City and state education agencies have been ordered to complete an investigation into whether a Brooklyn yeshiva is providing students with a solid basic education.
A New York Supreme Court judge ruled that the departments abdicated their responsibility to investigate whether the school — Yeshiva Mesivta Arugath Habosem — offered a “substantially equivalent” education to the public school system, according to court documents .
“The court’s decision should send a clear message to the NYC DOE that it is its responsibility to conclude its investigations into non-compliant yeshivas in a timely manner,” said Naftuli Moster, executive director of Young Advocates For Fair Education, an association pro-secular. education in the yeshivas group on Wednesdays.
The case involves Beatrice Weber, a mother of 10 who left her ultra-Orthodox Jewish community but, under a family court order, had to send her child to a yeshiva in Brooklyn, the her ex-husband’s favorite school.
Weber filed a September 2019 petition with the New York State Department of Education against the DOE and the yeshiva, alleging that his then 8-year-old son was not receiving the secular education required in the state. .
State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa denied the motion, suggesting it was premature until the city investigates the allegations, leading Weber to appeal to the Supreme Court of New York.
This week, Judge Adam Silverman ordered the agencies to complete their investigation of the Brooklyn yeshiva by September 2022.
“Although this case is dragging on and my son has lost precious years of learning, I feel greatly vindicated by this decision and hope that other parents will be inspired by my actions,” Weber said.
The decision comes as yeshivas sent thousands of letters pushing back against proposed state oversight rules for non-public schools, ahead of a vote on a final policy later this year.
While state officials maintain the proposal guarantees students a fair education, yeshivas’ letter writers said it hampers their ability to provide Jewish children with a religious education.
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David Bloomfield, a professor of education law and policy at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center, called this week’s ruling “historic in two respects” – which it gives to parents alleging lack of education layman under state law access to legal redress, and that the court ordered the state and city to stop dragging their feet.
“The only problem is how many parents will take advantage of this opportunity,” Bloomfield said.
“For the most part, parents of ultra-Orthodox students know and seem content that there is not the necessary secular education, which makes it even more important for the state and city to uphold the law. “, he added. “Even if a parent says I want my child to know the Talmud and Torah, that’s not what the law says.”
Bloomfield also weighed in on its impact on investigations into other yeshivas, after allegations against former mayor Bill de Blasio said he delayed reporting on their quality for his political advantage.
“Mayor Adams has aligned himself with the ultra-Orthodox yeshivas, and there is no indication at this point that he plans to revive the required investigations which were also delayed under de Blasio,” he said.
The state Department of Education is evaluating the decision and is waiting for the city to complete its investigation, said agency spokeswoman Emily DeSantis.
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