Avonte's Law Passes City Council
July 23, 2014
What I Did...
Avonte Oquendo Goes Missing
Video Snapshot
Avonte Oquendo
How This Benefits Students...
There are several lessons for students to learn by attending a city council committee meeting. The student will learn about functions within the city council, and how tasks are divided into committees. The student will learn about how the media gets (and reports on) the stories in the daily news. A meeting like this will often illustrate to students what events are happening in the community or events that have a long-lasting impact on a community.
For older students, there is the opportunity to learn about political influences and media talking points. Watching council members speak to the media was frustrating at best-- the attempt to positively spin the "news" was clear, despite the fact that the law requires very little of the schools serving severely disabled students. This is important for older students to investigate... What are the factors keeping this law from being more stringent to prevent more student disappearances? In addition, students can examine reporting from media sources and compare their meeting notes and documents with what is being reported. Unless I'm understanding this incorrectly, I have already found media sources with incorrect reporting of facts. This is an important exercise for students to become responsible consumers of media.
Students will also practice dressing appropriately for a business setting as well as procedures for attendance (check in, being on time).
NYC City Council Committee on Education
Website: http://on.nyc.gov/1pmaaHB
Location: 250 Broadway, New York, NY, United States
Phone: 00000000