Beyond the Ballot: Lesson 1- Local Government Knowledge

New York City Charter Revision

Pictured: Students from High School for Law and Public Service: Andell John, Ramon De Jesus & Jaela Simon Banks; and Andrew Wilkes, National Senior Director of
Policy & Advocacy

2 Lesson Plans to Initiate Informed Action
in 8th-12th grade New York students
Fall 2018

 Beyond the Ballot: Lesson 1- Local Government Knowledge

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction:
● What is the City Charter and the Charter Revision Commissions, Why is this relevant, and How can I use it in my
classroom?
Lesson 1: Becoming Experts
● Learning about the City Charter: Students learn about the history of the City Charter and the topics covered in
the document, the process for amending the New York City Charter, and the current Charter Revision
Commissions. Students then work in groups to interact with the City Charter and end the day by deciding what
general topic they want to focus on for Day 2.
Lesson 2: Making Decisions and Taking Action
● Interacting with the Charter: Students focus on a specific topic that they want to amend or revise and take
action on. Students then draft a document communicating what change (amendment or revision) that they
wish to make to the City Charter. If time permits, students can present topic to mock Charter Revision
Commission or share it with classmates in small groups.
Appendix:
● Appendix A: Lesson 1 - Do Now Handout
● Appendix B: Lesson 1 - Video Clip
● Appendix C: Lesson 1 - Charter Commission 2019 Flier
● Appendix D: Lesson 1 - Reading on City Charter/Charter Revision Commissions
● Appendix E: Lesson 1 - Building Background Knowledge Graphic Organizer
● Appendix F: Lesson 1 - Charter Chapter Deep Dive Graphic Organizer
● Appendix G: Lesson 1 - Charter Group Analysis Graphic Organizer
● Appendix H: Lesson 1 - NYC Charter Section Outline (Note: Charter Chapter sections are provided at the end of
this document)
○ Chapter 18: Police Department
○ Chapter 18-A: Civilian Complaint Review Board
○ Chapter 18-B: Independent Police Investigation and Audit Board
○ Chapter 18-C: Public Safety
○ Chapter 18-D: Sale, Purchase and Possession of Weapons
○ Chapter 20: Education
○ Chapter 24-A: Department of Homeless Services
○ Chapter 24-B: Administration for Children’s Services
○ Chapter 30: Department of Youth and Community Development
○ Chapter 46: Elections and Voter Assistance
● Appendix I: Lesson 2 - City Charter Revision Individual Input
● Appendix J: Lesson 2 - Taking Action Option #1
● Appendix K: Lesson 2 - Taking Action Option #2
● Appendix L: Lesson 2 - Exit Ticket - Individual Commitments

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 Beyond the Ballot: Lesson 1- Local Government Knowledge

ABOUT THE CITY CHARTER and the CHARTER REVISION COMMISSIONS1
The New York City Charter (City Charter) serves as New York City’s local constitution, creating a structure for City
government. It defines the functions, organizations, powers and obligations of the city’s government. New York
State law gives the city the authority to revise or adopt a new City Charter, provided that all proposals to
amend the City Charter that originate from a Charter Revision Commission must be approved by the voters.
The City Council retains legislative authority to modify the City Charter to implement most changes to the City
Charter.
The City Charter was established by the State Legislature in 1897 and creates the framework for our local government.
It controls many important functions such as how the city spends our tax dollars, how decisions are made about
changes to our neighborhoods, and the powers of local elected officials. Significant chapters in the Charter outline the
city’s budget, planning, zoning, contracting, and land use processes.2
The last time the city revised or considered major revisions to the City Charter was almost 30 years ago. At that time,
the revision was the most comprehensive overhaul of the municipal government that the city had seen since the City of
New York was created in 1898. Since the last major revision, a number of City Charter commissions have
proposed less substantial revisions to the City Charter, most of which were approved by the voters. The last
minor revision occurred in 2010.
One of the biggest effects of the 1989 Charter Revision was the elimination of the City’s Board of Estimate. The Board
of Estimate, composed of the three citywide elected officials and five borough presidents, served as “the center of civic
affairs for nearly a century,” but each borough president had the same voting power, which violated the one-person,
one-vote rule. So the Board was eliminated and its powers were distributed “among an expanded City Council, the
Mayor and a reconstituted Planning Commission.”3 These revisions fundamentally changed the landscape of the
municipal government.
There are currently two charter commissions evaluating potential revisions to the City Charter. The commission
convened by Mayor Bill de Blasio held two rounds of public hearings, after which they announced their focal areas-voting and election reform, campaign finance reform, land use decision-making, community boards, civic engagement,
and independent redistricting. Then the Mayor’s Charter Revision Commission held hearings to solicit community
input.4 In September, the Mayor’s Charter Revision Commission voted to approve three ballot questions for the voters
to consider in November. Features of the proposals include:
● Campaign Finance: Reduce contribution limits for all candidates for City elected offices, and increase public
matching funds for candidates who participate in the public financing program. Contribution limits for
participating candidates would be cut by more than 60%, while the matching rate on the "small dollar"
portion of contributions to such candidates would increase from 6:1 to 8:1.
1

http://www.charter2019.nyc/faqs

2

http://www.charter2019.nyc/pdfs/Charter_Pamphlet.pdf

3

https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/14/nyregion/new-york-city-charter-revision-approved-by-justice-department.html

4

http://www.gothamgazette.com/city/7795-city-council-charter-revision-commission-takes-shape

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 Beyond the Ballot: Lesson 1- Local Government Knowledge

● Civic Engagement: Establish a Civic Engagement Commission whose mission includes expanding language
access at polling sites, developing a citywide participatory budgeting program and supporting and
partnering with community organizations in their civic engagement efforts.

● Community Boards: Establish term limits on Community Board members and standardize the appointment
process to make the Boards more representative of their communities. Boards would also receive
additional resources, particularly in urban planning.5
These proposed changes will be presented to voters on the November 6 general election ballot.6
Charter Commission 2019
The New York City Council’s commission to review the City Charter -- a separate effort from an existing commission
created by Mayor Bill de Blasio -- was proposed by Public Advocate Letitia James, Manhattan Borough President Gale
Brewer, and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. This commission - titled the Charter Commission 2019 -- is now an
autonomous body currently reviewing the City Charter. The Charter Commission 2019 is seeking input from New
Yorkers. Their goal is to analyze the city’s governing document and consider significant changes to the structure and
functions of city government. The Charter Commission 2019 recently began its work and will take an extended timeline
before announcing its ballot proposals in 2019. The Charter Commission 2019 consists of 15 appointed
"Commissioners"— made up of members appointed by the Mayor, the Speaker of the City Council, all five Borough
Presidents, the Public Advocate, and the Comptroller.
Charter Commission 2019 has a broad mission of conducting a top-to-bottom review of the City Charter and is looking
for input from New York City residents. After hearing input, the Commission will submit a draft of a new or revised
Charter to voters for approval in November 2019.

5

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/charter/news/charter-commission-approves-proposals-relating-to-campaign-finance-community-boards-civic-engagement.page

6

https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/charter/downloads/pdf/2018_charter_revision_commission_ballot_proposals_1_pdf.PDF
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 Beyond the Ballot: Lesson 1- Local Government Knowledge

ABOUT GENERATION CITIZEN’S NEW YORK CITY CHARTER REVISION LESSON PLANS
Why is this relevant to my students and classroom?
Many New Yorkers do not understand, or even know, about the City Charter, the Charter Revision Commissions and the
potential impact that the City Charter revision can have on the city and their lives. To both ensure a more informed
local population, and to also engage young people in this important local political procedure, Generation Citizen has
created a 2 Lesson Package for teachers to implement in their classrooms. The goal of these Lesson Plans is to create a
space for your students to interact with the City Charter, form opinions on what should be revised or amended, and
share their voices and opinions with the Charter Commission 2019. This lesson package is nonpartisan and studentcentered through research, classroom discussion and informed action.
What are the goals of these lessons?
By implementing these lessons, your students will…
● Gain a deeper understanding of the workings of local politics through the lens of the City Charter revision
● Participate in class discussion on which issues are most important for the City to consider revising in the City
Charter
● Develop opinions on the most important issue(s) in the City Charter, make a personal decision on matters
relevant to the charter revisions and reach out to Charter Commission 2019 to share their ideas for proposed
amendments
● Create an action-step using text-based evidence
● Be motivated and able to inform their communities about the issues they care about
ABOUT GENERATION CITIZEN
Generation Citizen is a national nonprofit that works to ensure that every student in the United States receives an
Action Civics education, which provides them with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in our twenty-first
century democracy as active citizens. Generation Citizen’s published and award-winning semester-long Action Civics
curriculum is at the heart of our work. It is action-based, state standards-aligned, and academically rigorous. Over the
course of the semester, program, students meet twice weekly during in class time to choose an issue, develop a
focused, strategic plan to address the issue, take meaningful action, and then reflect on their successes and challenges.
Currently, Generation Citizen operates in New York City, the organization’s largest and flagship site; Massachusetts;
Rhode Island; Central Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information about
our New York City program visit www.generationcitizen.org or contact New York City Executive Director DeNora
Getachew at dgetachew@generationcitizen.org or New York Program Director Brooke Wallace at
bwallace@generationcitizen.org.

© Generation Citizen 2018

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 Beyond the Ballot: Lesson 1- Local Government Knowledge

RESOURCES/REFERENCES:
Below is a non-exhaustive list of resources for more information or additional reading on the City Charter Revision or
the charter revision commissions:
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Mayor de Blasio’s 2018 Charter Revision Commission
Charter Commission 2019 Website
New York City Charter

Background information and Opinion Pieces on the Charter Revision:
● Overview of Charter Commissions (Mayor and City Council)
● 1989 Charter Revision- New York Times Article
●

Mayoral Charter Revision Commission Votes to Create Final Ballot Proposals

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Mayor’s Charter Revision Committee Website
The Right Way to Rewrite the City Charter
Reflections on the 1989 Charter Revisions
New York City Should Expand Voting Rights as Part of the Charter Revision
The Right Way to rewrite the City Charter
NYPD Watchdog Seeks Sharper Teeth through Charter Revision http
Chair Says Charter Commission Will Step in Where Politics has Slowed Reform
Mayoral Charter Revision Commission to Release Preliminary Report
Charter Revision Commission: Boards Don’t Look Like the Communities They Serve
2 Charter Commissions? Mayor and Council are Creating Separate Panels
Charter Commission is a Chance to Make New York’s Success Sustainable
City Views; NYC Bid to Revise Charter and Improve Democracy Should Learn from the Past

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 Beyond the Ballot: Lesson 1- Local Government Knowledge

Lesson 1: Becoming Experts
EVALUATE THE HISTORY OF THE CITY CHARTER AND THE FOCUS OF THE CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION.
INVESTIGATE CHARTER SECTIONS AND IDENTIFY FOCUS AREA FOR LESSON 2.

OVERVIEW
This first lesson serves to introduce the New York City Charter (City Charter), the role of the Charter Revision
Commission(s) and the process of amending the City Charter. Students will learn a brief history of the City Charter and
the work being done by the two Charter Revision Commissions to propose amendments to the City Charter.
Students will also investigate and evaluate the different topics up for revision. They will end the lesson by reviewing
the main issues at stake and select part of the charter that they want to amend or revise. This lesson prepares them for
the second lesson where they will focus on one topic to champion, draft specific changes to the City Charter and take
action to share their ideas.

OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
● Explain the history of the City Charter and the role of the two Charter Revision Commissions by analyzing
documents (Appendices B, C and D) and completing the Building Background Knowledge Graphic Organizer
(Appendix E)
● Identify 3-5 parts of the City Charter that they want to amend or revise by completing the Charter Chapter Deep
Dive Graphic Organizer (Appendix F) and then the Charter Group Analysis Graphic Organizer (Appendix G)
● Identify the one topic they want to move forward with investigating for lesson two

AGENDA (for a 50-70 minute lesson)
●
●
●

●

Activating Strategy/Do Now: Issues at Stake (10-15 minutes)
History of the City Charter and Charter Revision Commission: Video and Notes (10-15 minutes)
Research Topics for Charter Revision and Share out (25-35 minutes)
1. Students investigate bucketed sections of the charter (individually or in small groups) and use the
Charter Group Analysis Graphic Organizer (Appendix G) to identify 3-5 parts of the charter that they
want to revise or amend.
Exit Ticket/Wrap-Up (5 minutes)
1. Students review and reflect on the issues identified in their Charter Group Analysis Graphic Organizer.
2. Students circle or put a star by the issue that they will want to focus on for revising or amending in the
second lesson.
3. To end day, students share their findings/thoughts

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 Beyond the Ballot: Lesson 1- Local Government Knowledge

MATERIALS
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Do Now Handout (see Appendix A)
Video Clip (see Appendix B)
Building Background Information Documents:
o Charter Revision Commission Flier (See Appendix C)
o Reading on NYC Charter/Charter Revision Commissions (see Appendix D)
Building Background Knowledge Graphic Organizer (see Appendix E)
Charter Chapter Deep Dive Graphic Organizer (Appendix F)
Charter Group Analysis Graphic Organizer (see Appendix G)
Selected Charter excerpts (see Appendix H)

PREPARATION BEFORE CLASS
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Familiarize yourself with the history of the City Charter and the two Charter Revision Commissions. The
information at the beginning of this document is a great place to start, and you may want to spend some
time on the City Council’s Charter Revision 2019 website: www.charter2019.nyc. While there are two
Charter Commissions -- one from the Mayor and the Charter Revision 2019 Commission - the City Council’s
Charter Revision 2019 is actively seeking input from citizen and ties in with the end of the second lesson.
The Mayor’s Commission has placed questions on the November 6th ballot.
Prepare or download video clip for the class. If that is not an option for you, you can use the documents
provided in Appendix C and Appendix D
Make copies of student handouts (Appendices E, F, and G) and Charter excerpts (Appendix H).
○ Note: For Appendix H, there are many ways for your students to interact with the City Charter. You
may choose to focus on one specific section together or separate the class into smaller groups to tackle
specific chapters.
Read through the Charter Sections and note any possible areas of confusion, etc.
Assign students to groups for the City Charter research

© Generation Citizen 2018

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 Beyond the Ballot: Lesson 1- Local Government Knowledge

GETTING STARTED (10-15 minutes)

A NOTE ABOUT THIS
SIDEBAR: Throughout the
lesson plan, this sidebar is a
place where you can find
lesson modification
suggestions and other tips
for enacting each lesson.

DO NOW: Issues at Stake (5 minutes)

Show students Do Now questions (see Appendix A) – project it or make copies for students to
view it.
Ask students to think about what they already know about laws that affect how our City works
and functions and to use any prior knowledge to help them answer the following questions.
● 1. What are some laws that you think New York City should have? List at least two.
● 2. How do the laws in our city affect your life and your community?
● 3. What ways can citizens affect the laws in their city or shape how their city runs?
● 4. Circle any of the issues listed below that are important to you: Homelessness,
Sanitation, Police, Education, Youth and Community Development, Social Services

TIP: You can do additional
research using the
resources/references links to
include other issues that may
be affected by the Charter
Revision.

Give students 3-5 minutes to answer these questions. If students finish early, ask students to
think of a specific issue within the larger issue that they circled. For example, if they chose
Sanitation, what about Sanitation is an issue for them? (e.g. Not enough trash cans in my
neighborhood) Note: Length of time and amount of questions can be adjusted based on your
classroom.

Note: Depending on student
interest on specific topics
from the Do Now, you may
choose to focus your charter
analysis around a specific
chapter or small set of
chapters. This may provide
more time for in-depth
analysis of the City Charter.

Discussion (5-10 minutes)

Debrief: When finished, ask students to share out what they wrote down. Discuss the answers
with them. After questions have been answered and discussed, introduce the concept of the
New York City Charter.
Possible Introduction: The City Charter is the document that defines the functions,
organizations, powers and obligations of the city’s government. The City Charter controls how
the City spends our tax dollars, how decisions are made about changes to our neighborhoods,
and the powers of local elected officials. It is especially relevant right now because both the
City Council and the Mayor have established commissions, or groups of people, to listen to the
people and propose changes to the City Charter.
Ask students which issues from number 4 were the most important to them and why. Explain
that the issues listed are all being considered for revision by Charter Commission 2019. These
changes to the charter are not made without input from citizens, and during these lessons, you
will be able to research and add your voice into this conversation. Be sure to use this time to
build student buy-in by establishing that the potential changes to the charter could cover issues
of interest or relevance to them as young people. Remember, you can use these lessons to
focus on one or two specific chapters or more, depending on your class. Emphasize that the
New York City government is seeking input from all its citizens about what they want to see
changed and that by the end of these two days, you (the student) will develop and share a
specific part amendment or revision to the Charter.

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Framing: Transition to explain to students what they’ll be working on for the rest of the first
lesson and during the second lesson – learning about the City Charter, researching the potential
issues at stake, focusing on a topic within the charter that they think is important and/or needs
to be changed, and then educating others on those topics. It’s okay if some of this still feels
obtuse to them at this point. Explain that the next step is learning about the City Charter, how it
affects the city and what is being done currently within local government to affect the charter.

DURING CLASS (40-50 minutes)
The History of the City Charter/Charter Revision Commissions (10-15 minutes)
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●

Pull up the video clip (Appendix B) and distribute to students the Building Background
Knowledge Graphic Organizer (Appendix E) and ask them to answer the questions while
they watch the video clip.
Show students the video clip.
When they are done watching it, go over the questions and answers with students

Framing: Use this time to establish a firm history of the City Charter and the work of the Charter
Revision Commissions. Take the time to answer any questions students may still have about the
process after having watched the video and taken notes. Remember that it is okay if you aren’t
able to answer all of the questions--this is topic that is quickly changing and some things may be
unknown, but are quickly searchable on the internet!
Invite students to articulate why that issue is important to them but also to the city as a whole.
Begin by asking students to brainstorm individually and jot down a few ideas. Then have
students share these ideas with a partner. After a couple minutes, have students share their
ideas. Write (or have students write) their responses on the board. Ask students to explain their
ideas.
Explain to students that they are going to be doing research on the City Charter to determine
which issue they would like to champion and that once they identify a specific change to the
charter, they will share their ideas with Charter Commission 2019.

Research and Share Outs (25-30 minutes)

Research:
Students interact with the sections of the charter (provided in Appendix H) and use the Charter
Chapter Deep Dive graphic organizer (Appendix F) to identify the rights and responsibilities of
their chapter, areas they agree, areas where they disagree and what they think is missing from
the chapter.
● While there any many options, it is important that students also reflect on the current
state of their topic/chapter in the City Charter.
● The end goal for students is to of identify 3-5 issues that they would like to
amend/revise in the City Charter.

OPTION: You can use a textbased news article (Appendix
D) if that works better for
your class
OPTION: Depending on your
class, you may choose to
spend more time developing
background knowledge. This
can be done through the
extra video clips, Charter
Commission 2019 Flier
(Appendix C) or the
additional reading that has
been provided (Appendix D)
TIP: Plan how you want
students to interact with the
Charter text. You could split
students into heterogeneous
groups ensuring that each
group has some students
with higher reading levels or
you could split students into
levelized groups, providing
groups with lower reading
levels with the shorter
reading excerpts.
NOTE: The Research time is
essential for building student
understanding of the
charter; however, it can be
done in many different ways.

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 Beyond the Ballot: Lesson 1- Local Government Knowledge

Model:
Depending on student interest on specific topics, choose a City Charter chapter to model. You
can choose a section before the lesson or base the selection off of the interest shown in the Do
Now. Use the example to ensure everyone understands and then let groups begin their
assignment. Model the way you can annotate/interact with the text to find something that you
may want to amend or revise. Also model how that can be added into your graphic organizer
(Appendix F).

You may choose to have
students work on a section
individually, in small groups,
or you may have your class
decide on one chapter that
they all want to focus on.

As students investigate the different sections of the charter, ask students to annotate the text
to find issues that they may want to amend or revise. Model how they can annotate the text,
and remind students that the goal is to have multiple topics and details to use for tomorrow
when students choose one specific revision of the charter that they want to champion.
Depending on your students and your class time, provide no more than 15 minutes for students
to read and record.

Possible Areas of Focus for Students
● Chapter 18: Police Department
● Chapter 18-A: Civilian Complaint Review Board
● Chapter 18-B: Independent Police Investigation and Audit Board
● Chapter 18-C: Public Safety
● Chapter 20: Education
● Chapter 24 A: Department of Homeless Services
● Chapter 24 B: Administration for Children’s Services
● Chapter 30: Department of Youth and Community Development
● Chapter 46: Elections and Voter Assistance
Share Outs:
When everyone is finished collecting their research, each group will share out what they’ve
learned and and their thoughts on what, if anything, should be revised in the charter. Everyone
will record this remaining information into their graphic organizers. Once students are finished
sharing out, ask them if there were any ideas that they have any reactions to or revisions that
they would like to see happen.

NOTE: The different chapters
have varying lengths and
levels of complexity. As you
prep the lesson, look through
the chapter to see which
ones may be best for your
students. Depending on the
interests of your class, you
may want to narrow the
lesson to focus on just a few
chapters.

As they work through the documents and share with each other, instruct them to use the
Charter Group Analysis Graphic Organizer (Appendix G) to capture their thoughts on what
should be amended or revised.
●

Note: Remember, depending on your class, you can decide how you want students to
interact with these texts. The original plan is for students to investigate one chapter
© Generation Citizen 2018

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 Beyond the Ballot: Lesson 1- Local Government Knowledge

●

individually or in pairs and then come back together in small groups to share out their
findings. For this section, students can work in small groups, work independently and
come back together in small groups to share-out with each other, or any other way that
works best for your classroom. You could also focus the attention of the whole class on
one specific section. There are so many ways to do this, but the main goal of this time
is that they are interacting with the text to learn more about the topics while also
identifying key issues that they may want to champion.
As students are sharing their findings, the rest of the class can record their thoughts and
ideas in Appendix G.

WRAPPING UP (5 minutes)
Exit Ticket – What do you think? (5 minutes)
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Have students reflect on the notes taken in Appendix F and Appendix G and reflect on
which topic they want to focus on for the second lesson. Students don’t need to be
specific yet, but you want students to leave class with a general idea of what they will
be focusing on tomorrow.
Ask students to reflect on the following questions: Which issue or topic is most
important to you? What do you want to change about the City Charter?
○ Students can reflect and respond to this question on the back of Appendix G
■ Extension: What is one way you could convince someone to care about
this topic and that change that needs to occur?
Check for any remaining questions regarding the Charter sections. Let them know that
this research is going to be valuable tomorrow when we work to advocate for change in
the City Charter.

© Generation Citizen 2018

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 Beyond the Ballot: Lesson 1- Local Government Knowledge

Lesson 2: Taking Action
IDENTIFY AND FOCUS ON A REVISION TO THE CITY CHARTER THAT THEY WISH TO CHAMPION, EDUCATE OTHERS AND
TAKE ACTION

OVERVIEW
This second lesson could take more than 1 day depending on the teacher/class choice of projects. Essentially, this
lesson serves to empower students to take the information they’ve learned about the Charter, focus on a specific issue
they would like to revise, and share it with Charter Commission 2019. All action is purposeful and valuable, but some
takes longer than others so teachers can choose from a variety of options. As an extension activity, students can take
the information they’ve learned and put it together to teach others.

OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lesson, students will…
● Identify a section of the City Charter that they wish to amend or revise and draft the change to the City Charter
by completing the City Charter Revision Individual Input Graphic Organizer (Appendix I)
● Take action on a specific aspect of the City Charter that they want to see amended or revised by completing the
Taking Action Option #1 or #2 (Appendices J and K)
● Reflect and make a personal commitment by completing the Exit Ticket (Appendix L)

AGENDA (for a 50-70 minute lesson)
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Activating Strategy/Do Now: Effects of the City Charter (10-15 minutes)
Focus thinking onto a specific Issue. Outreach Creation and Action (30-45 minutes)
Project Share Outs (5 minutes)
Exit Ticket: Individual Commitments (5 minutes)

MATERIALS
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City Charter Revision Individual Input (Appendix I)
Taking Action Options (Appendices J and K)
Optional: Computers to submit recommendations online
Exit Ticket Individual Commitment (Appendix L)

PREPARATION BEFORE CLASS
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Review the topics students focused on in the previous lesson and ensure that every student is ready to move
on to the Day 2 lesson. If a handful of students did not identify an area of focus for their charter revision, you
may want to work with them in a small group during Lesson 2 Independent practice.
Print the relevant Outreach Option pages

RESOURCES/REFERENCES
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All resources from Lesson 1 will also be relevant for this lesson and subsequent student action work.
© Generation Citizen 2018

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 Beyond the Ballot: Lesson 1- Local Government Knowledge

GETTING STARTED (10 minutes)

A NOTE ABOUT THIS
SIDEBAR: Throughout the
lesson plan, this sidebar is a
place where you can find
lesson modification
suggestions other tips for
enacting each lesson.

DO NOW: Review (5 minutes)

Ask students to respond to the following questions:
1. What is (at least) one way that the City Charter affects your life?
2. What is (at least) one part of the City Charter that you want to change?
Debrief: Ask students to turn and talk to share out their responses to the two Do Now
questions. Have a few students share out and record the students responses (on chart paper,
whiteboard, etc). Use the information to active students’ prior knowledge and what they
learned in the previous lesson.
Framing: Thank students for their great ideas yesterday about how different aspects of the City
Charter can affect the lives of all New Yorkers. Explain to students that as a class today, we are
going to take their great ideas from yesterday, choose a specific aspect of the charter that they
want to amend or revise, and reach out to their councilmember about that change.
Remind students that before we can do that we need to review what we know about the City
Charter and the two Charter Revision Commissions from yesterday. Ask students to share out
what they remember. Some of this may have been covered in the Do Now, but ensure that
students review:
● 1) The role of the City Charter
● 2) The role of the two charter revision commissions
● 3) The different aspects that are affected by the charter
● 4) The process to change the charter.
**Note: The main goal for this lesson is that students are identifying something that they want
to amend or revise about the City Charter and then reach out to share their ideas. There are
many ways to have your students; however, we recommend that students either write an indepth letter or email (Appendix K) or complete a shorter City Charter Revision Idea Submission
handout (Appendix J) and then submit their idea on the Charter Commission 2019 website:
http://www.charter2019.nyc/contact

DURING CLASS (35-50 minutes)

Note: As a reminder, there
are two Charter Revision
Commissions. For this
activity, students are
submitting proposals to the
City Council-led Charter
Commission 2019 because
they are currently seeking
input from the public.

TIP: If you are interested in
expanding this lesson to
have students continue their
outreach, please contact us
(mmintz@generationcitizen.
org) for ideas and resources.

Charter Revision Focus ( 15-20 minutes)
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Students review the information created in the previous class and focus their thinking
into a specific change to the Charter Commission that they wish to champion.
Students complete City Charter Revision Individual Input (Appendix I). This will serve as
a way for students to focus their ideas in which they:
○ Write down a part of the charter
○ Check off if they want to amend or revise that part
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○

●
●

Justify their position
■ Students will use this in the next lesson to focus their thinking on one
specific aspect of the charter that they want to amend/revise.
Appendix I will guide and focus their thinking
Time permitting, students can review their Revision Focus Issues in small groups
○ Students can peer or self-assess their Revision Focus based on the following
guidelines:
■ Do I identify a specific issue or problem relevant to the chapter?
■ Do I identify a specific section of the charter that needs to be revised or
amended
■ Will be amendment/revision help change the issue or problem
identified?

TIP: Have students peer and
self-assess their Revision
Focus before moving on to
Outreach Creation and
Action. You may want to
model what this looks like.

Outreach Creation and Action (15-20 minutes)
●

During this time, the goal is that students have identified the topic they care about and
want to address and then work on identifying who they want to contact and what they
want to say.
○ While there are many options for students, if you have access to the internet,
the best way to start would be to have students contact the Charter
Commission 2019 with their input on the City Charter
○ Students may also write a longer, more in-depth letter to their city council
member.

Share Outs (5-10 minutes)
●

●
●

If students have finished their projects by the end of class, have student volunteers
share out their finished products. For example, if students chose to write letters to
council members, they could share those aloud.
If they haven’t finished their projects, you can still have students share out what
progress they made today and what work they have left do.
Congratulate students on their activism! If you will have more days in class to work on
the projects, then go over next steps with students based on the steps from the tactic
you chose.

TIP: After students are done,
a great way to continue
educating community
members could be sharing
your students’ effort with
the press or posting online to
social media.
TIP: Generation Citizen
would love to hear about
your students’ efforts! Email
us or tag us on social media!

WRAPPING UP (5 minutes)
Exit Ticket: What will YOU do? (5 minutes)
●

Ask students to each think about what they’ll do as an individual with their new
knowledge on the City Charter. Provide them with a copy of the Lesson 2 Exit Ticket
(Appendix L) and have them each write a commitment down and submit them.
Encourage students to follow through on these commitments. You could also post them
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up in class. Congratulate students on addressing a need in their community and being
active citizens. Thank them for being thoughtful changemakers.

SHARE WITH US!
●
●

We would love to hear what your students create!
Please share the with us by emailing us directly at mmintz@generationcitizen.org or
posting on social and connecting with us using @GenCitizen (Twitter) and our hashtags
#ActionCivics #GenerationCitizen

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APPENDIX
OVERVIEW
Day 1 Materials:
●

Appendix A: Lesson 1 - Do Now Handout
○ Can be posted/projected in the classroom
● Appendix B: Lesson 1 - Video Clip
○ Text version can be used instead
● Appendix C: Lesson 1 - Charter Commission 2019 Flier
○ Optional “Building Background Information” Document
■ Can be used to supplement if students need more background knowledge on the Charter
● Appendix D: Lesson 1 - Reading on NYC Charter/Charter Revision Commissions
○ Optional “Building Background Information” Document
■ Can be used to supplement if students need more background knowledge on the Charter
● Appendix E: Lesson 1 - Building Background Knowledge Graphic Organizer
○ Students build background knowledge by investigating the “Who, What, Where, When, Why and How”
of the Charter
● Appendix F: Lesson 1 - Charter Chapter Deep Dive Graphic Organizer
● Appendix G: Lesson 1 - Charter Group Analysis Graphic Organizer
● Appendix H: Lesson 1 - Charter Excerpts
○ Chapter 18: Police Department
○ Chapter 18-A: Civilian Complaint Review Board
○ Chapter 18-B: Independent Police Investigation and Audit Board
○ Chapter 18-C: Public Safety
○ Chapter 18-D: Sale, Purchase and Possession of Weapons
○ Chapter 20: Education
○ Chapter 24-A: Department of Homeless Services
○ Chapter 24-B: Administration for Children’s Services
○ Chapter 30: Department of Youth and Community Development
○ Chapter 46: Elections and Voter Assistance
Day 2 Materials:
●
●
●
●

Appendix I: City Charter Revision Individual Input
Appendix J: Lesson 2 - Taking Action Option #1
○ Contact the Charter Revision Commission and share your ideas
Appendix K: Lesson 2 - Taking Action Option #2
Appendix L: Lesson 2 - Exit Ticket - Individual Commitment
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Appendix A:

LESSON 1: DO NOW – Issues at Stake
Respond to the questions below… your responses do not need to be complete thoughts- just add what you think or
what you know!

1. What are some laws that you think New York City should have? List at least 2.

2. How do the laws in our city affect your life and your community?

3. What ways can citizens affect the laws in their city or shape how their city runs?

4. Circle the issues listed below that are most important to you or affect your life in New York City in some way:
●

Affordable Housing

●

Education

●

Homelessness

●

Police

●

Sanitation

●

Youth and Community Development

●

Social Services
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Appendix B:

Video Clip - City Charter Context
Facilitators can access the video by downloading it with the lesson package or by using this online link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy9vvLz1448

Alternative Options:

Optional Longer Video: (6+ minute interview)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTHb-rJLyMA#action=share
Alternative Option with transcript in case you aren’t able to play the video:
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/rochester/politics/2018/04/12/second-charter-commission-created-by-new-yorkcity-council#

Why it matters there are now competing charter commissions in NYC
By Grace Rauh   April 11, 2018 @11:50 PM
There is charter commission chaos at City Hall
"The council will vote on introduction 241-B," City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said. "Which would establish a
charter revision commission."
On Wednesday, the city council voted overwhelmingly to create a commission to propose changes to the city charter.
But it won't be the only charter commission in town.
"I will use my authority to appoint a charter revision commission," Mayor Bill de Blasio said in his State of the City
speech on Feb. 13. In that speech, de Blasio announced that he too would be setting up a commission, separate and
apart from the one that had already been under discussion in the council.
That means that there will be two commissions looking to overhaul the rules that govern the city.
"He knows of course that we are doing this," Johnson said. "He is doing his. He knows how I feel about it. He hasn't told
me if he is going to sign it or not."
A spokeswoman for the mayor said de Blasio would not veto the council's charter commission bill. But she did not
promise that he would sign it. The mayor has said his commission will focus on reforming the city's public campaign
finance system.
"Nothing restores the faith of the people more than getting big money out of politics," de Blasio said his State of the
City speech. De Blasio is handpicking his commission members. The council's commission will include appointees from
various public officials and have a broader mandate.
"We want this to not be a rushed process. We actually really want to look at the structure of city government," Johnson
said. It's been a long time since the city charter was given a major overhaul — the last time that happened was in 1989.
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Appendix C:

Charter Commission 2019 Flier

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Appendix D:

Article on City Charter Revision
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/rewrite-city-charter-article-1.3932710#
Definitions:
City Charter: The document that defines the functions, organizations, powers and obligations of the city’s government
Commission: A group of people who have been given the official job of finding out about something or controlling something
Legislation: A law or set of laws
Mandate: An official instruction given to an organization or person
Campaign Contribution: Money given to a political campaign (running for an office) to help it be more successful

The right way to rewrite the City Charter
By COREY JOHNSON   NEW YORK DAILY NEWS   APR 15, 2018   5:00 AM
If you're paying attention to the news, you might have noticed headlines about a new City Charter commission coming soon. If
you're paying close attention, you might have noticed that there are actually two Charter Revision Commissions on the way — one
from Mayor de Blasio and one legislated by the City Council.
The average New Yorker might wonder if we really need two, and that's a good question. But there are a lot of differences between
the two, and I believe the Council's version is much more beneficial for the people of New York.
You might think I'm biased as Council speaker, but hear me out. On Wednesday, the Council overwhelmingly passed legislation —
which I proudly sponsored along with Public Advocate Letitia James and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer — to establish
the first city charter Commission since 1989 genuinely tasked with a top-to-bottom review of city government.
This commission is charged with independently examining everything the City Charter covers — from land-use policy to the city
budget. It's quite a mandate. Much debate has arisen since 1989 about the structure of our government, and this is the only way to
effectively resolve the issues.
Our commission would have the power to conduct a holistic review of the land use process, including the pros and cons of current
land-use review procedures; bring the budgeting process into the 21st century to make it more transparent and less wasteful; and
examine the possibility of giving more independence to offices like the city controller and public advocate with oversight power
over the mayor.
To be clear, the commission is by no means bound to look at these or any other issues.
That's the point. It will be fresh eyes with no marching orders on what to examine, other than to find ways to make city
government work most efficiently. This is a broad approach and nearly 30 years overdue.
De Blasio's Charter Revision Commission has a different — and far narrower — agenda. The mayor has made clear that he is looking
at ways to reduce campaign contribution limits, increase public funding for elections and enhance voter outreach.

