Families say publicly funded, privately run charter schools in New York are allowed to punish and discriminate against students by calling in emergency services.
Crisis Point
Posted inCrisis Point
NYC Schools Handcuff and Haul Away Kids in Emotional Crisis
Despite a pledge to stop relying on police to deal with students who have mental health episodes, New York City schools have continued to call 911 on kids in distress thousands of times a year, an investigation by THE CITY and ProPublica found.
Posted inHow to New York
How to Get Mental Health Help in NYC Public Schools
Schools are straining to keep up with counseling demand as mental health woes mount for young people. If your child needs help at school, here’s how to start.
Posted inOpen City
How We Matched Thousands of NYC School Records for Our School Mental Health Tool
Publishing data about 1,575 of NYC schools meant combining data from two city agencies. Here’s how we did it.
Posted inMental Health
The Balancing Act of Reporting on Vulnerable Kids While Protecting Their Privacy
Journalists are often expected to identify their sources, but reporting on children presents a number of dilemmas, particularly when issues of mental health are involved.
Posted inMental Health
Public Schools Are NYC’s Main Youth Mental Health System. Where Kids Land Often Depends on What Their Parents Can Pay.
Most kids labeled as having an “emotional disability” and shunted into public special education schools are Black or Latino, and low income — while wealthier families more often access a taxpayer-funded free private education.
Posted inMental Health
‘We’re at a Crisis Point’: NY Attorney General Hearing Spotlights Child Mental Health Care Failures
After THE CITY and ProPublica exposed a dramatic drop in beds at state psychiatric hospitals, New York’s top law enforcer takes agonized testimony from patients and providers — and the parent who’d told us of her son’s monthslong wait for care.
Posted inEducation
New York Let Residences for Kids With Serious Mental Health Problems Vanish. Desperate Families Call the Cops Instead.
Many residential treatment facilities for children in New York are shutting down, leaving families frustrated and scrambling to find mental health services. Some kids age out of care as they wait.
Posted inYouth
New York Increases Funding of Mental Health Care for Kids, Including Cash Governor Says Will Reopen Hospital Beds
The additional millions are intended to help pay for a wide range of programs, including residential treatment. Gov. Kathy Hochul claims it addresses the bed shortage that has left young people in mental health crisis waiting months for admission.