NY Appleseed is encouraged by yesterday's NYCPS announcement of the formation of five district working groups across New York City. We stand ready to support in a mission of dismantling the deeply entrenched consequences of segregation that have for too long shaped the experiences of students across New York City's public schools.

Visit our website to read the full statement and download the PDF.

Our June social was a hit! We celebrated the end of the school year and another year of successful advocacy by inviting Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari from Alliance for Quality Education to speak, as well as asked folks to provide one thing that gives them hope for the next school year. The social was filled with community joy, laughter, and new connections, and we look forward to hosting next year's!

NY Appleseed is proud to have been a co-organizer of the Peace and Justice Youth Conference that took place at DesignWorks High School in Brooklyn. The gathering started off with some grounding singing and restorative justice circles, and ended with affirming chants. It was a full day of community building, resource sharing, story-telling, and enriching learning. We can't wait for next year's conference!

Huge shoutout to The Circle Keepers for putting this all together- to Martín, who tirelessly coordinated the adult allies, and to the CK youth, who led the conference with confidence, passion, and care.

Parent leaders have continued to share with PTAlink their challenges hosting effective PA/PTA meetings and cultivating active parent volunteers. Looking ahead to the new school year, PTAlink would like to explore collaborative approaches throughout NYC with PA/PTAs that further support family engagement.

PTAlink is distributing this survey to collect and share best practices that encourage PA/PTA participation and attendance. Share your insights and examples of ways to make meetings more engaging and to involve more parents in meaningful ways!

PTAlink was thrilled to Celebrate 17 with District 17 parents at this fabulous school community event filled with music, food, laughter, and joy.

Reach out to info@ptalink.org if you would like us to join an event at your school!

June is a busy month- it's a time to both wrap things up and roll things out! Your PA/PTA may have had their annual election or be holding it in the coming days. After your election:



• your PA/PTA, ideally, has 3 mandatory officers,
• your election results are certified, and
• your Principal, FLC and school community are notified of your new officers

Now what?

It's time to Transfer the Records. PTAlink has you covered with this handy Transfer of Records Pocket Guide to share with your parent leaders. Read more about the board transition at PTAlink.org.

New York City’s public school system has long been defined by inequities of concentrated wealth and poverty, and nowhere is that more pronounced than in parent-teacher association fundraising. 

NY Appleseed's PTAlink coordinator Antonia Martinelli discussed how newly minted PTA members may lack training and understanding of the PTA’s role. Martinelli also raised concerns about the end balance of the city’s PTAs, which totaled about $46.5 million. “PTAs are supposed to target their fundraising to a specific goal,” she said. “They are not supposed to be running quasi endowments.”



Click here to read the full Chalkbeat article.

P.S. Weekly is a student-hosted show about pressing issues in the New York City school system, and student producers Noa Salas Adam and Katelyn Melville released an episode exploring the challenges faced by students with disabilities who rely on busing. They discuss how lacking/inconsistent bus service has detrimental impacts on academic performance, time with friends, and commuting to jobs or after-school programs.

Take a listen to the podcast episode here. You can also listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other streaming platforms.

Interested in learning more about NYC's yellow bus service? Read NY Appleseed's transportation briefing here, where we shine a light on the demographic data of students who rely on school bus service, as well as provide recommendations to aid in navigating the complexities of yellow bus service more equitably.