YWN has exclusively obtained a copy of a letter from the State Education Department directing New York City to cease providing special education services to children at six local yeshivas. SED’s letter comes as parents whose children receive special education services are faced with a rapidly approaching deadline to submit their Parental Notice of Intent advising which school their child will attend in the upcoming school year. If SED has its way, parents will not be able to submit a PNI listing any of these six yeshivas.

SED’s letter provides that “these institutions are not authorized to operate as “schools” and may not avail themselves of any statutory or regulatory pathway to demonstrate substantial equivalency.”

According to longtime observers, SED’s actions are unprecedented and the most aggressive move that New York State has ever made against yeshiva parents.

Avi Schick explained that “SED’s actions are contrary to the law, to what they represented to the Court of Appeals last week and to what they have been saying in their court filings for several years. It cannot stand.”

As YWN readers are aware, last week the New York City Department of Education paused all enforcement against these schools until SED issued written guidance. Instead of publicly releasing its guidance, as it its usual practice, SED instead sent a letter to the City DOE.

YWN believes that SED was afraid of being caught talking out of both sides of its mouth – saying one thing to the Court and another to local school authorities. YWN is glad to have caught SED’s cruel-hearted duplicity that deprives children of necessary services, and to publicize it.

YWN also recognizes that the City DOE is caught in a bind, since SED is trying to hide behind them to implement its harmful directives. We applaud DOE for publicly issuing its pause last week, and we urge the DOE to continue to act with sensitivity and flexibility towards the families and children harmed by SED’s outrageous power grab.

YWN will continue to keep readers informed of any developments.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)