MAYOR ADAMS, NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS CEO DR. KATZ CELEBRATE OPENING OF ‘BRIDGE TO HOME FACILITY,’ PROVIDING TRANSITIONAL HOUSING WITH ONSITE CLINICAL SERVICES FOR PATIENTS WITH SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS

 

New Innovative Model Will Provide Treatment and Temporary Housing to Patients with Severe Mental Illness, Deliver Comprehensive Behavioral Health Care to Keep People Off Streets

 

Program Offers Patients Stable Housing with Onsite Clinical Services and  Behavioral Health Care to Support Recovery, Filling Critical Gap  Between Inpatient Treatment and Permanent Housing Placement

 

Facility Will Welcome First Guests This Week,  Provide Single Rooms to 46 Guests at Full Capacity 

 

Announced in Mayor Adams' State of the City Earlier This Year, $650-Million Plan Builds on Adams Administration's Record of Largest Investment in Street Beds, Over 3,500 Formerly Unsheltered Homeless Individuals Placed in Permanent Housing  

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Health + Hospitals CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz today announced the opening of NYC Health + Hospitals’ “Bridge to Home” facility, a new, innovative support model designed to help patients living with severe mental illness who are ready to be discharged from the hospital but do not have a place to go. Bridge to Home is funded as part of the Adams administration’s $650 million plan to address homelessness and support New Yorkers experiencing serious mental illness. The Bridge to Home program aims to fill this critical gap between inpatient treatment and permanent housing placement, offering patients a stable, home-like environment with onsite clinical services and behavioral health care to ensure they can continue their recovery while transitioning to permanent housing. The Midtown West facility will welcome its first guests this week, and provide single rooms to 46 guests, when at full capacity, with dedicated on-site clinical, behavioral health, and administrative support. The first-of-its-kind model was first unveiled as part of Mayor Adams’ 2025 State of the City address. 

 

  “For decades, New Yorkers struggling with serious mental illness have been caught in a cycle between hospitals and streets. But now, with ‘Bridge to Home,’ we are finally breaking that cycle and creating an off-ramp to ensure New Yorkers leaving the hospital have a nurturing and safe environment to maintain their progress,” said Mayor Adams. “Since the start, our administration has been laser focused on supporting our most vulnerable New Yorkers, especially those struggling with serious mental illness. From launching innovative co-response programs that engage New Yorkers on the streets to investing over $650 million in a comprehensive plan to address homelessness, and even helping pass legislation in Albany that allows us to finally ensure people get help even when they don’t even recognize their own need for it, our administration has been committed to bringing real change, and this is yet another example of the transformation we are making across our city. I thank Dr. Katz and the entire team at NYC Health + Hospitals for their vision and their dedication to realizing this innovative model, which will impact countless lives.”

 

“The launch of ‘Bridge to Home’ marks a significant step forward in our ability to improve the lives of our most vulnerable New Yorkers living with serious mental illness,” said Dr. Mitchell Katz, president and CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals. “Too often, without the stability they need to heal, patients leave the hospital only to return to shelters or the street. ‘Bridge to Home’ offers a safe place to land — with on-site support, clinical care, and a path forward. By combining transitional housing with coordinated, compassionate services, we’re helping people rebuild their lives and find a more permanent home.” 

 

By offering patients intensive treatment and comprehensive support, Bridge to Home aims to keep patients on a path toward sustained success, reducing unnecessary emergency room visits and inpatient hospitalizations, decreasing homelessness and reliance on shelters, and lowering interactions with the criminal justice system.   

 

Today’s announcement also builds on Mayor Adams’ “End the Culture of Anything Goes” campaign, which highlights the work the administration has done, to date, to change the culture and laws that prevented people with severe mental illness from getting the help they needed, while simultaneously making the investments necessary to support outreach, harm reduction, wraparound services, and housing — all in an effort to make lasting impacts in lives and communities. Mayor Adams is bringing the same energy and approach that proved to be successful in carving a new path to help people with severe mental illness to address other health crises, like drug addiction, playing out on city streets, and recently laid out plans to realize that vision by connecting those suffering with treatment. 

