The Campaign for Educational Equity has been hard at work over the past several years helping New Yorkers understand and safeguard students’ educational rights.  Research that CEE conducted through some 200 site visits to over 55 high-need schools over a two-year period is being used as evidence in the new lawsuit, New Yorkers for Students’ Educational Rights v. the State of New York.

Last week, the Alliance for Quality Education and the Education Law Center of New Jersey’s CFE Project toured 14 school districts around the state to assess resource deficiencies. Their findings of increased class sizes, staff cuts, reduced course and extracurricular offerings, and inadequate materials and supplies as a result of budget constraints are consistent with our research and with the New York State Council of School Superintendents’ annual report.

That Governor Cuomo and the New York State legislature continue to violate New York children’s educational rights isn’t news—especially not to the students, parents, and educators who are directly harmed as a result. But the evidence continues to pile up, much like the snow and ice New York has experienced these past few months. Unlike snow, however, these violations aren’t just going to melt away and will continue to put the chill on students’ educational opportunities. We all need to continue to work together to expose the cold, hard facts about educational inequity and turn up the heat on our state government.