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Newsletters 2008
July
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
7-14-2008
A distraught Queens mother contacted my office about "the Pre-K (pre-Kindergarten) system mess," as she accurately described it. She said that her only child, a 4-year-old girl, was among those affected. She and her daughter, along with her daughter's neighborhood friends, had attended an open house at PS 21. All liked the school, all applied for a pre-K placement there, and all received letters of acceptance -- except for the woman's daughter, who received a letter of rejection. The thing is, the mother said, all the applicants were similarly situated -- all lived in the appropriate zone, and none had siblings at PS 21, which would have given them preference. The families even mailed their applications at the same time, the mother said.
The mother promptly appealed. She went to the school, and she contacted various enrollment departments, all to no avail. "They kept saying this system is correct. All placement was done by computer," she said. But when she returned to PS 21 yet again and spoke to the principal, she learned that another Pre-K applicant had been rejected even with a sibling in the school. That, the mother said, made it "100 per cent clear that the computer system is not correct."
Further, "Who's responsible for explaining to my 4-year-old why she couldn't go to school with all her friends? ... I really felt I'm damned by the new system. I even wrote a complaint letter to the chancellor's office. But everyone seemed to ignore me. No response from them at all. This is really crazy."
Sandra Maury, one of my ombuds staffers, contacted the city Department of Education (DOE) on behalf of the mother, who works full time. Ms. Maury questioned why the woman's daughter had received a rejection letter. Shortly afterward, the mother contacted us again. Thanks to our help, she said, her daughter had been admitted to PS 21 after all. She added, "Your prompt reply was really helpful."
Iraq, Afghanistan Vets Shortchanged on City Property Tax Relief
I strongly believe that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans should receive partial exemption from municipal property taxes, same as veterans of previous wars. In efforts to bring this about, I brought together city and state representatives for a news conference on the steps of City Hall.
New York's Real Property Tax Law already gives a tax break to homeowners who served in the armed forces during World Wars I and II, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Cold War and the Persian Gulf conflict. Like others, I want to see this law amended to include the war in Afghanistan and the ongoing war in Iraq. This would give eligible veterans a partial exemption on municipal property taxes.
It should go without saying that those who serve our nation in time of war do so at great personal sacrifice. No matter what the war, they deserve support from their country. Extending this benefit would be part of that support.
State Sen. Eric Schneiderman, State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt and City Councilman Hiram Monserrate, chair of the Veterans Committee, are among those joining me in calling for this amendment. At my request, Sen. Schneiderman is introducing a bill on this amendment in the state Senate. A companion bill by Assemblyman Hoyt already has been introduced. Once the legislation passes in Albany, I'll introduce a bill in the City Council that would allow the city to opt in.
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
7-21-08
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results
A Manhattan man contacted my office about the lack of roller hockey nets for the much-used rink in Carl Schurz Park. Lack of nets did nothing to deter players, who lined up garbage cans to serve as goals. That, predictably, led to frequent and considerable noise. Tommy Lin, one of my ombuds staffers, contacted the city Department of Parks & Recreation on behalf of both the noise-afflicted Manhattanite and the roller hockey players. Shortly afterward, I'm pleased to say, Parks ordered two new roller hockey nets for the rink. The nets were to be installed last week.
Survey: Few Batterers Prosecuted for Filing False Reports of Child Abuse
Last week, I released a survey of domestic violence service providers that indicated that a number of batterers continue to harass their victims by maliciously filing false reports of child abuse and neglect. Apparently, most do so with impunity: While 72 percent of respondents said that they had had at least one case that involved false reporting, only 5 percent indicated that an abuser had been prosecuted for making such a report.
Clearly, abuse doesn’t always stop when the victim walks out the door. It's time to raise awareness of this problem and prosecute abusers for this type of harassment. I've made the rights of domestic violence survivors a priority during my tenure as Public Advocate, and my office designed and implemented the survey in partnership with Sanctuary for Families. We received 127 completed surveys from professionals representing 80 separate organizations, all of which work with domestic violence survivors. Once such survivor is Tanya McLeod. “My ex-husband was sent to jail for his violence against me and my children," she said. "While in jail, he made a false and malicious report of child abuse against me. My home felt invaded when police responded to the report, and my children were interrogated. I felt re-victimized....”
