Leaders of the Boro Park Jewish Community Council (BPJCCC), Parents for Educational and Religious Liberty in Schools (PEARLS), Agudath Israel, and United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg (UJO) addressed members of the frum media today and urged continued vigilance and advocacy against new regulations released by the State Department of Education (SED).
On July 2nd, SED released regulations aimed at regulating yeshivas and other private and religious schools throughout New York, initiating a 60-day public comment period. “Over 15,000 comments have been submitted on behalf of yeshivas,” according to Avi Schick, attorney for PEARLS. “Every yeshiva parent sacrifices when they choose this path for their children- they sacrifice financially and they sacrifice their time,” continued Schick
Schick went on to point out that the timing of the release of the regulations was very inconvenient and put advocates at a disadvantage because schools are closed for the summer, many families go away and in general focus their attention and childcare needs in other areas during the recess period. “There is no reason this had to be limited to the summer or limited to 60 days. For that reason it is crucial that parents are even more engaged to ensure the community keeps the issue in the forefront.”
PEARLS and other groups contend that the proposed regulations disregard the long history of success demonstrated by private and religious schools across New York State. The new regulations would intrude on parental choice for education for their children by giving the state avenues to influence the curriculum, daily schedules, and subjects taught in private and religious schools under the doctrine of “substantial equivalence”.
Avi Greenstein, CEO of Boro Park Community Jewish Council said “This is the leading challenge facing kol Yisrael today.”
Rabbi David Niederman of UJO, Rabbi Chaim David Zwiebel of Agudath, and Avi Greenstein of BPJCC stressed that the community must be more engaged than ever in advocating on behalf of their yeshivas. The regulations were already struck down in court in the spring and community leaders see this simply as a repackaging and way around what a court has already dealt with.
“People should answer a simple question- are we consider public or private schools?” asked Rabbi Niederman. “If we are private- parents have the right to choose.” Rabbi Niederman also noted that the yeshiva system, the largest contingency of private schools in the state, grew out of the ashes of the holocaust to what is now a flourishing system with over 165,000 students statewide.
Readers can contact the SED at the following links:
https://www.voice.pearlsny.org/
https://voice.torahumesorah.org/
https://voice.yeshivosbychoice.org/
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5 Responses
Not everyone, especially in our oilom, has a computer or an email account. That also puts us at a great disadvantage! What other options are there?
Yesterday I heard from a Godel Byisroel the flowing: This gezaira גזירה was sent to us by Hakudosh Boruch Hu הקב”ה mida knegged mida מידה כנגד מידה!
we just read in Parshas Balak about Balak complementing and being jealous about the Jewish people minding their own business being and acting in a modest fashion not looking or searching in one another home שלא היה חלונותיהם ופתחיהם מכוונות
the Yeshivas and Mosdos Hachinuch started violating this custom and thus expelling and not accepting holy Neshomos Talmudim and Talmudus in the Thora education system, therefore, Hashem sent the Government to search our classrooms! let us stop the discrimination because of the looks or behavior of the parent’s let us stop looking in the bedrooms what filter the parents use on the internet etc, Mind Your own business! it will come to your children and grandchildren being rejected from the Mosdos “Every Child Deserves A Chance to become A GODEL HADOR ” this world is governed by Hashem everything is MIDA KENEGED MIDA
I’m no fan of YAFFED but I think everyone realizes that all this came about becauseof the above organizations refusal to acknowledge the truth that 15 or so yeshivas in fact were refusing to teach virtually any secular subjects, including English and math. Instead, they denounced and demonized Yaffed. As a result, Yaffed put the issue out into the open with billboards etc giving the State Dept of Education the excuse to over regulate ALL yeshivas, not just the 15. Even as the above organizations sued the DOE, they kept pointing to all the great yeshivas (which didn’t cause the problem) while refusing to acknowledge the realities of the issues brought out by Yaffed. When you paint all Yeshivas with the same brush we get into the mess we are currently in.
Hatzlacha rabah! H-shem should help you against this terrible gezeirah. With best wishes and prayers from Yerushalayim.
Why is my comment still awaiting moderation? I posted it yesterday evening!