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Four NYC Council committees to meet in joint hearing on mental health in city schools
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Apr 17, 2024
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By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Apr 17, 2024
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The City Council is scheduled to hold a four-committee joint hearing Wednesday to conduct oversight and debate measures surrounding the mental and physical health of New York’s roughly one million school children.
The Committees on Education; Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction; Health; and Hospitals will question the Adams administration on the current state of school-based health centers and mental health clinics.
The hearing comes as Councilmembers, parents and mental health experts raise alarms about a planned cut in funding for 60 school psychologists and nearly a quarter of the roughly 2,000 social workers embedded in public schools, despite Mayor Eric Adams' own warnings of an ongoing “youth mental health crisis.”
The staff were hired as part of a significant expansion of school mental health services under Bill de Blasio's administration in 2021 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the federal funding for the posts is set to expire in the fall.
Committee members will also debate a bill sponsored by Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse that would require the Department of Education to report the numbers of students annually who are diagnosed with sickle cell disease or a sickle cell trait.
Sickle cell disease affects about 100,000 people in the U.S. annually, and is most commonly found in Black communities. Last year, the Council voted to require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to consult with New York City Health and Hospitals and create guidance to better inform people about genetic testing that can detect the sickle cell trait.
Also on Wednesday’s agenda is a resolution sponsored by Councilmember Rita C. Joseph that would designate the second Friday in March as Social and Emotional Learning Day.
The meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. in the Council’s chambers at City Hall.
Caroline Lewis contributed reporting.
Tagged
mental health
education
schools
hospitals
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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