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Those are worthy goals. But frankly, they are not the systemic or structural issues that only a charter commission can tackle. The
issues the mayor wants to examine can and should be resolved through legislation. In fact, over the past three decades, the Council
itself has routinely strengthened city campaign finance laws through legislation.
Good-government groups have also criticized de Blasio for cherry-picking and pre-determining his commission's issues instead of
encouraging members to act independently, the same criticism that they've had of other mayoral charter commissions over the
years.
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani rolled out his 1998 commission for the stated purpose of enacting electoral reforms, but was also
trying to block a ballot initiative to prohibit spending on a new Yankee Stadium in Manhattan. Since ballot questions created by a
mayoral commission may bump some other ballot questions, Giuliani was able to table the Yankee Stadium question for a year.
In 1999, 11 of the 15 commission members Giuliani appointed had either served in his administration or were mayoral appointees
to other boards. The stated goal of that year's commission was to streamline city government, but the more likely aim was
removing then-Public Advocate Mark Green — a Giuliani foe — from the mayoral line of succession in the event Giuliani won a
Senate bid he was contemplating.
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg also tried to remove the public advocate from the line of succession and used one of his
commissions to keep a question about reducing class sizes off the ballot.
Our commission has no pre-set agenda other than to modernize and improve city government. It would have four mayoral
appointees, four from the City Council speaker, and one each from the public advocate, controller and each borough president so
that we have a broad array of perspectives and experience to draw from.
On Thursday, de Blasio announced the members for his commission, making clear that he is moving forward. So are we. We'd love
him to change course, though that seems highly unlikely. You can't fight City Hall. Or maybe you can? Perhaps our independent
charter commission will want to weigh in on that one.
Johnson is the New York City Council speaker.

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Appendix E:

Building Background Knowledge:
City Charter and the Charter Revision Commissions:
WHO: Who are the stakeholders/changemakers in the Charter Revision? Who is affected by the Charter Revision?

WHAT: What is the City Charter? What are the two Charter Revision Commissions?

WHERE: Where is this happening?

WHEN: What is the timeline for this?

WHY: Why are there Charter Revision Commissions? Why is this important to the city and its citizens?

HOW: How could revisions to the City Charter happen? What steps can New Yorkers take to impact the revisions?

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Appendix F:

City Charter Chapter Deep Dive:
Name:
Charter Chapter:

Reflect: What is the current state of ___________________________ in New York City?

Rights and Responsibilities of the Chapter:

Areas that I Agree:

Areas that I Disagree:

What is Missing?

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Appendix G:

City Charter Group Analysis:

Use this page to collect your ideas or key findings about the Charter. When you or your classmate find something that you may want to amend or
revise about the City Charter, write it here! Write the topic in the section header and then, in the box underneath it, explain what the topic is and
what you want to amend or revise about the topic.

1: Topic:

2: Topic:

3: Topic:

4: Topic:

5: Topic:

6: Topic:

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Appendix H:

Charter Chapter Selections:
Relevant sections of the Charter Chapters are at the end of the Lesson Package. Other City Charter
Chapters that the students may be interested in evaluating during Lesson 2 are Chapter 8 - City Planning:
Sections 197 A-D, 203 and 204, and Chapter 70 - Community Boards. These sections are not included in
this package, but can be accessed on the City’s website: https://www1.nyc.gov/nycresources/service/4080/nyc-charter-laws-codes-and-rules
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●

Chapter 18: Police Department
Chapter 18-A: Civilian Complaint Review Board
Chapter 18-B: Independent Police Investigation and Audit Board
Chapter 18-C: Public Safety
Chapter 20: Education
Chapter 24 A: Department of Homeless Services
Chapter 24 B: Administration for Children’s Services
Chapter 30: Department of Youth and Community Development
Chapter 46: Elections and Voter Assistance

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DAY TWO APPENDIX MATERIALS:
After students use Appendix I to identity what they would like to be revised or amended in the City Charter,
they take action!
If every student has access to a computer, we suggest that you start by asking each student to go to
http://www.charter2019.nyc/contact and submit their charter proposals.
● If you don’t have access to a computer during class time, an alternative could be having students fill
out Appendix J, which is a form resembling the one they would fill out online. Students could then
submit that information at a later date.
● As an alternative to submitting proposals on the website, students can use Appendix K to write an indepth letter or email to their city council member.
● Students could even send a tweet to their councilperson or to the Charter Commission 2019
(@nyccharter)
Other Options:
If you wish to expand this lesson into larger projects, we are here to help! As the mayor’s proposals head to
the ballot in November and the Charter Commission 2019 continues their work, you may want to involve
your class in other ways. If you are interestested, please reach out to us at mmintz@generationcitizen.org.

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Appendix I:

City Charter Revision Individual Input:
Name:
Charter Focus Section: __________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

________ AMEND or ________ REVISE
Justify your position: ____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

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Appendix J:

City Charter Revision Idea Submission:
Use this section to communicate to the Charter Commission 2019 your specific idea about what should be
amended or revised about the City Charter and why.

Tell Us What You Think!
What do you think works and doesn't work about New York City government?
What is your vision for our city for the next 30 years?
Full Name: _______________________________________________________
Email (required): ________________________________________________
Borough: _________________________________________________________
Your Ideas for the Charter: (Character Limit: 2000)
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
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_________________________________________________________________________________________
http://www.charter2019.nyc/contact

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Appendix K:

City Charter Revision Idea Submission:

Write a letter to your Councilmember to communicate your specific idea about what should be amended or revised about the New
York City Charter and why. In this letter be sure to explain:
a) What issue or concern you have for the City
b) What you want to amend or revise about the charter
c) How this amendment or revision will improve the City.

Name: _______________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

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_________________________________________________________________________________________

City Charter Revision Idea Submission (p.2):
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

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Appendix L:

LESSON 2: EXIT TICKET – Individual Commitment
As our city moves to revise the Charter, we need your voice! Now that you have all this knowledge on the City Charter, what will
you do with it? Will you share this information with friends? Will you post it online? Will you teach your family or neighbors
about it? What will you tell them? Will you ask them to do something? Make a personal commitment below about what you’ll do
with your knowledge on the City Charter.

Name:
Personal Commitment:

LESSON EXTENSIONS AND ADAPTATIONS
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For those interested, the following is a list of ways to either extend this lesson past two days or to adapt it for use on
other topics. Please reach out to us at mmintz@generationcitizen.org if you would like support implementing lesson
extensions.
Extensions
1. Research Options:
a. Have students conduct individual or group research on the City Charter in advance of the lesson.
b. Have students conduct individual or group research on the different issues at stake in relation to the
Charter Revision.
c. Have students conduct individual or group research on the different supporters and opponents of
the mayor’s proposals and present their arguments are in preparation for group discussion.
2. Writing:
a. Have students write reports on the extended research they conduct on the City Charter.
b. Have students write persuasive essays with their own opinions regarding the City Charter and what
changes should be championed.
i. Students could edit their peers’ work as well.
3. Action:
a. Have students track their commitment post lesson. They each made a commitment at the end so
hold them accountable for it and have class check ins on student commitments.
i. Provide a class period(s) for students to actually work on fulfilling these commitments.
b. Students can reach out to people outside of their class to work on the action with them – other
classes, members of the school or greater community, etc.
Adaptations
1. The Action Options could be used on other advocacy issues and projects students are interested in.
2. For more information and additional Action Options, go to generationcitizen.org and/or contact New York
City Program Director Brooke Wallace (bwallace@generationcitizen.org) or New City City Teacher-Led
Program Manager Martin Mintz (mmintz@generationcitizen.org) to discuss incorporating Generation
Citizen’s full Action Civics curriculum at your school.

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Chapter

18

Police
Department

Section 435. Department Duties
a. The police department and force shall have the power and it shall be their duty to preserve the public
peace, prevent crime, detect and arrest offenders, suppress riots, mobs and insurrections, disperse
unlawful or dangerous assemblages and assemblages which obstruct the free passage of public streets,
sidewalks, parks and places; protect the rights of persons and property, guard the public health, preserve
order at elections and all public meetings and assemblages; subject to the provisions of law and the rules
and regulations of the commissioner of traffic, regulate, direct, control and restrict the movement of
vehicular and pedestrian traffic for the facilitation of traffic and the convenience of the public as well as the
proper protection of human life and health; remove all nuisances in the public streets, parks and places;
arrest all street mendicants and beggars; provide proper police attendance at fires; inspect and observe all
places of public amusement, all places of business having excise or other licenses to carry on any business;
enforce and prevent the violation of all laws and ordinances in force in the city; and for these purposes to
arrest all persons guilty of violating any law or ordinance for the suppression or punishment of crimes or
offenses.
b. The provisions of law and the rules and regulations of the commissioner of transportation relating to
regulating, directing, controlling and restricting the parking of vehicles and the movement and conduct of
vehicular and pedestrian traffic for the facilitation of traffic and the convenience of the public as well as the
proper protection of human life and health may also be enforced by an employee of the police department.

Chapter

Civilian Complaint
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18-A

Review Board

Section 440. Public complaints against members of the police department
(a) It is in the interest of the people of the city of New York and the New York city police department that the
investigation of complaints concerning misconduct by officers of the department towards members of the
public be complete, thorough and impartial. These inquiries must be conducted fairly and independently,
and in a manner in which the public and the police department have confidence. An independent civilian
complaint review board is hereby established as a body comprised solely of members of the public with the
authority to investigate allegations of police misconduct as provided in this section.