 

Approximately 78,000 behavioral health patients receive services annually at NYC Health + Hospitals and nearly half of them experience homelessness. For these patients, however, recovery is often delayed due to the instability of housing. The Bridge to Home program provides a key solution by offering a place to stay with comprehensive on-site support while patients transition to permanent housing, reducing reliance on emergency care and improving long-term stability for patients as they prepare for permanent housing. 

 

The Bridge to Home facility on West 36th Street ensures patients are in close proximity to Bellevue Hospital and the full spectrum of services offered within the NYC Health + Hospitals system, including behavioral health care, medical treatment, and housing navigation. The building will be staffed 24/7 by NYC Health + Hospitals professionals and feature a comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatment team consisting of psychiatric providers, social workers, nurses, and peer specialists. Behavioral health services will include medication management, individual and group therapy, substance use disorder treatment, and around-the-clock support.  

During their stay, Bridge to Home guests will also receive access to crucial wraparound services such as case management and housing navigation to assist in securing permanent, supportive housing. The facility will offer three meals a day, daily group activities, and a range of therapeutic and recreational opportunities designed to support both privacy and socialization. 

 

Bridge to Home creates a new link in the behavioral health continuum of care, providing the city's public hospital system a discharge option for individuals who no longer meet inpatient criteria but need additional supports in the community. The program expands the public hospital system’s care options, which include three Extended Care Units. Extended Care Units offer inpatient care for patients with serious mental illness who have been historically disconnected from health and social services for up to 120 days, compared to an average of 21-day stay for patients in acute psychiatric inpatient care.  

 

Bridge to Home will work in concert with NYC Health + Hospitals’ “Housing for Health” program, which has housed nearly 1,500 patients, and is expected to improve engagement in outpatient care, reduce emergency room visits, and support successful transitions from homelessness to permanent housing. Housing for Health community partners will work with guests at the Bridge to Home facility to help secure permanent housing placements.   NYC Health + Hospitals’ lease of the entire Hudson River Hotel on West 36th Street will provide single rooms to 46 guests at full capacity with dedicated on-site clinical, behavioral health, as well as administrative support. The three-year lease of the facility — approved by the NYC Health + Hospitals Board of Directors in late July — marks an important milestone in the city's effort to support patients transitioning from hospital care to long-term stability. The program aims to reduce reliance on emergency care, prevent hospital readmissions, and improve overall outcomes for vulnerable New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. 

 

“Patients with serious mental illness who are ready for discharge need ongoing clinical and housing support — without it, their recovery may be disrupted, leading them back to the hospital or the street,” said Dr. Ted Long, senior vice president for ambulatory care and population health, NYC Health + Hospitals. “With ‘Bridge to Home’ we are ready to address that unmet need with compassion and precision. It’s not just a roof over someone’s head, it’s a clinical and community-based lifeline. With this model, we are building a seamless bridge between hospital care and long-term stability, ensuring patients stay connected to the care they need while gaining the housing security to heal and get back on their feet.” 

 

“As the largest provider of behavioral health services in the city, we feel a deep responsibility to continue to develop clinical models of care that support our most complex patients,” said Omar Fattal, MD, MPH, chief of behavioral health services, NYC Health + Hospitals. “This week, we are proud to launch a new initiative — one that will provide clinical services to homeless individuals with serious mental illness in a home-like environment, while comprehensively addressing their needs in a patient-centered way to help them attain stability and permanent housing.” 

 

“‘Bridge to Home’ is an innovative transitional housing model that bolsters the city’s continuum of care and adds to a robust safety net of specialized resources for New Yorkers who may be in danger of falling into unsheltered homelessness,” said New York City Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Wasow Park. “Congratulations to the clients who will soon benefit from this supportive and nurturing facility as they take the next steps toward achieving self-sufficiency.” 

 

“The challenges of helping patients with severe mental illness maintain stability in the community after inpatient care are well known,” said Dr. Eric Wei, chief executive officer, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. “‘Bridge to Home’ will be an essential part of Bellevue’s continuum of care, improving patient outcomes by providing a holistic approach that includes housing, access to onsite clinical staff, and interventions designed to enhance functioning as patients transition into permanent housing. This transformative program will fill a critical gap in community treatment for individuals living with serious mental illness." 

