On February 8th, NYS Assembly Member McDonough introduced Assembly Bill A.03954, which would establish “the gifted education reinforcement act to establish statewide standards for gifted education programs;[and] requires school districts to be accountable for providing such programs.”
If you are interested in reading the proposed bill yourself, you can find it here. GiftedNYS recognizes that the bill is a necessary first step in getting legislation mandated in New York for diverse gifted populations.
Your Voice Is Critical
Currently, the bill is in the education committee. Our goal is to get the bill “on the floor.”
Here’s where your voice is so critical. We urge you to reach out to your Assembly Member and ask him/her/them to support the bill or sign onto the bill (you can find their contact information here). While emails are welcomed, phone calls are more powerful, so if you have the time to do so, we encourage you to call their office. A sample script is offered below.
Hi, my name is . I am a constituent of Assembly Member ’s and I live in [name of your town/city]. I am calling to urge Assembly Member______ to work with his/her/their colleagues to move Assembly Bill A03954 out of the Education Committee to the full Assembly for a vote. Furthermore, I encourage the Assembly to fund the mandate for gifted education programs. New York State is one of only 8 states that does not mandate identification or services nor provides any state funding for gifted education opportunities. Gifted and twice-exceptional students have different learning and social-emotional needs than their age-peers. They require a differentiated education which is responsive to their learning needs. It is imperative that New York State pass legislation requiring public schools to identify, serve and fund gifted education for all students, so that gifted students, like their peers, can reach their full potential. Thank you for your time! I’m grateful for your consideration of this matter which is critically important to____ [ me/my family/community/child].
