Parents at three more New York City yeshivas are being told to find another school for next year as the State Education Department clamps down on schools flouting requirements for secular education instruction.
The schools will lose their legal status and will not receive any public funding for meals, transportation, textbooks orother programs after June 30, which is the deadline for all schools in the state to comply with the secular education mandate, according to a spokesperson for the New York State Education Department.
The government crackdown comes after years of legislative battles, court disputes, and public debate over the quality and character of education received by an estimated 65,000 yeshiva students across New York state.
The state ultimately decided that all children learn to speak, read and write in English and gain at least basic knowledge of math, science, and social studies. While many yeshivas teach these topics alongside religious instruction, some do not, focusing entirely on the study of Jewish texts.
Some of the schools deemed to violate the state’s requirements have moved to improve their instruction of secular subjects. Others, the education department spokesperson said, have received repeated warnings but failed to engage with the department about making changes to their curriculum.
Three schools, two of which are part of the same yeshiva, received notices in early February that they were losing their legal status as schools. Three additional schools, all in Brooklyn, were notified last week.
They are:
Mosdos Chasidei Square, at 105 Heyward Street
Mosdos Chasidei Square Boro Park, at 1373 43rd Street
Yeshiva Torah V’Yirah Bais Rochel, also known as United Talmudical Academy of Boro Park, at 1275 36th Street
None of the schools responded to requests for comment from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
