,

2008 .

15. Minors who have a) graduated from high school, earned a high school equivalency diploma,or who are between 16 17 and have been issued a full-time employment certificate are ex-empt from this rule. Regulations of the Chancellor - Regulation A-210: 1.1 and 1.4.

16. Absentee lengths that require a Form 407 Attendance and Outreach Referral: 10 consecu-

tive days, 20 aggregate days (over a 4 month period), or 8 consecutive days (if there has been a prior 407). Regulations of the Chancellor - Regulation A-210: 4.7.117. Regulations of the Chancellor, Ibid.18. "Parent Resources: Special Education." insideschools.org. Advocates for Children. August

20, 2008 .19. Special Education." Academics. New York City Department of Education. August 20, 2008

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APPENDIX

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SURVEY 1 RESULTS THE BRONX BACK TO SCHOOL SURVEY


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SURVEY 2 - FEEDBACK ON FIRST WEEK OF NEW SCHOOL YEAR

Samples of Bronx Principals Comments on the First Week of SchoolPrincipal made their comments to the Office of the Bronx Borough President anonymously through anonline survey. 101 Bronx principals in total responded.

Survey Question:1. During this first week, please describe any issues that have been problematic in your

school and any specific incidents that have occurred. (For example, problems such as: yel-low bus service for special education and general education students; school transfers;changes to the enrollment process; late registrations; parental knowledge of registration

process; list notices/ over the counter placements; zoning regulations; and no shows/ absent students.)

Students in special education are being given metro cards to ride city busses. I had a grade twochild who has turrets syndrome and hits himself who is asked to ride a city bus. The parent is notgiven a metro card so it is expected that thd child will ride alone. This is insane. Busses for special edchildren arrive to my school 30 to 45 minutes after school has begun. So instead of more we giveless to our most neediest students. -Thu, 9/11/08 9:53 AM

OSEPO placements to non-existent or over crowded classes; confusing pre-k enrollment resulting inparents believing they can not register their child. -Mon, 9/8/08 6:40 PM

yellow bus service for district 75 students was horrific. Examples: studnets arrivign home at 7 pmwith bus companu unable to contact bus, buses arribvign at practically 10 am to school, paretns put-tign in proper paperwork for cahnge of address during summer- new address not in system and busgoes to old address,studetns dropped from bus runs and not picked up unitl a week later -Fri,9/5/08 4:23 PM

We have have quite a few no shows this week and several absent students.Fri, 9/5/08 1:22 PM

None of the students awaiting special education placement over the summer were placed. This has

resulted in many students being in the wrong placement at the start of the school year. In addition,OSEPO has continued to enroll students at our school. This has created an unsafe condition at theschool. We need assistance in getting the zone of the school reduced.Fri, 9/5/08 12:45 PM

Special Education bussing for some students was terminated without explanations nor parent notifi-cation. No process was in place to rectify situation. OSEPO placed students in Special ED classeswithout giving priority to our own students. Summer placement was not done. Students are not inthe proper classes. Pre-K registration was not fully understood by parents.Fri, 9/5/08 11:38 AM

There were many bussing issues and OPT could not be reached. One of my students who attends aninclusion program was denied access to the building.

Fri, 9/5/08 11:30 AM

Biggest issue is lack of clear procedures from OSEPO - are we enrolling the students or are they - ifthey are doing it why do they send the kids here telling us to do it?Thu, 9/4/08 5:09 PM

No shows, lateness and absent student are a very big problem> - Thu, 9/4/08 4:39 PM

My school is served by 17 different special education buses, up from 10 last year. This makes dis-


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missal very hectic. - Thu, 9/4/08 4:34 PM

OSEPO sending students to the school that they know we don't have room for, lack of informationabout special education bus service, Office of Pupil Transportation is as unresponsive as ever, Dis-crepancies between CAP, ATS, and IEPS, missing IEPs for incoming students, students awaiting spe-cial educaiton placements from last year, special education articulation is a mess. - Wed, 9/3/08

7:04 PM

The prekindergarten application process is a nightmare. The placement of special education studentsis also horrible. We still have students awaiting placement from last year.Wed, 9/3/08 1:54 PM

Special Ed placement and articulation were not done properly in June causing residual effects inSeptember. Additionally, OSEPO is a poor concept and an even worse reality.Wed, 9/3/08 1:21 PM

OSEPO REGISTRATION- sending students to schools without appropriate documentation or place-ment. - Wed, 9/3/08 1:02 PM

Spe Ed school bus not picking up students and parents screwaming about no bus and cannot get incontact with bus company or OPT, CSE placement of students who need much more than what theyare giving, Regional registration that gave incorrect information to parents, parents still thinking theycan register at any school with no consideration of zoningWed, 9/3/08 12:41 PM

Special Education requests for changes in placement that were sent out in May and June and offersfor the new placements were not made during the summer. This means that they return to their oldplacement this week and their needs are already not being addressed. I have 8 students in thissituation!!!!!! - Wed, 9/3/08 12:32 PM

Buses not picking up special education students Buses arriving late at schools Students referred toleast restrictive environments not be admitted to Community Schools, even with IEP documentationand placement letters OSEPO not placing students in a timely fashion

Wed, 9/3/08 11:28 AM

The new Pre-K registration regulations are a total disaster. It impeedes the Principal's ability toplan,organize and schedule his/her school. - Wed, 9/3/08 8:51 AM


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