 

“Psychiatrists working in public settings have long hoped for a program like ‘Bridge to Home,’” said Dr. Bipin Subedi, chief of psychiatry NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. “Discharging patients with serious mental illness has often meant sending them into uncertain housing situations, despite the significant progress made during hospitalization. Access to a facility that meets both housing and clinical needs — while fostering a sense of community and improving day-to-day functioning — will be a powerful asset in supporting both short- and long-term recovery. ‘Bridge to Home’ will extend the high-quality care we provide at Bellevue into the community, offering vital continuity for our patients. It will truly transform how we support individuals with serious mental illness who are also struggling with unstable housing.” 

NYS Office of the Comptroller NYS Office of the Comptroller

 

Better Federal Coordination Needed to Stop Duplicate Premium Payments and Ensure State Can Recoup Funds

An audit released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found multiple issues with how the state identified out-of-state Medicaid members, and found close to $1.2 billion in managed care premiums that were paid for members who may have resided outside of New York. Auditors found that the state Department of Health (DOH) did not properly check to confirm that Medicaid members were New York residents and waited too long to recoup improper payments.

“Medicaid is a vital program and the single biggest expense in the state budget. We cannot afford any wasteful spending,” DiNapoli said. “If a person is enrolled in more than one state at the same time, both states may end up paying premiums to his or her managed care plans. Responsibility for preventing enrollment in more than one state lies at both the federal and state levels, and stronger coordination is needed to reduce improper payments, protect the program’s integrity, and ensure New York is only paying Medicaid costs for its residents.”

Medicaid members are enrolled through the New York State of Health (NYSOH) or through local departments of social services (Local Districts). Most of the state’s Medicaid members are enrolled in managed care plans, which are responsible for ensuring members have access to a range of health care services and reimbursing providers for those services. In exchange, DOH pays the plans a monthly premium for each enrolled member. Generally speaking, if a member who is enrolled in a managed care plan no longer resides in New York, they should be disenrolled from their plan and the plan must return premiums paid for periods when the member was not a resident. The audit examined the period from July 2017 through October 2024.

The audit found that DOH did not start submitting NYSOH’s member data for matching in the federal Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS), which matches enrollment data of public assistance programs like Medicaid across all 50 states, until May 2017, nearly three years after NYSOH started. DOH did not start reviews of the NYSOH PARIS match results until two years later, in October 2019. The audit identified $1.5 billion in premium payments that were made from 2017 to 2019 for unreviewed NYSOH members.

Auditors identified an additional $1.2 billion in managed care premiums paid for members that potentially resided outside New York as follows:

• $509 million in premiums paid for 155,181 members who may have resided outside of New York according to data sources other than PARIS, such as the U.S. Postal Service’s National Change of Address (NCOA) information. For example, a member appeared on a May 2020 NCOA report with a forwarding address in Florida. The individual had no Medicaid services in NY since February 2020, but Medicaid made 45 monthly premium payments totaling $100,859 from June 2020 through February 2024. The member was still active and enrolled in managed care as of the end of the audit.
• $375 million in premiums paid for NYSOH-enrolled members who were identified on a PARIS match but were not reviewed by DOH to confirm residency because of flaws in NYSOH’s processing that caused the omissions.
• $299 million in premiums paid for members whose eligibility was ended due to PARIS matches but the improper premiums were not recovered ($234 million), or the member’s eligibility was flagged to be closed but was not officially ended and premiums continued to be paid ($65 million).

Even when DOH and Local Districts closed the eligibility of members identified by the PARIS match, DOH and the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG) did not always take sufficient steps to recover premium payments for the time when the members resided outside the state. OMIG officials indicated they may have lost the opportunity to recover up to $11.4 million of the improper premiums DiNapoli’s office identified due to regulatory look-back provisions. DiNapoli encouraged OMIG to expedite a review of the audit findings to recover improper premium payments made on behalf of people living out-of-state where appropriate.

While all states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico participate in the federal PARIS match, not all of them participate every quarter, which can impact the effectiveness of the identification of out-of-state members.

DiNapoli recommended DOH:

• Verify the residency of members identified by a PARIS match who were not reviewed, as well as members identified as potentially residing outside of the state by other data sources, and recover improper premium payments where appropriate.
• Review the $299 million in premium payments for members whose eligibility was closed or not properly closed, and recover the payments where appropriate.
• Enhance processes to identify members living outside of the state and recover improper premium payments.