(b) Civilian complaint review board.
1. The civilian complaint review board shall consist of thirteen members of the public appointed by the mayor,
who shall be residents of the city of New York and shall reflect the diversity of the city's population. The
members of the board shall be appointed as follows: (i) five members, one from each of the five boroughs,
shall be designated by the city council; (ii) three members with experience as law enforcement professionals
shall be designated by the police commissioner; and (iii) the remaining five members shall be selected by the
mayor. The mayor shall select one of the members to be chair.
2. No member of the board shall hold any other public office or employment. No members, except those
designated by the police commissioner, shall have experience as law enforcement professionals, or be former
employees of the New York city police department. For the purposes of this section, experience as a law
enforcement professional shall include experience as a police officer, criminal investigator, special agent, or
a managerial or supervisory employee who exercised substantial policy discretion on law enforcement

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matters, in a federal, state, or local law enforcement agency, other than experience as an attorney in a
prosecutorial agency.
3. The members shall be appointed for terms of three years, except that of the members first appointed, four
shall be appointed for terms of one year, of whom one shall have been designated by the council and two
shall have been designated by the police commissioner, four shall be appointed for terms of two years, of
whom two shall have been designated by the council, and five shall be appointed for terms of three years, of
whom two shall have been designated by the council and one shall have been designated by the police
commissioner.
4. In the event of a vacancy on the board during the term of office of a member by reason of removal, death,
resignation, or otherwise, a successor shall be chosen in the same manner as the original appointment. A
member appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve for the balance of the unexpired term.

c) Powers and duties of the board.
1. The board shall have the power to receive, investigate, hear, make findings and recommend action upon
complaints by members of the public against members of the police department that allege misconduct
involving excessive use of force, abuse of authority, discourtesy, or use of offensive language, including, but
not limited to, slurs relating to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation and disability. The findings
and recommendations of the board, and the basis therefor, shall be submitted to the police commissioner.
No finding or recommendation shall be based solely upon an unsworn complaint or statement, nor shall prior
unsubstantiated, unfounded or withdrawn complaints be the basis for any such finding or recommendation.
2. The board shall promulgate rules of procedure in accordance with the city administrative procedure act,
including rules that prescribe the manner in which investigations are to be conducted and recommendations
made and the manner by which a member of the public is to be informed of the status of his or her complaint.
Such rules may provide for the establishment of panels, which shall consist of not less than three members of

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the board, which shall be empowered to supervise the investigation of complaints, and to hear, make findings
and recommend action on such complaints. No such panel shall consist exclusively of members designated by
the council, or designated by the police commissioner, or selected by the mayor.
3. The board, by majority vote of its members, may compel the attendance of witnesses and require the
production of such records and other materials as are necessary for the investigation of complaints submitted
pursuant to this section.
4. The board shall establish a mediation program pursuant to which a complainant may voluntarily choose to
resolve a complaint by means of informal conciliation.
5. The board is authorized, within appropriations available therefor, to appoint such employees as are
necessary to exercise its powers and fulfill its duties. The board shall employ civilian investigators to
investigate all complaints.
6. The board shall issue to the mayor and the city council a semi-annual report which shall describe its
activities and summarize its actions.
7. The board shall have the responsibility of informing the public about the board and its duties, and shall
develop and administer an on-going program for the education of the public regarding the provisions of this
chapter.

(d) Cooperation of police department.
1. It shall be the duty of the police department to provide such assistance as the board may reasonably
request, to cooperate fully with investigations by the board, and to provide to the board upon request records
and other materials which are necessary for the investigation of complaints submitted pursuant to this
section, except such records or materials that cannot be disclosed by law.

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2. The police commissioner shall ensure that officers and employees of the police department appear before
and respond to inquiries of the board and its civilian investigators in connection with the investigation of
complaints submitted pursuant to this section, provided that such inquiries are conducted in accordance with
department procedures for interrogation of members.
3. The police commissioner shall report to the board on any action taken in cases in which the board submitted
a finding or recommendation to the police commissioner with respect to a complaint.
(e) The provisions of this section shall not be construed to limit or impair the authority of the police
commissioner to discipline members of the department. Nor shall the provisions of this section be construed
to limit the rights of members of the department with respect to disciplinary action, including but not limited
to the right to notice and a hearing, which may be established by any provision of law or otherwise.
(f) The provisions of this section shall not be construed to prevent or hinder the investigation or prosecution
of members of the department for violations of law by any court of competent jurisdiction, a grand jury,
district attorney, or other authorized officer, agency or body

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Chapter

18-B

Independent Police Investigation
and Audit Board

Section 450. Membership
a. There shall be an independent police investigation and audit board, which shall consist of five members of
the public, appointed by the mayor, who shall be residents of the city of New York. The members of the board
shall be appointed as follows: (i) two members shall be appointed by the mayor; (ii) two members shall be
designated by the city council; and (iii) the chair shall be appointed by the mayor after consultation with the
speaker of the council. No member of the board shall hold any other public office or employment.

b. The members of the board shall be appointed for terms of three years, except that of the members first
appointed, two shall be appointed for terms of one year, of whom one shall have been designated by the
council and one shall have been appointed by the mayor, two shall be appointed for terms of two years, of
whom one shall have been designated by the council and one shall have been appointed by the mayor, and
the chair shall be appointed for a term of three years.

c. In the event of a vacancy on the board during the term of office of a member by reason of removal, death,
resignation, or otherwise, a successor shall be chosen in the same manner as the original appointment. A
member appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve for the balance of the unexpired term.

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Section 451. Powers & duties of the board
a. The board shall have the power to:
1. perform assessments and audits of the police department's internal systems for detecting, investigating
and preventing corruption among uniformed and civilian members of the police department, and make
recommendations for the improvement of those systems;
2. make recommendations to the police department in relation to the formulation and implementation of
policies and programs to detect and eliminate corruption;
3. undertake independent investigations of possible corruption within the police department; and
4. undertake investigations of possible corruption within the police department at the request of the mayor
or the police commissioner.

b. If during the course of any assessment, audit or investigation undertaken pursuant to subdivision a of this
section, the board forms a reasonable belief that criminal activity or other wrongdoing has occurred or is
occurring, the board shall, as soon as practicable, report the facts that support such belief to the police
commissioner and the appropriate prosecuting attorney.

Section 455. Cooperation of the Police Dept
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a. It shall be the duty of the police department to provide such assistance as the board may reasonably
request, to cooperate fully with investigations by the board, and to provide to the board upon request
records and other materials which are necessary for the investigation of any matter within its jurisdiction
pursuant to this chapter, except such records or materials that cannot be disclosed by law.

b. The police commissioner shall ensure that officers and employees of the police department appear before
and respond to inquiries of the board in connection with the investigation of any matter within the board's
jurisdiction pursuant to this chapter, provided that such inquiries are conducted in accordance with
department procedures for interrogation of members.

Chapter

18-C

Public Safety

Section 460. Gun-free School Safety Zones
a. It shall be a crime for any individual knowingly to possess a firearm at a place that the individual knows, or
has reasonable cause to believe, is a school zone.

b. Subdivision a of this section shall not apply where the firearm is:

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(i) possessed and kept in such individual's home in a school zone, provided that such individual is licensed or
permitted to possess such firearm; or
(ii) possessed and kept at such individual's business in a school zone, provided that such individual is licensed
or permitted to possess such firearm.

c. Affirmative defenses to the crime established in subdivision a shall include possession of a firearm:
(i) carried for personal safety between such individual's business, home, or bank in a school zone, provided
that such individual is licensed or permitted to possess such firearm for such purpose;
(ii) just purchased or obtained by such individual and being transported that same day for the first time to
such individual's home or business in a school zone where it will be stored, provided that such individual is
licensed or permitted to possess such firearm;
(iii) carried between a police department facility for inspection and an individual's business, home, bank, or
point of purchase in a school zone, provided that such individual is licensed or permitted to possess such
firearm;
(iv) carried by licensed or permitted individuals and being transported to or from an authorized target practice
facility;
(v) carried between a gunsmith for demonstrably needed repairs and an individual's business or home in a
school zone, provided that such individual is licensed or permitted to possess such firearm;
(vi) used in an athletic or safety program approved by a school in a school zone, or by the police commissioner,
or in accordance with a contract entered into between a school within the school zone and the individual or
an employer of the individual, provided that such individual is licensed or permitted to possess such firearm
for such purpose; or

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(vii) used in accordance with a contract entered into between a business within the school zone and the
individual or an employer of the individual, provided that such individual is licensed or permitted to possess
such firearm for such purpose.

d. It shall be a crime for any person, knowingly or with reckless disregard for the safety of another, to
discharge a firearm in a school zone.

e. Affirmative defenses to the crime established in subdivision d shall include discharge of a firearm:
(i) by an individual for self-defense, provided that such individual is licensed or permitted to possess such
firearm for such purpose;
(ii) for use in a special event or safety program authorized by a school in a school zone or by the police
commissioner;
(iii) by an individual in accordance with a contract entered into between a school in the school zone and the
individual or an employer of the individual, provided that such individual is licensed or permitted to possess
such firearm for such purpose; or

(iv) by an individual in accordance with a contract entered into between a business and the individual or an
employer of the individual, provided that such individual is licensed or permitted to possess such firearm for
such purpose.

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f. Any person who violates this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment of not
more than one year or by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars, or both.

g. In addition to the penalties prescribed in subdivision f of this section, any person who violates this section
shall be liable for a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars

h. This section shall not apply to a police officer, as such term is defined in section 1.20 of the criminal
procedure law, or a federal law enforcement officer, as such term is defined in section 2.15 of the criminal
procedure law.

i. The police commissioner shall provide written notice of the requirements of this section to all persons who
receive an official authorization to purchase a firearm and to all persons applying for a license or permit, or
renewal of a license or permit. Failure to receive such notice shall not be a defense to any violation of this
section.

Chapter

18-D

Sale, Purchase and
Possession of Weapons

Section 462. Permits and licenses for the purchase
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and possession of firearms
Notwithstanding any other provision of local law, no person under the age of twenty-one shall be granted a permit
or license to purchase and possess a firearm. If the applicant for a permit or license is a partnership or corporation,
only those members of the partnership or corporation over the age of twenty-one may apply for a permit or
license to purchase and possess a firearm on behalf of the partnership or corporation. This section shall not apply
to any person under the age of twenty-one who has been issued a valid permit or license to possess a firearm on
the date that this section shall become law.

Section 463. Sale or Disposal of firearms
It shall be a crime for any person to sell, offer for sale, or dispose of a firearm to any person under the age of
twenty-one within the city of New York, unless such person under the age of twenty-one has a valid permit
or license or is otherwise exempted by law.

Section 464. Carrying and possession of firearms
It shall be a crime for any person under the age of twenty-one to carry or otherwise have in his or her
possession any firearm within the limits of the city of New York, unless such person has a valid permit or
license or is otherwise exempted by law. If a partnership or corporation carries or has in its possession a

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firearm, no member, officer or employee of such partnership or corporation under the age of twenty-one
shall carry or have in his or her possession such firearm within the limits of the city of New York.

Section 466. Penalties
a. Any violation of the provisions of sections four hundred sixty-three, four hundred sixty-four or subdivision
b of section four hundred sixty-five shall be a misdemeanor and punishable by not more than one year
imprisonment or by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars or by both.

b. In addition to the penalties prescribed in subdivision a of this section, any person who violates the
provisions of sections four hundred sixty-three, four hundred sixty-four or subdivision b of section four
hundred sixty-five shall be liable for a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars.

