In this special back-to-school episode of P.S. Weekly, New York City schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos shared her thoughts on pressing education issues including the cellphone ban, restorative justice, mental health support for students, and whether she’d encourage her middle school daughter to take the Specialized High School Admissions Test, or SHSAT.

This is a video-first episode. Watch on YouTube.

Student journalists Roberto Bailey, Aponi Kafele, and Autumn Wynn also pressed the chancellor on her commitment to the city’s Journalism for All initiative and what students can do if they don’t feel their schools are sufficiently academically rigorous.

Cover Photo: Dulce M. Marquez
Videography: Christian Williams Fernandez and Kevin Jones
Editing: Taylor McGraw
Special thanks: Alex Zimmerman

Recorded on August 12, 2025

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P.S. Weekly is a collaboration between Chalkbeat and The Bell, made possible by generous support from The Pinkerton Foundation.