In their response, DOH officials generally concurred with the audit recommendations and indicated that it was already taking steps to address them. DOH agreed to explore the use of other data sources, including NCOA, to identify out-of-state members and engage with the federal government about incorporating data that helps establish residency into the PARIS matching process at the federal level.

Audit

Medicaid Program: Improper Premium Payments Made on Behalf of Managed Care Members Residing Outside the State

Stefanik, Blackburn Introduce Bills to End Cashless Bail in D.C. and Nationwide

 

House Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik introduced legislation to end cashless bail in Washington, D.C., and throughout the nation. Sen. Masha Blackburn has introduced the Senate companion versions. 

 

The Ending Cashless Bail in Our Nation’s Capital Act and the Keep Violent Criminals Off Our Streets Act would ban cashless bail in Washington, D.C., and would work to end it nationwide by prohibiting federal funds from going to support policies and Far Left officials who are releasing violent criminals back on the streets.

 

•   In August 2025, because of Gov. Kathy Hochul's Far Left policies, a Guatemalan national who, despite facing four felonies and two misdemeanors, is now free with no bail. Police said the accused criminal is responsible for 12 high school students being rushed to the hospital after they consumed gummies he sold them that were laced with dangerous and deadly drugs.

•   In 2022, a suspect on release and under indictment for a near-murder shooting of a 14-year-old boy in Washington, D.C. allegedly stabbed a person during an argument and fled the scene.

•   In August 2025, President Trump signed two executive orders to protect law-abiding citizens from the harms of cashless bail in Washington, D.C., and nationwide. Chairwoman Stefanik’s legislation would build on his efforts and make them permanent.

"Under Kathy Hochul's failed leadership, cashless bail policies in New York pose a clear and present danger to the Nation and must be terminated," said Chairwoman Stefanik. "Sen. Marsha Blackburn and I are working alongside President Trump to end the cashless bail disaster. We can’t allow arrested individuals who are awaiting trial to be released back onto the streets to commit more crimes against their communities."

“Cashless bail and other soft-on-crime policies have empowered violent criminals across our country, putting the lives of law-abiding citizens at risk,” said Senator Blackburn. “President Trump is leading the charge to restore law and order by ending these failed policies, and Congresswoman Stefanik and I are backing his efforts by introducing two bills to end cashless bail and keep violent offenders behind bars.”

“The National Association of Bail Agents & the NYS Bail Association are proud to stand with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik's bill to end cashless bail policies in DC and across the nation!” said Michelle Esquenazi, President of The National Association of Bail Agents. “We applaud Congresswoman Elise Stefanik's bold initiatives and leadership, and we are certain that this legislation will serve to protect the public safety of law-abiding citizens everywhere!”

BACKGROUND:

 

Under Kathy Hochul's leadership, failed bail reform policy is a staple of her administration. In 2020, New York implemented failed bail reform to eliminate cash bail for most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies throughout the entire state. Far Left judges often use their discretion to expand the baseline of the policy to free criminals into our communities, which often applies to repeat offenders, violent crimes, or certain circumstances.

 

“Zero Bail” policy resulted in 163 percent more crime and 200 percent more violent crime compared to those who posted bail, a 2023 study out of Yolo County, California, found. 

 

Read the legislation HERE and HERE.

Government Announces Settlement With Manhattan Pharmacist For Unlawful Distribution Of Controlled Substances

 

Pharmacist Will Pay $100,000 and Be Barred for Seven Years From Owning or Operating a Pharmacy That Dispenses Controlled Substances After Admitting to Filling Oxycodone Prescriptions That Contained Red Flags

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Frank A. Tarentino, announced that the United States has settled a civil Controlled Substances Act lawsuit against JANELLE HARRIS, the owner and supervising pharmacist of THE PHARMACY @ LCC (“THE PHARMACY”), a now-defunct pharmacy that previously operated in Manhattan.  The settlement resolves claims that THE PHARMACY, under HARRIS’s supervision and direction, repeatedly filled prescriptions for controlled substances that contained “red flags”—warning signs that should have created a reasonable suspicion that the prescriptions were not legitimate. 

