CM Dinowitz on IEP data sharing with DOE

Councilmember Dinewitz?

Good morning.

Good morning.

Good to see you.

Good to see you as always, the whole team here.

Last hearing, I asked a question about Local 18 of 2023, which provides a DOE and now CUNY.

A DOE can send IEP data electronically to colleges of their choice.

Since that time, I know we've been working together, CUNY, DOE, to create a memorandum of understanding that the data will automatically be sent over.

I'm confirming that this is on path that all graduates, high school graduates with an IEP,

2026 will have their IEP data shared directly with CUNY?

Let me allow the provost to give you an update on this very important initiative.

Yes, I can confirm that last week, so the agreement and the details of the agreement have already been worked out, but last week

both the DOE and CUNY's IT departments met together to talk about how does this actually work and have fleshed out a few things.

They might have one or two more follow-up meetings.

before things then proceed to the lawyers for signing.

So we are on track by the summer to have everything in place.

And yeah.

Good.

And one of the goals of that was not just so you have the data, but that you can proactively reach out to students with disabilities.

I believe according to your estimates, you believe half of students with disabilities are not declaring or don't, for whatever reason, maybe they don't know there are services available to them.

So will CUNY reach out directly to students that are on their radar now as having listed as having an IEP or disability?

Absolutely.

Will you be reaching out by phone, by email, by mail?

What does the outreach look like?

Well, the students indicate and provide contact information.

So it may be email, may be phone, but traditionally students prefer email.

But we will try any means that the students have given us permission to do so.

Good.

Just confirming that CUNY will be reaching out.

So is the expectation, if they leave a phone number and an email, will then some professional from CUNY be reaching out by phone and email to make sure they know the service is available to them?

I can receive confirmation if we do both, but absolutely, it will be on CUNY to reach out, and that was part of the agreement, that we'd receive that information so that enables CUNY to proactively reach out to the students.

If we have the permission.

That's right.

And the information will reach out.

What we're trying to be careful here is not to promise something that...

Legally, we might not.

Well, this is the point of the memorandum of understandings, to make it legal.

And then the ultimate goal is for CUNY to do the outreach so the students have all the opportunity.

Same page.