24 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 22, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
A lesson on city’s new school admission policies
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e application process for students
entering middle and high school for the
2020-21 school year is about to become
shorter, easier and more transparent,
according to Mayor Bill de Blasio and
Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza.
Now, there will only be one application
round and deadline for families to
keep track of. All admissions processes
will have one round, from 3-K to high
school. Students will be placed on a waitlist
for each school listed higher on their
application than the school to which they
are off ered admission, informed of their
spot on the waitlist, and immediately
off ered admission off the waitlists as seats
become available.
“Parents have enough on their
plate — tangling with bureaucracy to
get their child into school shouldn’t add
to the load,” de Blasio. “We are changing
the middle and high school application
processes so families don’t have to go
through the gauntlet just to get a placement.
Th ere will be one application round
and one deadline to make everyone’s lives
easier.”
Th e change was made aft er families and
educators said that they would like a “simpler,
more transparent and more accessible
system of school choice,” according to
Carranza.
“Th is common-sense change will make
a real diff erence for families across the
fi ve boroughs, and improve our middle
and high school choice process for years
to come,” Carranza said.
Th e DOE is eliminating the second
application rounds for middle and high
school. Th e main round application process
and timeline will remain the same,
with middle and high school applications
opening in October with a December
deadline. Students will receive their off er
in March. Families can still appeal for
travel, safety or medical hardships; if families
have any hardship, they will be able
to access in-person support at Family
Welcome Centers, rather than wait to
participate in a second process.
Th e waitlists will open aft er off ers are
released and will be a simpler, clearer process
for families, increasing:
Transparency: By knowing their waitlist
position, families have a better understanding
of their chances of getting into a
preferred school option in the event that
seats become available.
Ease: Th is is a shorter process that
requires less paperwork. Rather than having
to complete a second application and
wait weeks — oft en into May or June —
for a second decision or off er, families
will complete one process, receive one
off er, and receive any additional off ers
based on waitlist position.
Consistency: Families will now have
one admissions system at all grade levels,
with the changes to the middle and
high school process making it more similar
to the elementary school admissions
process. Currently the elementary school
process has one round, and the middle
Mayor Bill de Blasio shakes hands before his announcement last week on a change to the city's school admission policies.
and high school processes have two
rounds with diff erent names; now, families
will not need to learn a diff erent process
each time a child applies to a new
school — allowing them to focus on
school options and not process.
Th ere will be a robust set of resources
available to schools and families to ensure
educators and families have information
Photo provided by the New York City Mayoral Photography Offi ce (MPO)
about the changes being implemented,
and the DOE will engage families once
school is back in session.
Schools will have resources to support
families, and Family Welcome Center
staff will be fully trained in these new
processes to help guide and support families.
Th e DOE will also share information
at middle and high school fairs this fall,
and update the website and family-facing
materials.
Information will be distributed to all
principals and throughout the fall, the
DOE will conduct training for school staff
on the application process. In February
and March, the DOE will provide targeted,
in-depth training on waitlist management
and systems.
City off ering grants to construction fi rms for safety training
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Small-scale construction fi rms in
Queens and the other boroughs of New
York City can now apply for one-time
grants from the city to off set the cost of
site training safety for their workers.
Firms located in the fi ve boroughs with
one to 15 employees, and NYC-certifi ed
M/WBE construction fi rms with one to
15 employees in the region, are eligible
for the one-time grant administered by
the NYC Department of Small Business
Services.
Th ese grants help businesses comply
with Local Law 196 of 2017, requiring
most construction workers to obtain Site
Safety training by Sept. 1, 2020. Up to
40,000 construction workers can benefi
t from Site Safety training through this
program as employees of small businesses.
“SBS is committed to equity of opportunity,
and that includes helping our small
construction businesses to keep their
workers safe on the job,” Department of
Small Business Services Commissioner
Gregg Bishop said. “Th ese grants will
allow small construction fi rms to provide
necessary training to their workers more
quickly, and help them thrive in this key
economic sector.”
Businesses may choose a training provider
that is best for their business from
Small construction companies can apply now for grants that off set the cost of worksite safety
training for employees.
a list approved by the Department of
Buildings. Eligible construction fi rms
can apply for the grant online or obtain
more information by calling 311.
Businesses are required to submit
information that demonstrates their eligibility
and completion of training with
an authorized provider. An analyst will
review the application and SBS will provide
up to 100 percent reimbursement
within two months aft er the application
is fi nalized.
Photo via Getty Images
“Every worker who leaves for a job site
in the morning deserves to come home
safely at night,” Department of Buildings
Commissioner Melanie La Rocca said.
“We’re proud to work with our partners
at SBS to make it easier for workers
at small construction fi rms to get the
safety training they need. Th is training is
required by law, but even more importantly,
it can save lives.”
For more information, visit nyc.gov/
sbs or call 311.
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