Giving students easier access to gov’t services

Students newly arrived to New York City and their classmates would get better access to government-issued identification cards that connect them with services, under a bill passed by the City Council on Thursday.

The legislation would require local high schools to provide teens and young adults who are undocumented immigrants, homeless or otherwise need ID cards with applications to IDNYC, a program that lets New Yorkers navigate city agencies and open bank accounts regardless of immigration status.

“Far too often, we know our families and students miss out on incredible resources New York City has to offer because they’re simply unaware,” the bill’s sponsor, Councilwoman Rita Joseph (D-Brooklyn), said Thursday.

Rolled out in 2015, the photo IDs function as a library card and help people apply for jobs and housing, enter municipal buildings and get prescriptions. Cardholders can also access dozens of museums, zoos and a variety of savings around the city.

An estimated 14,000 children and teens seeking asylum have enrolled in public schools since the summer — part of a huge surge in migrants that Mayor Adams has called an emergency — according to city data.

“This policy is particularly important for students from marginalized communities who may not have access to traditional forms of identification,” Joseph said, “and who may face barriers to accessing the services they need.”

Along with spreading the applications, school staff are also on the hook for information about eligibility, the documents required to prove identity and residency and benefits and discounts.

“We really think that it’s crucial,” said Theodore Moore, vice president of policy and programs at the nonprofit New York Immigration Coalition, “not only for everyone because young people need access to identification, but specifically for newcomer asylum seekers to be able to apply for social services or just to get inside some of these government buildings.”

Last summer, libraries saw a surge in ID applications from asylum seekers eager to get proof of identity so they could enter their kids’ schools. The legislation will make that process easier and increase awareness, advocates said.

Naveed Hasan, a parent and member of the Panel for Educational Policy who for months has been helping connect newcomers at his child’s public school with IDNYC, called the bill a “no-brainer.”

Education officials at a hearing on the bill in January said they “support the goals” of the legislation.