The Government’s Complaint alleged violations of the Controlled Substances Act and asked the Court to order HARRIS to pay penalties pursuant to that statute.  Under the settlement, which was approved on Friday, September 5, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, HARRIS agreed to pay a total sum of $100,000.  The settlement amount is based on the Office’s assessment of HARRIS’s ability to pay based on financial information she provided.  HARRIS has also executed a Consent Judgment in the amount of $16,700,000, which may be enforced if she does not make the payments required under the settlement agreement.  As part of today’s court-ordered settlement, HARRIS is also barred for five years from serving as a supervising pharmacist, and for seven years from owning, controlling, operating, or managing a pharmacy that purchases, stores, or dispenses controlled substances.  HARRIS also made extensive factual admissions regarding her conduct. 

“Pharmacists and other healthcare professionals cannot turn a blind eye to opioid abuse,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “Pharmacists who recklessly ignore warning signs of diversion will be held accountable.” 

“Pharmacists are not exempt from their regulatory responsibilities, especially when dealing with controlled substances and the dangerous effects they have when misused,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino.  “This settlement reflects DEA’s commitment to making sure measures are in place to safeguard the community and hold DEA registrants accountable.  I commend our Diversion Investigators for bringing this matter to a resolution.”

As alleged in the Complaint:

Between 2014 through 2018 (the “Covered Period”), HARRIS, a pharmacist licensed in the State of New York, owned and operated THE PHARMACY and served as its head pharmacist.  As THE PHARMACY’s owner and head pharmacist, HARRIS had a duty to ensure that prescriptions filled at THE PHARMACY for controlled substances, including Schedule II controlled substances, were for a legitimate medical purpose before dispensing those drugs.  As part of this duty, HARRIS was required to look for “red flags” indicating that the prescribed controlled substances were at risk for abuse or diversion, or not for a legitimate medical purpose.

However, during the Covered Period, The Pharmacy, under HARRIS’s supervision and direction, repeatedly filled prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances, such as Oxycodone, that presented significant red flags.  Such red flags included cash payments by customers for Schedule II controlled substances, numerous prescriptions for a Schedule II controlled substance written by a single doctor, and prescriptions with semi-consecutive prescription numbers.  HARRIS and her supervisees ignored these red flags and failed to take sufficient steps to resolve them before filling the prescriptions.  Some of THE PHARMACY’s prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances, such as Oxycodone, were ultimately determined to be issued without a legitimate medical purpose.

As part of the settlement, HARRIS admitted and accepted responsibility for certain conduct alleged by the United States, including the following:

• HARRIS, as a pharmacist and owner of THE PHARMACY, had a duty to ensure that prescriptions filled at THE PHARMACY for controlled substances were for a legitimate medical purpose before dispensing. As part of this duty, HARRIS was required to look for “red flags” indicating that the controlled substances prescribed were at risk for abuse or diversion and/or not for a legitimate medical purpose. Such red flags include but are not limited to: prescriptions for high dosage strengths and/or for large quantities of controlled substances; cash payments for controlled substances; sequential prescription numbers; and multiple prescriptions for controlled substances to a single individual within a short period of time.
• During the Covered Period, HARRIS and/or employees of THE PHARMACY under her supervision filled prescriptions paid for in cash at THE PHARMACY for Schedule II controlled substances, such as Oxycodone, that were ultimately determined to be issued without a legitimate medical purpose and contained numerous red flags.
• For example, HARRIS, and/or employees of THE PHARMACY under her supervision, filled prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances that contained the following indicia of invalidity: over a four-month period, 114 of the 115 prescriptions written by a single doctor were for 120 tablets of Oxycodone 30mg. During this period, no one from THE PHARMACY called this doctor to confirm the validity of these prescriptions.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA.

California Man Sentenced for Role in Global Digital Asset Investment Scam Conspiracy Resulting in Theft of More than $36.9M from Victims

A California man was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for his role in laundering more than $36.9 million from victims in an international digital asset investment scam conspiracy that was carried out from scam centers in Cambodia. The court also ordered him to pay $26,867,242.44 in restitution to victims.

“The defendant was part of a group of co-conspirators that preyed on American investors by promising them high returns on supposed digital asset investments when, in fact, they stole nearly $37 million from U.S. victims using Cambodian scam centers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Foreign scam centers, purporting to offer investments in digital assets have, unfortunately, proliferated. The Criminal Division is committed to bringing to justice those that steal from American investors, wherever the fraudsters may be located.”

