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Despite NYC investigation findings, state puts off rules for yeshiva instruction

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The chancellor of Regents board says no timetable for state regulations on what private schools must teach, despite a New York City investigation findings that some Yeshivas fall short on academics. (The Journal News)

“Even as a New York City investigation has refocused concerns that some ultra-Orthodox yeshivas do not meet standards for academic instruction, the state is putting off possible action on proposed rules for aggressively monitoring private schools.

A long-delayed report from the New York City Department of Education, released Thursday, found that only two of 28 yeshivas visited by city officials since 2015 complied with a state law that requires private school instruction to be “substantially equivalent” to what public schools teach. Nine schools were found to be moving toward substantial equivalency

New York City is home to about 275 yeshivas, but the probe focused on yeshivas that were targeted in complaints filed in 2015 by the advocacy group Young Advocates for Fair Education, or YAFFED. [Read more…]

State education chief unveils retooled ‘substantial equivalency’ rules for private schools

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“The New York State Education Department announced proposed regulations Friday for academic instruction at nonpublic schools, less than two months after its guidelines with similar goals were blocked by the State Supreme Court.

The issue focuses on enforcing state law requiring that secular studies at private schools — like math science, English and history — be “substantially equivalent” to what’s taught in public schools. Concern has been most focused on certain ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish yeshivas that advocates have reported fail to meet the law or prepare their students for employment and a solid economic future.

State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia initially issued new guidelines in November that were meant to update previously issued guidelines for enforcing the law. But the court ruled in April that the Education Department failed to follow its own procedure for such specific changes. [Read more…]

A Law Tailored for Orthodox Jewish Schools Is Unconstitutional, Lawsuit Says

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Yaffed logoBy Zoe Greenberg in The New York Times July 23, 2018

“A lawsuit filed Monday argues that New York is illegally looking the other way when it comes to ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools, loosening restrictions that will ultimately leave students without a basic knowledge of English, math and science.

The lawsuit, filed slightly more than a month before the first day of school, is the latest action in a years-long debate over how to regulate yeshivas, the private religious schools that focus primarily on studying Jewish texts. [Read more…]