Chapter

20

Education

Section 520. Reports of department
a. The department of education shall on or before the thirtieth day of November in each year make and
transmit to the mayor a report in writing, for the year ending on the thirty-first day of July next preceding,
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stating the whole number of schools under its jurisdiction during the said year; the number of teachers;
the total number of pupils on register, and the average attendance at each school; the number of high
schools and training schools for teachers, with the number of teachers and the attendance of pupils at
each; the corporate schools or societies from which reports have been made to the department of
education, the length of time such schools have been kept open, and the number of teachers and of
pupils taught in each such school and the total amount of money expended for the purposes of public
education in the city during the preceding fiscal year. The department of education shall also make in said
reports such suggestions and recommendations relative to the public schools of the city as it may deem
proper.
b. Temporary and non-standard classroom reporting. The department of education shall report to the
council annually, on or before October fifteenth of each year, the number of non-standard classrooms
within the public school system. Such report shall provide the number of non-standard classrooms,
disaggregated by: school; zip code; school district; instructional region; community district; council district;
and borough, and for each non-standard classroom, the number of children who attend classes in each
such non-standard classroom. For purposes of this section, the term "non-standard classrooms" shall
mean any of the following spaces that are used for subject-matter instruction where students are
intended to be seated at desks: a transportable classroom unit; a classroom located in a structure that
was not built or renovated with the intention that such structure be a permanent educational facility; a
classroom located in a multi-purpose room, also called a cluster room, and not used for the specialized
instructional, administrative or other purposes for which such room was designed or intended; a
classroom located in a space that was not designed for classroom use when built or when last fully
renovated; and a classroom the use of which violates any New York city or state law pertaining to
classroom design, location or amenity or the type of interior space that may lawfully be used as
classroom space.
c. Class size reporting. The department of education shall submit a report to the city council twice
annually, on or before November fifteenth and February fifteenth of each year, with respect to the
following information regarding class sizes in New York city public schools:
1. For each school and, separately, for each academic program within a school or school building,
including smaller schools housed within larger institutions and specialized programs, such as those for
gifted students and for students with special needs, the average class size per grade of all classes in such
school or program;
2. For each school district and for each region, the average class size per grade of all classes in such
district and region;
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3. For each borough, the average class size per grade of all classes in such borough;
4. Citywide, the average class size per grade; and
5. A detailed description of the methodologies used to calculate all such grade size data reported.
d. Presentation of class size reporting. Average class size shall be reported:
1. By the number of students, rounded to the nearest tenth; and
2. By core academic subject, in all grades in which such core academic subjects are taught in classes
that vary from such grades' homeroom classes.
e. Class size reporting exceptions. The reporting required by subdivision c of this section shall:
1. Exclude classes that are composed of students who are enrolled in any school or program that
exclusively serves students who are incarcerated, on probation, or otherwise under the jurisdiction of the
state or federal court system;
2. Be made by category of class, such as 12-to-1 or 5-to-1 student/teacher ratio, with respect to
students who attend classes exclusively for children who have individualized education plans; and
3. Exclude classes taught at vocational schools and programs, also known as career and technical
schools and programs, to the extent that such classes within such schools and programs do not provide
core academic content.
g. Capacity and utilization reporting. Not later than the first day of November of the year two thousand
thirteen and not later than the first day of November of every year thereafter, the chancellor of the city
school district shall submit to the council a report on capacity and utilization data for the prior school year.
For the purposes of this subdivision, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
"Academic intervention services" shall mean any academic or behavioral services provided to students
in addition to regular classroom instruction including, but not limited to, services for special education
students and students identified as english language learners;
"Health clinic" shall mean any area within a school designated exclusively for providing health services
to students including, but not limited to, physical examinations and screenings for vision, hearing and other
medical conditions;

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"Non-school organization" shall mean any organization or program that is not operated by the New York
city department of education including, but not limited to, after school programs, general education
development programs and social services;
"Physical fitness space" shall mean any space used for the purpose of physical fitness instruction;
"School" shall mean any elementary, middle or high school within the jurisdiction of the New York city
department of education and in any educational facility owned or leased by the city of New York, holding
some combination thereof including, but not limited to, district 75 schools and charter schools; and
"Teachers' lounge" shall mean any space exclusively designated for use by teachers and school staff for
non-instructional time.
Such report shall include the total number of each type of room or space listed below, indicate whether
such type of room or space is shared by multiple schools, and provide the following information for each
school building and each school within a building or structure that holds one or more schools, and shall
identify space utilized for a specified purpose if such space is primarily utilized for such identified purpose
no less than fifty percent of the time, provided that nothing herein shall prevent the reporting of additional
spaces that are utilized for less than fifty percent of the time if such percentage of time is indicated in the
report, provided that all information required by this subdivision shall be aggregated citywide, as well as
disaggregated by community school district, council district and borough:
1. Cluster rooms or specialty rooms used for the purpose of delivering specialized instruction and the
purposes for which such rooms are utilized in such subject areas including, but not limited to, art, music,
dance, science, computer, theatre and shop, by type of usage, and the square footage of each such room;
2. Rooms utilized for occupational or physical therapy, speech, hearing, vision, adaptive physical
education, counseling, school-based support teams and testing accommodations for students with
disabilities, by type of usage, and the square footage of each such room;
3. Rooms utilized for academic intervention services, and the square footage of each such room;
4. Rooms utilized as physical fitness space including, but not limited to, gymnasiums and other physical
fitness space, including the square footage of each such room;
5. Non-instructional spaces, such as hallways, used for instructional purposes, academic intervention
services, or therapeutic or counseling services;
6. Health clinics, and the square footage of each such health clinic;

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7. Student locker rooms;
8. Student bathrooms;
9. Teachers' lounges;
10. Auditoriums, and the square footage of each such auditorium;
11. Libraries, and the square footage of each such library;
12. Lunchrooms, the square footage of each such lunchroom, and the number of periods or half
periods in which the lunchroom is utilized for the purpose of serving meals each day by each school;
13. Rooms or spaces occupied by non-school organizations, and the square footage being occupied by
each such organization.

Section 526. Removal by mayor after hearing
Any member of the board of education or of the local school board may be removed by the mayor on
proof of official misconduct in office or of negligence in official duties or of conduct in any manner
connected with official duties, or otherwise, which tends to discredit the office of such member or the
school system, or for mental or physical inability to perform duties; but before removal such member shall
receive notice in writing of the charges and copy thereof, and shall be entitled to a hearing on notice before
the mayor and to the assistance of counsel at said hearing.

Section 528.
The installation and operation of security cameras and other security measures in New York
city public schools
a. Installation of security cameras and door alarms. The department of education, in consultation with
the police department, shall install security cameras and door alarms at schools and consolidated school
locations operated by the department of education where the chancellor, in consultation with the police
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department, deems such cameras and door alarms appropriate for safety purposes. Such cameras may be
placed at the entrance and exit doors of each school and may be placed in any area of the school where
individuals do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy. The number, type, placement, and location of
such cameras within each school shall be at the discretion of the department of education, in consultation
with the principal of each school and the police department. Door alarms may be placed at the discretion of
the department of education, in consultation with the police department, at the exterior doors of school
buildings under the jurisdiction of the department of education, including buildings serving grades prekindergarten through five or a district 75 program. Such alarms should provide an audible alert indicating
an unauthorized departure from the school building. For the purposes of this section, "district 75 program"
shall mean a department of education program that provides educational, vocational, and behavioral
support programs for students with severe disabilities from pre-kindergarten through age twenty-one.
b. Schedule of installation for cameras. The department of education, in consultation with the police
department, shall set the priorities for installation of cameras as set forth in subdivision a to include among
other appropriate factors consideration of the level of violence in schools, as determined by the police
department and the department of education. By the end of two thousand six, the potential installation of
cameras shall have been reviewed for all schools under the jurisdiction of the department of education,
including elementary schools. At the end of two thousand six, the department of education shall submit a
report to the city council indicating, for each school under its jurisdiction, the findings of the review and the
reasons for the findings contained therein.
c. Schedule of installation for door alarms. The department of education, in consultation with the police
department, shall evaluate and set priorities for the installation of door alarms, as set forth in subdivision a.
By May thirtieth, two thousand fifteen, the department of education shall complete such evaluation for all
schools under its jurisdiction, including buildings serving grades pre-kindergarten through five or a district
75 program. By such date, the department of education shall submit a report to the speaker of the council
that describes the results of the evaluation conducted pursuant to this subdivision, including, but not
limited to, a list of the school buildings where the installation of door alarms has been deemed to be an
appropriate safety measure and a timeline for such installation.
d. Training. Not later than May thirtieth, two thousand fifteen, and annually thereafter, the department
of education shall submit to the speaker of the council a report regarding training on student safety
protocols for department of education personnel. Such report shall include, but need not be limited to: (1)
general details on the type and scope of the training administered, (2) the intended audience for each
training, and (3) whether such training was mandatory for certain personnel.

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Section 530-c Student graduation reporting data
.

b. Not later than February 1st of the year two thousand and twelve and on an annual basis thereafter, the
chancellor of the city school district of the city of New York shall submit to the council and post on the
department's website, a report which identifies schools under the jurisdiction of such district that have
been closed during the previous school year and the number of students at each such school who did not
complete their respective graduation requirements prior to the closure of such school. Such report shall
include, but not be limited to, the following information with respect to such students who did not
complete graduation requirements in the prior school year:
1. The total number and percentage of students at each such school assigned to a different school and
the school to which each such student was assigned, including, but not limited to, alternative education
programs, young adult borough center programs and general education development programs.
2. The total number and percentage of students who were absent from school 0 to 20, 21-40, 41-60,
61-80, and 81-100 percent of the time in the prior school year.
3. The total number and percentage of students who utilized a credit recovery option in order to
accumulate credits.
4. The total number and percentage of students receiving special education services including, but not
limited to, students assigned to self-contained programs.
5. The total number and percentage of students who were assigned a dropout code by the department
including, but not limited to, students who were identified by the department as having an unknown
address, exceeding 21 years of age, entering military service or voluntarily withdrawing.
6. For students in grades nine through twelve, the total number and percentage of students at each
school whose grade point average was recorded below 2.0; between 2.0 and 3.0; and between 3.0 and 4.0.
7. All information required by this subdivision shall be disaggregated by grade, age as of December
31st of the previous calendar year, race/ethnicity, gender, English language learner status, and special
education status.
8. All information required by this subdivision shall be aggregated citywide, as well as disaggregated by
borough and community school district

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c. No information that is otherwise required to be reported pursuant to this section shall be reported in
a manner that would violate any applicable provision of federal, state or local law relating to the privacy of
student information or that would interfere with law enforcement investigations or otherwise conflict with
the interests of law enforcement. If a category contains between 0 and 9 students, or allows another
category to be narrowed to between 0 and 9 students, the number shall be replaced with a symbol.

Section 530-f. Instructional arts requirements data
b. Not later than February 15th 2014, and on an annual basis thereafter by the 15th of February, the
department shall submit to the council and post on the department's website, data regarding the provision
of instructional requirements for the arts in schools for the preceding school year. Such report shall include,
but not be limited to:
1. The total number and percentage of schools serving students in grades one through six that have
met all instructional requirements in all of the following disciplines: music, dance, theatre and visual arts;
2. The total number and percentage of students in grade eight who have:
i. completed all instructional requirements for the arts grades seven through eight;
3. The total number and percentage of high school graduates who have:
i. completed all instructional requirements for the arts for grades nine through twelve;
4. The total number of full-time licensed arts instructors on staff for grades seven through twelve
including but not limited to their areas of arts certification; and
5. The total number of part-time licensed arts instructors on staff for grades seven through twelve
including but not limited to their areas of arts certification.
c. Data shall include demographic information regarding the racial and ethnic composition of the school
and shall include, but shall not be limited to, the percentage of special education students and the
percentage of English language learners.
d. All information required to be reported by this section shall be aggregated citywide, as well as
disaggregated by city council district, community school district and school.
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e.
No information that is otherwise required to be reported pursuant to this section shall be reported
in a manner that would violate any applicable provision of federal, state or local law relating to the privacy
of student information or that would interfere with law enforcement investigations or otherwise conflict
with the interests of law enforcement. If a category contains between 0 and 9 students, or allows another
category to be narrowed to between 0 and 9 students, the number shall be replaced with a symbol.