“This defendant will spend years in federal prison for participating in a conspiracy in which victims lost tens of millions of dollars, starting with the simple step of responding to unsolicited messages on their phones,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “The public should always remember to be vigilant and wary of strangers marketing promising investment opportunities. Your retirement fund or children’s college money may depend on it.”

Shengsheng He, 39, of La Puente, California, a former co-owner of the Bahamas-based Axis Digital Limited, pleaded guilty in the Central District of California to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business on April 10. 

According to court documents, He was part of an international criminal network that induced U.S. victims to transfer funds to accounts controlled by co-conspirators who then laundered victim money through U.S. shell companies, international bank accounts, and digital asset wallets.

As part of the conspiracy, co-conspirators residing overseas would contact U.S. victims directly through unsolicited social media interactions, telephone calls, text messages, and online dating services to gain the victims’ trust. The co-conspirators then promoted fraudulent digital asset investments to the victims. Scammers would tell victims that their investments were appreciating in value when, in fact, the funds the victims sent to the scammers had been stolen. More than $36.9 million in victim funds were transferred from U.S. bank accounts controlled by the co-conspirators to a single account at Deltec Bank in the Bahamas, opened in the name of Axis Digital Limited. He and other co-conspirators directed Deltec Bank to convert victim funds to the stablecoin Tether (USDT) and to transfer the converted funds to a digital asset wallet controlled by individuals in Cambodia. From there, co-conspirators in Cambodia transferred the USDT to the leaders of scam centers throughout the region including in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

Eight co-conspirators have pleaded guilty so far, including Daren Li, a national of China and St. Kitts and Nevis who has been in U.S. custody since April 2024, and Lu Zhang, a Chinese national illegally in the United States who managed a network of U.S.-based money launderers. Li and Zhang each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering on Nov.12, 2024, and May 13, 2024, respectively.

He co-founded Axis Digital with defendant Jose Somarriba. Chinese national Jingliang Su joined Axis Digital as a director and participated in the digital asset conversions and transfers of victim funds. Somarriba and Su each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business on April 14, and June 9, respectively.

USSS’s Global Investigative Operations Center is investigating the case. The Homeland Security Investigations’ El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Dominican National Police, and U.S. Marshals Service provided valuable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maxwell Coll and Alexander Gorin of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, Nisha Chandran of the Major Frauds Section, and Trial Attorney Stefanie Schwartz of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Tamara Livshiz of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted this case.

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.

If you or someone you know is a victim of a digital asset investment fraud, report it to IC3.gov.  

DOE Flunks in Comptroller Lander’s Audit of English Language Learning Services

 

Audit finds DOE’s failures denied legally mandated services to thousands of students disproportionately impacting Spanish, Russian, Bengali, and Arabic-speaking communities

In a new audit released at the start of the school year, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander reveals system-wide non-compliance and profound failures in the Department of Education’s (DOE) English Language Learners (ELLs) services, which denied legally mandated services to thousands of students. These failures disproportionately impact Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Bengali, and Arabic-speaking communities, with Spanish-speaking students representing 67 percent of all ELLs.

“In the world’s greatest city of immigrants, English Language Learner programs are the cornerstone of the City’s work to deliver equal access for all students, no matter what language they speak or where they come from,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “Our audit finds that the DOE routinely denied this promise to thousands of young New Yorkers and their families—many who yearn to integrate into their schools, their communities, and the city. As families go back to school, City Hall has both a legal obligation to comply with state statutes and a moral obligation to provide an equal opportunity to learn.”

New York State requires school districts, which includes DOE, that receive foundation aid to provide ELL students with equal access to all school programs and services offered to non-ELL students. State law and regulations define ELLs as students who speak or understand a language other than English, speak or understand little or no English, and require support to become proficient in English. New York State Education Department regulations, known as CR Part 154, govern a process that must identify ELLs, which must be performed when a student initially enrolls in or reenters a public school.

The audit found that DOE denied legally required courses or instructional minutes to 48 percent of sampled ELL students. A shocking 40 percent of sampled students were taught by teachers not fully qualified to teach ELLs. These systemic breakdowns left students without required courses, sufficient instructional time, and instruction from properly credentialed teachers. The City’s ELL population’s grew from 148,933 to 174,014 students over the last three years, marking a 16.8 percent increase.

