New oversight rules for NY private schools, yeshivas expected to be approved

New oversight rules that would make it easier to crack down on religious and other private schools are expected to be approved by state education officials on Tuesday.

The New York State Board of Regents is set to vote on the guidelines, which unanimously sailed through committee on Monday.

The regulations would require that private schools provide instruction that’s “substantially equivalent” to what’s offered at their public counterparts.

Nonpublic schools would be subject to reviews by local education agencies, as well as less intrusive means to make sure they meet academic standards — such as department-approved exams or accreditors.

The rules, which apply to all private schools equally, have faced fierce backlash from those serving the state’s Hasidic Jewish community, who argue it’s an infringement on their right to a religious education.

Draft guidelines released earlier this year sparked 350,000 public comments since the spring, tens of thousands of which defended yeshivas, according to the latest state figures.

Jim Baldwin, senior deputy commissioner at the state education department, countered that the move “does not regulate religious instruction.”

“Religious studies may still be taught as the nonpublic school sees fit,” Baldwin told reporters ahead of the committee vote.

Those that fail to comply with the regulations risk being stripped of their school-designation, meaning they would lose public funding.

Officials declined to say whether the state would close a school that doesn’t meet the standards, while noting that one that is unrecognized by the state may struggle to recruit and retain students.

Yeshiva advocates keen on maintaining the status quo criticized the state’s latest attempt at oversight.

“Those who want State control can choose the public schools,” read a statement from Parents for Educational And Religious Liberty in School. “Parents who pay for a private or parochial school education do so because they believe in the mission and educational approach of those schools’ leaders.”

Supporters of secular studies in yeshivas hailed the committee vote, with Naftuli Moster, founder of the group Young Advocates for Fair Education, calling it a “giant step forward in ensuring that all children attending non-public schools receive the education to which they are entitled.”

The vote follows a The New York Times report finding that some students at yeshivas have been denied basic education, such as in science or social studies, and subjected to corporal punishment — all while the schools reaped more than $1 billion in government funding in recent years. 

State education officials released a 142-page file this month summarizing the public comments and responding to the issues…