Chapter

24 - A

Department of
Homeless Services

Section 603. Powers and duties
a. The commissioner shall have the powers and perform the duties of a commissioner of social services
under the social services law for the purpose of fulfilling his or her responsibilities under this chapter. In the
performance of his or her functions, the commissioner shall:
1. be responsible for transitional housing and services provided by the city for eligible homeless
families and individuals. The commissioner shall encourage the participation of and receive proposals from
the public and private sectors for the development of transitional housing and services for homeless
families and individuals. In performing such duties, the commissioner may develop and issue requests for
proposals and evaluate responses thereto, negotiate, award, enter into and administer contracts, loans or
other agreements, award and administer grants and obtain all necessary approvals. For-profit and not-forprofit entities shall be eligible to submit proposals, bid on contracts and other agreements, and apply for
grants and loans;
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2. develop, maintain and, where necessary, strengthen the system for the provision of transitional
housing and services for homeless families and individuals;
3. in consultation with other appropriate governmental agencies, plan housing for homeless families
and individuals;
4. maintain, repair and rehabilitate transitional housing owned, operated or managed by the
department;
5. establish performance criteria, goals and objectives with respect to contract providers and monitor
and evaluate such performance;
6. participate in the development of prevention programs to assist families and individuals who are in
imminent danger of becoming homeless;
7. in consultation with other appropriate governmental agencies, develop and operate outreach
programs to identify and assist families and individuals who are homeless and living in public spaces.
Notwithstanding any outreach programs developed or operated by other city agencies, and outreach
programs developed or operated by any entity pursuant to a contract with the department, the
commissioner shall retain a substantial outreach workforce within the department's full-time staff.
Beginning on the first day of September, 1998 and on the first day of each succeeding calendar quarter
thereafter, the commissioner shall report to the speaker of the council in writing on the outreach programs
operated by the department, by other city agencies or by entities contracting with the department. Such
report shall include, but not be limited to, the number of contacts during the reporting period, the number
of placements in transitional housing resulting from such contacts during the reporting period and the
number of referrals of persons so contacted to programs or services during the reporting period;
8. direct and supervise the management, operations, budget and funding of services for homeless
individuals and families;
9. work directly with the mayor's office of management and budget with regard to the funding and
administration of the city's budget for services to homeless families and individuals; and
10. advise and assist the mayor with respect to matters pertaining to homeless families and individuals.
b. In addition to the duties set forth in subdivision a of this section, the commissioner is authorized, in
consultation with appropriate agencies, to provide any other services he or she deems necessary to
implement and effectuate the provisions of this chapter.

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Section 613. Transitional housing inventory
Beginning on May 1, 1999 and on May first of each succeeding year thereafter, the commissioner shall
report to the speaker of the council in writing on the transitional housing maintained by the department
and such transitional housing operated by any entity pursuant to a contract with the department. Such
report shall include, but not be limited to, the percentage and types of transitional housing disaggregated
by the borough in which they are located.

Chapter

Administration For
24 - B Children’s Services
Section 617. Powers and Duties
a. The commissioner shall have the powers and perform the duties of a commissioner of social services
under the social services law for the purpose of fulfilling his or her responsibilities under this section. The
commissioner shall have the power to perform functions related to the care and protection of children
including, but not limited to:
1. performing the functions of a child protective service, including without limitation, the receipt and
investigation of reports of child abuse and maltreatment;
2. providing children and families with preventative services for the purpose of averting the
impairment or disruption of families which could result in the placement of children in foster care; enabling
children placed in foster care to return to their families; and reducing the likelihood that a child who has
been discharged from foster care may return to such care;
3. providing suitable and appropriate care for children who are in the care, custody, or guardianship of
the commissioner;

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4. providing appropriate daycare, Head Start and other child-care services; and
5. providing services to ensure that legally responsible parents provide child support.
b. Wherever the powers and duties of an agency other than the administration for children's services as
set forth in the charter or administrative code confer any authority over the areas of child welfare, child
development or child support enforcement within the jurisdiction of the commissioner of children's
services pursuant to section six hundred seventeen of this chapter, such powers and duties shall be
deemed to be within the jurisdiction of the administration for children's services and shall be exercised by
such administration; provided that such other agency may exercise such powers and duties where required
by state or federal law, or, with respect to child support enforcement or determinations of eligibility for
subsidized child care, by the department of social services as directed by the mayor.
c. No agency practice, including but not limited to any tracking system, record keeping or reporting
system or data collection system or device, may prejudice the rights of, stigmatize or otherwise harm a
person because of his or her gender or relationship to a child or children involved in a child protective
matter. To the extent that requirements of this subdivision are subject to state approval, the agency will
request permission to make any changes in policy necessary to comply with the provisions of this
subdivision within ninety days of the effective date of the local law that added this subdivision. The agency
shall promulgate such rules as are necessary for the purposes of implementing and carrying out the
provisions of this subdivision.

Section 618. Additional powers and duties
a. establish, initiate, control, maintain and operate secure and non-secure facilities for the temporary
care and maintenance away from their own homes only of children alleged to be or adjudicated as juvenile
delinquents and only of children alleged, adjudicated or convicted as juvenile offenders in detention as
defined in subdivision one of section five hundred ten-a of the executive law;
b. contract with other public and private agencies for such services, in order to ensure that adequate,
suitable, and conveniently accessible accommodations and proper care will be available when required for
detention, within the appropriations available therefore;

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c. establish such regulations for the operation of secure and non-secure detention facilities as may be
necessary and not inconsistent with state or local law or with applicable rules and regulations of any state
or city agency having jurisdiction. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the commissioner shall
provide or secure the availability of conveniently accessible and adequate non-secure detention facilities,
certified by the state office of children and family services, as resources for the courts in the city of New
York pursuant to provisions of the family court act, the criminal procedure law, and section five hundred
ten-a of the executive law;
d. develop, implement and maintain systems to collect, store and disseminate data concerning juvenile
delinquency, juvenile crime and the juvenile justice system;
e. participate with other city agencies in the development, implementation and maintenance of a
juvenile justice information system, to include (i) an index of records of the family court and department of
probation related to proceedings conducted pursuant to article three of the family court act, and (ii) other
information, including but not limited to age, sex, race, date of birth, charges, dispositions, warrants,
calendar information and case management data connected with such cases, such records to be made
available to the family court, the probation department, and an agency with which the child is placed or
committed upon request, and otherwise to be kept confidential except as provided by law;
f. plan, develop, conduct and supervise programs, including diversion and aftercare for previously
detained juveniles, for the prevention of juvenile delinquency and juvenile crime and for youths arrested,
charged, adjudicated or convicted of having committed delinquent or criminal acts, and conduct research
and demonstration projects related thereto.

Section 619. Advisory board
a. There shall be in the department a juvenile justice advisory board consisting of eleven members.
b. It shall be the duty of the board to advise the commissioner and make recommendations. The board
shall submit an annual report of its activities to the mayor.
c. The members of the board shall be appointed by the mayor and shall serve at the pleasure of the
mayor. Five of the members, one resident from each of the five boroughs of New York city, shall be
recommended for appointment by a majority vote of the council members of the respective borough.
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d. The mayor shall designate one of the members of the board to be chair and one to be vice chair,
neither of whom shall be employees of the city of New York.
e. The members of the board shall serve without compensation.

Chapter

30

Department of Youth and
Community Development

Section 733. Powers and Duties
a. The department shall have all the powers and duties of a youth bureau as prescribed in article
nineteen-a of the executive law and the regulations promulgated thereunder, and shall in addition have the
following powers and duties:
1. to advise and assist the mayor and the city council in developing policies designed to meet the needs
of youth;
2. to initiate youth programs and coordinate youth programs and activities sponsored by other city
agencies and responsible organizations in the private sector;
3. to plan for and coordinate neighborhood youth services in conjunction with community boards and
youth services planning committees;
4. to stimulate community interest in the problems of youth;
5. to promote public awareness of resources available for youth, and to refer the public to appropriate
departments, agencies and organizations for advice, assistance and services available to youth;
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6. to make such studies and reports regarding needs of youth as the commissioner, the city council or
the mayor may deem appropriate;
7. to serve as the central source of information relating to services and programs available to youth;
8. to enter into contracts with individuals, organizations and institutions as may be necessary to
implement policies and programs consistent with the provisions of this chapter;
9. to disburse available city, state and federal funds to programs throughout the city and, when
practical, coordinate such funds with available funding from the private sector;
10. to maintain, operate and control such programs and facilities as may be necessary or required for
the proper administration of the department; and
11. to promulgate rules for the operation of facilities, services and programs under the department's
jurisdiction.
b. The department shall have all the powers and duties of a designated community action agency for the
community services block grant program established pursuant to chapter 106 of title 42 of the United
States code (the "omnibus budget reconciliation act of 1981"; 42 U.S.C. §§ 9901-9912), and any
amendments thereto.
c. The department shall be authorized to carry out programs and activities for eligible youths pursuant to
chapter 30 of title 29 of the United States Code (title 1 of the "workforce investment act of 1998"; 29 U.S.C.
§§ 2801-2945), and any amendments thereto.

Section 734. Youth board
a. There shall be in the department a youth board, which shall serve as a forum for representatives of
disciplines directly concerned with the welfare of youth.
b. The youth board shall be representative of the community, and shall include persons representing the
areas of social service, health care, education, business, industry and labor.

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c. The youth board shall consist of up to twenty-eight members, appointed by the mayor, fourteen of
whom shall be appointed upon recommendation of the city council.
d. The mayor shall designate one of the members of the youth board to be chair.
e. The members of the youth board shall serve without compensation.
f. The youth board shall meet at least quarterly.

Chapter

46

Elections and
Voter Assistance

Section 1052. Campaign finance board
1. There shall be a campaign finance board consisting of five members. Two members of the board shall
be appointed by the mayor, provided that not more than one such member shall be enrolled in any one
political party, and two members shall be appointed by the speaker of the council, provided that not more
than one such member shall be enrolled in any one political party, and one member, who shall be the
chairperson, shall be appointed by the mayor after consultation with the speaker. The members shall first
be appointed to serve as follows:
(a) one member appointed by the speaker for a term of one year;
(b) one member appointed by the mayor for a term of two years;
(c) one member appointed by the speaker for a term of three years;
(d) one member appointed by the mayor for a term of four years; and

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(e) the chairperson for a term of five years.

2. The members of the board shall be compensated at the rate of one hundred dollars per calendar day
when performing the work of the board.

4. No member of the campaign finance board shall be removed from office except for cause and upon
notice and hearing.

6. The board shall publicize, as it deems appropriate, the names of candidates for nomination or
election to the office of the mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president, or city council who
violate any of the provisions of any voluntary system of campaign finance reform established by local law.

9. The board shall develop a computer data base that shall contain all information necessary for the
proper administration of this chapter including information on contributions to and expenditures by
candidates and their authorized committees and distributions of moneys from the campaign finance funds.
Such database shall be accessible to the public.

13. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the board shall prohibit candidates for offices covered by
the voluntary system of campaign finance reform from accepting, either directly or indirectly, a campaign
contribution, loan, guarantee or other security for such loan, from any corporation. The board shall
promulgate such rules as it deems necessary to implement and administer this provision.

14. a. The council and the mayor, in conjunction with the campaign finance board, shall develop a
curriculum to be used to train members of the campaign finance board and staff. Such curriculum shall
include the issues and problems confronted by campaigns for covered office and how the application and
enforcement of the city's campaign finance laws impacts these campaigns.

2. The board shall also take such actions as it deems necessary and appropriate to improve public
awareness of the candidates in all other contested elections held in the city of New York for any city,
county, state, or federal office or ballot proposals or referenda pursuant to city, county, state, or federal
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law, including but not necessarily limited to the publication of a non-partisan, impartial voter guide in at
least one media format providing information on such candidates, ballot proposals or referenda. The board
shall coordinate with other agencies in general and specialized efforts to improve public awareness of such
candidates, proposals, or referenda.

