Pardon Me For Asking: Take A Moment To Help Neighborhood School PS 32

********UPDATE*********
Thanks For Everyone's Help. The DOE Has Just Announced It's Abandoning Its Plans!
Read the update here:
Teachers, Parents And Kids Win A Round! DoE Abandons Its Plan To House Charter School At PS32

As reported yesterday, the NYC Department of Education is intending to temporarily move the Brooklyn Prospect Charter School into the portable classrooms currently stationed in the school yard of the Samuel Mills Sprole School (PS 32) on Hoyt Street. The charter school will eventually move to a brand new school building on Douglass and Third Avenue in the Gowanus area.

The problem is that the portable classrooms are currently used by PS 32 as part of their successful and widely emulated ASD Nest Program. The program is a collaboration between New York University and DoE, which is designed to integrate autistic children into mainstream classes. If the elementary school children will have to give up these additional classrooms and squeeze into the main building, the Nest program as well as the other wonderful learning opportunities at the school will be significantly impacted.

Parents and teachers at PS 32 fear that co-sharing the school with the charter school will severely impact the education of the current students. They have asked for the community's help and have started a letter writing campaign.

My friend Lisanne has sent me the cut-and-paste letter to send to the appropriate authorities.

Please take a moment today to help PS 32.

PLEASE CUT AND PASTE THE FOLLOWING EMAIL which is tailored to fit to the word length requirements at the Mayor's office. Email addresses provided below to Kathy Black and Councilman Brad Lander:

I want to call to your attention to the plight of a special program.

In 2003, PS 32 was the first school to host the Nest program, which places autistic children in classrooms with other children. Since then, this milestone program has expanded to more than 20 schools citywide. It works.

Now that program is being threatened by city plans to embed a charter school in the building, thus disrupting the nesting plan that depends on space & special attention. What is more, the proposed change would be a major disruption for autistic kids who who can be unusually distressed by changes to routine.

Autistic children and their parents have been well served by PS 32 and they really do deserve and NEED the continued support of the Mayor's office to hold on to this program that they have counted on.

CUT & PASTE and SEND TO

Mayor Bloomberg click here

School Chancellor Black click here

Councilman Brad Lander click here