CM Gutierrez on 2K accommodations for children with disabilities

Okay, I want to just talk about my last question under early childhood, I promise, Chancellor.

It's just the concern, I know you're like, I need a break.

I love the topic, it's fine by me.

I think a lot of advocates and parents, to be completely honest, have

trauma from not this administration, but just trauma from, you know, not feeling like the 3K seats or pre-K seats were guaranteed for their child if their child had a disability.

And I don't mean, you know, the need for early intervention, but a disability.

As you know, we fought tooth and nail to get funding to make sure that we were following the law even.

And so I think that there is this bad taste in the mouths of so many families.

And now with this 2K launch, again, which is very exciting, it would be really great.

If there was something very explicit or something concrete that shared with these families

who are now looking for, you know, a seat for their two-year-old who has a disability, if there was something concrete that we could share that said, we have a plan, we are working on a plan.

I know the site says, you know, that there will be accommodations, but we don't know what those are.

And again, in a time when we have so much work to do to clean up, I think, from the past, what can you share today about the specificity of those

accommodations that are not going to meet the needs of kids who have disabilities that are not going to be resolved with early intervention resources?

I appreciate that.

And one thing I know we've heard our mayor say, we've heard our chancellor say, right, this is for all of our children, right?

And one thing we are not, I would say, belittling this process to is seat counts, right?

We are caring about the quality of seats and the care that each of the little will get in that seat.

And so that means we have to be thoughtful about how we...

Create inclusive environments, but also ensure that we provide the right interventions and placements where appropriate.

And so I cannot provide any specificity because what I never do, and I hope this is on brand, is over-promise and under-deliver.

But please know that this is something we are being very thoughtful about.

And once we have those specifics, and again, we're not doing this just within the doors of Tweed.

We are doing this with our partners at the health department because they too are a part of this and they are the experts as well.

And so we are creating what that array, that list will look like.

Maybe a third teacher, right?

Or specific sensory tools and materials.

Whatever it is, we are creating a very clear process to have like money in the coffers to provide that, a referral process.

a place where folks can go, folks may be the family or the educator, where they can go and tap into that resource and make sure that that is clear and accessible.

And we will be updating our website with that information once it is finalized.

Okay.

And do you, thank you, thank you for that.

And do you think that that will happen before the deadline to apply for 2K?

We have currently on the website that it is open to all children with disabilities.

I cannot commit to the accommodations details.

But again, it won't be an exhaustive list because the needs will vary, right?

And so what we hope to be- You don't know what the need is yet.

Exactly.

But I think that when we don't meet

the potential for a need is when parents start to feel like this isn't for me, so I'm not even going to bother.

I agree.

And again, like kind of undoing the trauma of years and budgets past, I think that we do have a responsibility.

I think it's great.

I saw it on the website, and that's why I want to take the time today to kind of hear that from you, that you are committed to making these accommodations.

We are absolutely committed, Councilmember.

Okay, thank you.

And then I have one question for the Chancellor.

I just want to second what my colleague, Shaker, Councilmember Chris Nunn had raised about AI in schools.

We've gotten a ton of feedback from especially parents of K through 5 that are deeply concerned with the guidance.

So I know we're going to continue that conversation.

I know Chair Dinowitz is on top of that.

I wanted to ask about the funding for...