The audit assessed the DOE’s compliance with state laws designed to ensure equal educational access. The audit underscores that the agency’s failures to provide fully qualified teachers, appropriate instruction, and legally required bilingual programs worsen longstanding inequities for students of color. DOE’s failures disproportionately left behind Spanish-speaking students, who represent 67 percent of all ELLs, alongside large numbers of Chinese, Russian, Bengali, and Arabic-speaking students.

The comprehensive audit builds on the Office’s work to sound the alarm on the City’s failure to adequately resource schools with asylum seekers in 2022 and its deficient special education services in 2023.

Key Findings from the Audit:

• Widespread Instruction Shortfalls: Schools did not provide 48% of sampled ELL students with the legally required courses or the minimum instructional minutes, crippling students’ language development and academic progress.
• Improper Denial of Bilingual Programs: The DOE filed 146 waiver requests to avoid creating mandated Bilingual Education Programs, exceeding the state’s five-year waiver cap. This disproportionately denied access for:
  • Russian-speaking communities: 41 improper waivers impacted 3,200 students, largely in Brooklyn Districts 20, 21, and 22.
  • Bengali-speaking communities: 31 improper waivers impacted 2,456 students across Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens.
  • Arabic-speaking communities: 16 improper waivers impacted 1,168 students.
  • Uzbek communities: 14 improper waivers impacted 654 students.
  • Haitian-Creole communities: 14 improper waivers impacted 525 students.
• Unqualified Instructors: 40% of sampled ELL students were taught by one or more teachers without the required certifications.
• Parental Rights Ignored: The DOE failed to maintain critical records for 31% of sampled students, providing no evidence that DOE informed parents of their rights in their preferred language, eroding trust and access for all families.

The audit also identifies areas for improvement, including expanding bilingual programs, recruiting qualified teachers, and fixing broken communication with families.

• Waiver Abuse: The DOE must correct its use of waivers and expand bilingual programs in high-demand districts like South Brooklyn and Queens.
• Teacher Recruitment & Certification: The DOE has no effective system to ensure students are taught by qualified teachers and must urgently recruit and certify educators for high-need languages like Arabic, Bengali, and Russian.

To address the findings and rectify these failures, the audit proposes that the DOE:

1. Finalizes rules for implementing a tracking and monitoring system for Bilingual Education and English as a New Language (ENL) Programs to ensure schools adequately serve students.
2. Implements and further develop a system to monitor ENL units of study to ensure that students receive all required ENL minutes by a certified ENL teacher, in compliance with CR-Part 154.
3. Continues their efforts to recruit more qualified teachers for English Language Learners program classes and encourage current DOE personnel to obtain the required certifications to become ELL-certified educators.
4. Develops a centralized system for tracking teachers Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) hours, to ensure that they receive the minimum 50% of required professional development hours, as outlined in CR Part 154. Additionally, DOE should designate a team to monitor CTLE compliance and provide periodic status reports.Continues to conduct regular audits and inspections during ML/ELL School Support Survey visits to ensure completion of all required ELL-critical documentation at the school-level, including retaining students’ cumulative records and accurately entering in ATS.
5. Improves oversight of waiver requests, evaluate recruitment efforts, and expand bilingual programs in high-demand districts to reduce reliance on waivers and ensure ELL students receive appropriate language services.
6. Implements standardized procedures to ensure that all schools provide complete and accurate ELL program information to parents/guardians in Parent Survey and Program Agreement Forms.
7. Establishes a centralized process to collect, analyze, and act on data from the Parent Survey and Program Agreement Forms across all schools.
8. Develops and implements a centralized tracking system for waitlist and transfer requests in ATS and enhance oversight to ensure all bilingual program preferences are honored timely.
9. Implements a school-level monitoring system to ensure completed ELL identification processes in accordance with their Policy and Reference Guide and CR Part 154.

“The Comptroller’s audit highlights challenges we also hear from the families we serve — many parents are unaware of their children’s ELL status or what supports should be in place, and others worry that their children are not receiving adequate help to learn English. We encourage NYCPS to engage parents by holding mandated ELL parent meetings and to ensure every student is identified immediately upon enrollment and served by licensed ENL teachers,” said Rita Rodriguez-Engberg, Immigrant Students’ Rights Project Director at Advocates for Children of New York.