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May 11, 2011

Overcrowding in Queens Schools Harming Our Students

By  Make the Road New York Staff / Make the Road New York




On Tuesday, MRNY released a new report documenting the affects of severe overcrowding in Queens public schools. Read more in the New York Times.

More than half of the students attending public school in northwest Queens are suffering from overcrowded conditions. Community School Districts 24 and 30 serve the fastest growing population of immigrants in New York City, yet many schools are hundreds of students above their intended capacity. At PS 19 in Corona, portable classrooms installed 16 years ago are still in use and now house more than double the amount of students they were intended to.

Due to the overcrowding, some children have to eat lunch as early as 9:30 in the morning and spend the afternoon hungry and unable to concentrate. Other students have to choose between eating and using the bathroom during lunch because there is no time for both. Many schools further lack proper space and materials for gym and music classes, science laboratories and libraries.

Make the Road New York is organizing parents and students to speak out against these deplorable conditions and demand new school construction in these overwhelmed districts. In a time of severe budget cuts and teacher layoffs, it is imperative that we preserve the most basic rights of our students to receive a good education in a healthy environment.


More on: Public Education 

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Victory for Immigrant Families: Preventing Unjust Deportations in NYC

On March 18, 2013, Mayor Bloomberg signed new legislation to stop federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from using NYC’s criminal justice system to deport thousands of New Yorkers.

Building on legislation we helped to win just over a year ago, Local Laws 21 and 22 prohibit not only the Department of Correction but now also the NYPD from spending millions of city taxpayer dollars to hold individuals on behalf of ICE agents for detention and deportation. Each year, thousands of New York families will stay together who would otherwise have been torn apart by overly aggressive, indiscriminate immigration enforcement.

At a moment when the country is debating immigration reform, with these laws, New York City sends a clear message to Washington that tearing apart thousands of immigrant families is bad policy.

With your support, we look forward to winning national reform that keeps families together. We thank our partners at the Center for Popular Democracy, the Cardozo Immigration Justice Clinic and the bills’ sponsors, NYC Council Speaker Quinn and Council Member Mark-Viverito, for their courageous leadership.


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