I recommend that the city Administration for Children's Services, in collaboration with district attorneys and the state Office of Children and Family Services, develop and implement policy changes to deter, identify and prosecute those who knowingly file false reports. My news release that announces the survey results is at http://pubadvocate.nyc.gov/news/07.16.08ACSDVReportRelease.html
Children's Health and Wellness Tour Launched
Last week I launched the Healthy Kids Summer Wellness Tour to help New York parents take early steps to ensure that their children are healthy. The Community Healthcare Network is joining me on this five-borough tour and will provide free screeningsto raise awareness about childhood obesity. A 2003 survey by the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) found that 43 percent of city elementary school students were overweight or obese. DOHMH also noted that one in five kindergarteners and one in four first grade students were obese.
The quick, pain-free screening assesses a child's Body Mass Index and helps educate parents about nutrition and the importance of early preventive child healthcare. I'll also give away coloring books, and I'll raffle flying discs, jump ropes and other items, including baseball paraphernalia donated by the Mets and Yankees, that encourage exercise.
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
7-28-08
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results, Case #1
A Manhattan woman began a letter to me in this way: "Thank you for making me believe again in the power of public officials." In 2004, in an estate sale, she and her husband purchased an apartment in Lower Manhattan. Late last year they learned that the administrator for the estate had never paid the applicable real estate transfer taxes. To complicate matters, the administrator had died. After doing some digging, the owners learned that the administrator's lawyer still had the tax money in escrow. The lawyer agreed to pay the city Department of Finance (DOF), but there was a hitch: DOF wanted a copy of the administrator's death certificate, which wasn't readily available. At that point the apartment owners contacted my office, and Elsa Suazo, one of my ombuds staffers, intervened. It turns out that the administrator's death had been reported in the Congressional Record. Ms. Suazo asked that DOF accept that as proof of death in lieu of a formal death certificate. DOF did, the transfer taxes were paid, and the apartment owner wrote to thank me for bringing a "long, difficult and stressful experience" to a close. She praised Ms. Suazo for her quick work and concluded, "I know most people contact your office with problems. I wanted to thank you very much for having people who can turn those problems into solutions."
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results, Case #2
A Brooklyn woman contacted my office after years of receiving violation notices and "harassment," as she put it, from the city Department of Buildings (DOB). At issue was the curb that she had had cut for her driveway. The notices said it was illegal. The cut, however, had been executed with a proper permit and in full accord with DOB regulations. We sent a letter to the Brooklyn borough commissioner on her behalf. As it turned out, DOB records incorrectly showed that the cut was illegal. DOB attributed the error to a computer glitch. DOB also said that it has updated its system and that this should put an end to the summonses.
Parks Department Must Remove or Treat Playground Mats That Burn Kids
Last week I wrote city Parks & Recreation commissioner Adrian Benepe to ask that his office immediately replace or treat black rubber playground mats that heat up in the summer sun and that have severely burned children. I called on Parks to consider safer alternatives, such as playground surfaces in lighter colors, as recommended in a recent U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission handbook.
Parks also should ensure that all city playgrounds have multi-lingual warning signs, and it should identify alternatives to any playground equipment capable of burning children. How many burn cases will it take before the city acts? Signs warning against bare feet are not sufficient to ensure children’s safety, and signs aren't always in place: Last week, along with New York City Park Advocates, I identified playgrounds throughout the city that don’t have visible signs. Others have only English-language signs in areas where English is not the dominant language.
As a former Parks commissioner, I often address park safety issues. In April 2007, I called for independent testing of artificial turf containing rubber pellets made from recycled tires. These tires contained chemicals that have been linked to cancer and other health problems. Last February I called on the city to impose a moratorium on the installation of artificial turf and to test turf fields for potential toxins. At that time, I also noted that artificial turf has been shown to heat up to 160 degrees on hot days and that there was inadequate signage to protect children.
My letter to Commissioner Benepe is at www.pubadvocate.nyc.gov/news/documents/7.21.08toBenepe.pdf
Healthy Kids Summer Wellness Tour Continues
My Healthy Kids Summer Wellness Tour, which helps New York parents take early steps to ensure that their children are healthy, continues through the summer. The Community Healthcare Network is joining me on this five-borough tour, which features a quick, pain-free assessment of Body Mass Index. I'll also give away coloring books, and I'll raffle items that encourage exercise, including flying discs, jump ropes and baseball paraphernalia donated by the Mets and Yankees. Please visit www.pubadvocate.nyc.gov for information on sites and dates.
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