3. In any year in which the board publishes a voter guide pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subdivision, if
the board determines that the amount of money in its budget is insufficient or likely to be insufficient for
the publication and distribution of such guide, it shall report such determination to the director of the
office of management and budget, who, after consultation with the board, shall, without an
appropriation, transfer to the board a reasonable amount, as the director shall determine, to cover the
cost of publishing and distributing such guide; provided however, that for any election in any district in
which (i) there are no contested elections for the office of mayor, public advocate, borough president,
comptroller or city council, and (ii) there has been no administrative action, or determination of a court of
final, competent jurisdiction, to include a ballot proposal or referendum at such election sixty days or more
prior to the date of such election, the board shall not publish or distribute a printed copy of such guide, but
shall instead make available to the public on its website information to the extent practicable regarding any
proposal or referendum that is to be included on the ballot.

c. The board shall, not later than March tenth of each year, approve and submit to the mayor detailed
itemized estimates of the financial needs of the campaign finance board for the ensuing fiscal year. Such
estimates shall be comprised of at least one personal service unit of appropriation and at least one other
than personal service unit of appropriation. The mayor shall include such estimates in the executive budget
without revision, but with such recommendations as the mayor may deem proper. Upon inclusion in the
executive budget, the budget submitted by the campaign finance board shall be adopted pursuant to such
provisions of chapter ten of this charter as are applicable to the operating budget of the council.

e. The board shall take such actions as it deems necessary and appropriate to encourage, promote, and
facilitate voter registration and voting by all residents of New York City who are eligible to vote,
including, but not necessarily limited to the employment of a coordinator of voter assistance and other
necessary staff. The board shall have authority to promulgate rules in order to implement the voter
assistance provisions of this chapter, except that any rules with respect to city agency operations
concerning voter registration and voting, including but not limited to implementation of section one

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thousand fifty-seven-a, shall be promulgated in conjunction with the office of the mayor through its office
of operations.

Section 1053 - Voter guide
a. For all elections in which there are contested elections for the offices of mayor, public advocate,
borough presidents, comptroller, or city council or ballot proposals or referenda pursuant to this charter or
the municipal home rule law, each printed voter guide published by the board shall contain:
1. material explaining the date and hours during which the polls will be open for that election;
when, where, and how to register to vote; when a citizen is required to re register; when, where,
and how absentee ballots are obtained and used; instructions on how to vote; information on the
political subdivisions applicable to a particular citizen's address; and any other general information
on voting deemed by the board to be necessary or useful to the electorate or otherwise consistent
with the goals of this charter;

2. such tables of contents, graphics, and other materials which the board determines will make
the voter guide easier to understand or more useful for the average voter;

3. information on each candidate, including but not limited to name, party affiliation, present and
previous public offices held, present occupation and employer, prior employment and other public
service experience, educational background, a listing of major organizational affiliations and
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endorsements, and a concise statement by each candidate of his or her principles, platform or
views;

4. where there is a ballot proposal or referendum, concise statements explaining such proposal
or referendum and an abstract of each such proposal or referendum; and

5. For a voter guide mailed in connection with the citywide primary and general elections held
every four years, such voter guide shall include for each registered voter a list of the primary and
general elections held over the previous four calendar years for which, according to the records of
the board of elections, such voter was registered to vote and whether such voter voted in each such
election. Such information may be printed separately from such voter guide, provided that it is
included with the mailing of such voter guide.
b. For all other elections in which there are contested elections held in the city of New
York for any city, county, state, or federal office or ballot proposals or referenda pursuant to
city, county, state, or federal law, each voter guide shall contain information that the board
deems necessary or useful to the electorate or is otherwise consistent with the board's
responsibility under this chapter to improve public awareness of candidates, ballot
proposals, or referenda.
c. Voter guides shall be prepared in plain language using words with common and
everyday meanings.
d. The board shall promulgate such rules as it deems necessary for the preparation and
publication of voter guides in English, Spanish and any other languages the board
determines to be necessary and appropriate and for the distribution of the guide in at least
one media format. The purpose of such rules shall be to ensure that the guide and its
distribution will serve to fully, fairly and impartially inform the public about the issues and
candidates appearing on the ballot.

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Section 1054 - Voter assistance advisory committee
b. The board, with the advice and assistance of the committee and the coordinator of voter assistance,
shall:

1. encourage and facilitate voter registration and voting by all residents of New York City who are
eligible to vote, and recommend methods to increase the rate of registration and voting by such residents;

2. identify groups or categories of such residents who are underrepresented among those registered
and those voting and recommend methods to increase the rate of voter registration and voting among such
groups and categories;

3. consistent with all state and local laws, coordinate the activities of all city agencies in general and
specialized efforts to increase registration and voting including, but not limited to, the distribution of forms
for citizens who use or come in contact with the services of city agencies and institutions; mailings by city
agencies to reach citizens; cooperative efforts with non-partisan voter registration groups, community
boards, agencies of city, state, and federal governments, and entities doing business in the city; publicity

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and other efforts to educate youth about the importance of voting and to encourage eligible youth to
register to vote; and other outreach programs;

4. make such recommendations as it deems appropriate to the mayor, the council, the borough
presidents, and the board of elections for steps that should be taken by such officials or bodies or by city
agencies to encourage and facilitate voter registration and voting by all residents of New York City who are
eligible to vote;

5. undertake, by itself or in cooperation with other public or private entities, activities intended to
encourage and facilitate voter registration and voting by all residents of New York City who are eligible or
may become eligible to vote, including eligible voters who are limited in English proficiency;

6. prepare and publish reports, including, at the minimum, an annual report to be published no later
than April thirtieth in each year, regarding voter registration and voter participation in New York City, and
forward copies of such reports to the mayor, the council, the borough presidents, and all other public
officials with responsibilities for policies, programs and appropriations related to voter registration and
voter participation in New York City and to private entities that are currently or potentially involved in
activities intended to increase voter registration and voting. Such annual report shall include, but not be
limited to (a) a description of voter assistance activities and the effectiveness of those activities in
increasing voter registration and voter participation; (b) the number of voter registration forms distributed
by the programs related to voter assistance and voter participation, the manner in which those forms were
distributed and the estimated number of persons registered through the activities of the programs; (c) the
number and characteristics of citizens registered and unregistered to vote during the previous primary,
general and special elections and for the most recent time period for which such information is available;
(d) the number and characteristics of citizens who voted during the previous primary, general and special
elections; (e) a review and analysis of voter registration and voter participation processes in New York City
during the previous year; (f) recommendations for increasing voter registration and voter participation; and
(g) any other information or analysis the board deems necessary and appropriate; and

7. monitor voter registration and voting in New York City, and receive citizen complaints regarding such
processes.

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c. The committee shall meet at least every other month. The committee shall hold at least two public
hearings each year, one following the issuance of the annual report, and the second between the day
following the general election and December twenty-first, regarding voter registration and voter
participation in New York City. Any member of the board may attend and participate in committee
meetings and hearings.

Section 1056-b. Posting of sample ballots online by the board of elections
The board of elections shall make available on its website, at least one week before an election, sample
ballots that adhere to the requirements of section 7-118 of the election law.

Section 1057. Non-partisanship in program operations
The campaign finance board and the voter assistance advisory committee shall conduct all their activities in
a strictly non-partisan manner.

Section 1057-d. Notifications to voters
a. The board of elections in the city of New York shall send e-mail and text message notifications related
to voting for local, state, and federal elections to registered New York city voters who provide the board
with an e-mail address or mobile phone number for this purpose. The board shall provide opportunities for
city residents to provide an e-mail address or mobile phone number to the board for this purpose and shall
maintain a database of all such e-mail addresses and mobile phone numbers. Such e-mail and text message

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notifications shall be sent for primary elections, general elections and special elections for which each such
voter is eligible to vote, for the following purposes and at the following times:

(1) notification of the dates and hours of such election, as well as the applicable poll site location, and
any changes thereto, for such voter, sent ten business days prior to such date, and on election day;

(2) notification of the dates, hours, locations, and eligibility requirements for casting an in-person
absentee ballot sent on the first day of in-person absentee voting for such election;

(3) notification of the deadline for submission of a mailed absentee voting application for such
election, sent ten business days prior to such deadline; and

(4) for e-mailed notifications only, distribution to such voter of an applicable sample ballot, or a link to
such sample ballot, for such election, sent within two business days of such sample ballot being posted
online.
b. E-mail and text message notifications sent pursuant to this section shall include links to the board's
website to access relevant forms, materials and other additional information, as determined by the board,
and shall be available in the languages in which the board publishes the election notices sent to such voter
by mail.
c. The board shall provide opportunities for city residents to provide an e-mail address or mobile phone
number through the following means:
(1) on voter registration forms;
(2) on the board's website;
(3) by collecting e-mail addresses at events promoting voter registration, voter participation,
and any other events or meetings the board deems appropriate;
(4) in all mailings to registered voters by directing recipients of such mailings to the board's
website; and
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(5) by any other means that the board determines would facilitate the collection of e-mail
addresses of registered or prospective New York city voters.

d. The board shall provide all e-mail and text message recipients under this section the option to
unsubscribe from receiving such e-mail or text message notifications or to update an e-mail address or
mobile phone number previously provided to the board. The board shall not remove any e-mail address or
mobile phone number from its database unless an e-mail or text message recipient unsubscribes or
provides an updated e-mail address or mobile phone number, or if e-mails or text messages sent to such email address or mobile phone number are not successfully transmitted for a period of one year.

e. The board shall not share, sell or otherwise disclose e-mail addresses or mobile phone numbers
collected pursuant to this section, except as otherwise required by law, without acquiring advance written
permission from individuals providing such information, or unless ordered by a court of law.

Section 1057-d. Notifications to voters
a. The campaign finance board shall provide a secure website and mobile application that allows any
individual qualified to vote in the city of New York to confidentially submit to such board through such
website and mobile application the information collected on a voter registration application form pursuant
to section 5-210 of the election law for the purpose of registering to vote or updating such individual’s
voter registration. Such website and mobile application shall allow such individual to electronically provide
a signature of a quality and likeness comparable to a signature written with ink, consistent with subdivision
c of this section. The website and mobile application shall also allow such individual to view the notices
contained on or accompanying a printed voter registration application form. Upon receipt of such
information and signature, the campaign finance board shall print such information onto a voter
registration application form, electronically-affix such signature, and transmit such printed application to
the New York city board of elections, consistent with section 5-210 of the election law, or transmit such
information and signature though any other method consistent with section 5-210 of the election law.

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b. Such website and mobile application shall also conspicuously set forth information concerning the
timeframes and deadlines for applying to register to vote or updating registration, to assist such individual
in ascertaining whether the registration or update will take effect for the next election. Such website and
mobile application shall also conspicuously set forth information concerning how a voter may confirm their
registration information.

c. The website and mobile application provided pursuant to this section shall permit the submission of
an individual’s signature through one or more methods determined by the campaign finance board to
result in a signature of a quality and likeness comparable to a signature written with ink. Methods to be
considered by the campaign finance board shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the uploading of an
electronic file; and (ii) direct input through a touch or stylus interface. In addition to any other method or
methods utilized pursuant to this subdivision, the campaign finance board may, with the consent of an
individual, utilize a signature previously provided by such individual to an agency or pursuant to the New
York city identity card program, established by section 3-115 of the administrative code, if such board
determines that such signature otherwise meets the requirements of this section and may be used
consistent with the applicable law governing the program for which the signature was provided.

d. To the extent practicable and consistent with the privacy of users, data security and applicable law,
the campaign finance board shall make available to the public a web application program interface that
permits programs approved by such board to directly transmit voter registration application form
information to such board in a manner equivalent to the submission authorized by subdivision a of this
section.

e. The campaign finance board shall transmit voter registration application forms completed pursuant to
this section to the New York city board of elections within two weeks of receipt of complete information,
including a signature provided in accordance with subdivision c, provided that if such information is
received within two weeks before the last day for registration to vote in a citywide election, such
completed forms shall be transmitted as soon as is practicable to the New York city board of elections and
if such information is received within five days before the last day for registration to vote in a citywide
election, such completed forms shall be transmitted to the New York city board of elections not later than
five days after the date of acceptance.

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f. In implementing the provisions of this section, the campaign finance board may receive advice and
assistance from the voter assistance advisory committee and the coordinator of voter assistance. In
addition, in implementing such provisions, such board may, with the consent of the mayor, receive advice
and assistance from and delegate any powers and duties set forth in this section to any office of the mayor
or agency the head of which is appointed by the mayor.

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