On Nov. 20, the New York State Education Department issued guidelines for Substantial Equivalency Review of the curriculum of non-public religious and independent schools (
full text), along with
related materials. As reported by
The Forward:
The regulations come years into a growing controversy over whether New York’s Hasidic yeshivas are providing education that is substantially equivalent to that offered in public schools, as is required by state law....
The guidelines ... are based on a controversial law passed as part of last summer’s budget deal.... The new law says that the state education commissioner, rather than local school districts, will determine equivalency for schools that meet certain criteria that were drawn only to include Hasidic yeshivas.
(See
prior related posting.)
