Message from Executive Director

Members, Friends, and Collaborators of CIDA,

Greetings,

I am very excited to start our Newsletter with several important event updates in May. First, on May 11th, CIDA will host a stakeholder meeting with the New York State Department of Education to discuss issues of Korean and Asian families, including language support and communication with schools and violence against Asian students. This meeting will be held in a small group round table format with CIDA parent leaders for a more interactive engagement with the NYS Education Department. We will share the outcomes of the meeting in our next newsletter. On May 25th, we are inviting New York City Council candidates from the districts where Korean Americans largely populate to a community forum. The forum will be live-streamed on Facebook and aired on the TKC channel that weekend.

And finally, after-school youth programs and a parent enrichment program created by 100% of the parent contribution will begin soon. For more information, please refer to What’s Up at CIDA and the event news below.

CIDA, in collaboration with the New York State Developmental Disability Planning Council (NYS DDPC) and Einstein College of Medicine, continues to provide information about pandemic-related support and vaccination to Korean American families with disabilities. We have disseminated a lot of information on our Coronavirus Help Page (https://cidainfo.com/en/covid-19-assistance/) and via email. If you need any assistance on COVID-19 related or disability-related matters, please feel free to contact us.

Thank you very much, and enjoy a beautiful May!

Young Seh Bae, Executive Director

Policy News

Roughly 51,000 NYC students to return to classrooms starting April 26
Source: https://ny.chalkbeat.org/

Around 51,000 NYC students from elementary, middle, and high schools will be returning back to their classrooms beginning April 26. New York approved the changed social distancing protocols and requirements. Following CDC guidance, elementary schools can move to three feet of social distancing down from six feet while older grade students have enough room to maintain six feet social distancing.

Providing Over-Age Students the Opportunity to Return to School in the 2021-22 School Year Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Source: http://www.nysed.gov/

On April 13, New York State Education Department and the Board of Regents issued a memo regarding providing Over-Age Students the Opportunity to Return to School. NYS Education Department now strongly encourages schools and school districts to allow those students who will age out of school the opportunity to return for summer school and, if necessary, attend school in the 2021-2022 school year, in order to complete their education and earn a diploma, credential, or endorsement. This special consideration will be compounded for those students who will “age out” of the P-12 education system because they have turned 21 years old by the start of school in September 2021.

What’s Up at CIDA

Stakeholder Engagement Meeting with NYS Education Department (May 11 @ 11AM) & NYC Council Candidate Forum (May 26 @ 6:30PM)

CIDA will be hosting a community roundtable meeting with the New York State Education Department, Office of Special Education to discuss issues in Korean and other Asian students with disabilities. This is an invitation only event.

CIDA will also be hosting a virtual roundtable discussion with the NYC City Council candidates in partnership with The Korean Channel (TKC) on May 25, 6:30 PM via Zoom. Forum will be streamed live on Facebook and broadcasted on TKC channel.

CIDA Enrichment programs

On Thursday, May 13, CIDA will be offering a special Enrichment program, “Scented Wax Bar Workshop” at 8PM. The workshop will be held through Zoom. We hope many of our CIDA members will be able to join us for a wonderful evening!

Events

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, all events are now online. Please check our event calendar for event details and registration information.

• Keeping Healthy Routine – Young Adults Meeting – May 7 at 3:00pm: Teens and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities
• Community Engagement Meeting with NYS Education Department – May 11 at 11:00am: Invitation Only
• School Age Parent Support Group Meeting (Korean) May 18 at 8:00pm: Parents of K-12
• School Age Parent Support Group Meeting (Mandarin) May 19 at 8:00pm: Parents of K-12
• NYC Council Candidate Forum – May 25 at 6:30pm
• Siblings and Parent Support Group Session (Korean) May 27 at 8:00pm: Workshop & Support Group (Parents of adults 18+)
• Volunteer Advocacy Project (VAP) Meeting – May 28 at 9:30am: Invitation only
• May Youth Advisory Meeting – May 28 at 8:00pm: Invitation Only

Meet The Family

We are excited to introduce you to Youngjoo’s family for the month of May.