WHEREAS, charter schools in New York City do not accept or keep comparable numbers of high-needs students as traditional public schools — whether special education students, homeless children or English language learners, according to Department of Education data; and

WHEREAS, while New York City charters educate a mere 7 percent of the students, they account for 42 percent of the city’s suspensions, according to The Atlantic/CityLab, effectively forcing out students who do not fit in; and

WHEREAS, these and other characteristics of charter schools can exacerbate and extend existing racial inequalities in educational opportunities and outcomes; and

WHEREAS, the national board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on Oct. 15 took a strong public stand against the expansion of charter schools until charter schools are subject to the same transparency and accountability standards as public schools, public funds are not diverted to charter schools at the expense of the public school system, charter schools cease expelling students that public schools have a duty to educate, and charter schools cease to perpetuate de facto segregation of the highest-performing children from those whose aspirations may be high but whose talents are not yet as obvious; and

WHEREAS, the NAACP has taken this principled stand in the face of intense pressure from well-funded charter-school advocates; and

WHEREAS, the Movement for Black Lives and other civil rights groups have also called for moratorium on charter schools; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the UFT affirm and support the NAACP’s position on the grounds that, until charter schools embrace the same challenges that public schools face, the NAACP is right to call for a moratorium on their expansion.