In order to participate in the Program during the 2025-2026 School year, as a new participant, Qualifying Nonpublic Schools (“Schools”) must first complete and submit the HHS Accelerator Prequalification in PASSPort, the City’s digital Procurement and Sourcing Solution Portal. Then approved Schools will be eligible to complete a School Qualification Application (“the Application”) in the PASSPort system. To participate in the Program, a School must also enroll at least 150 students, as confirmed by a School’s BEDS form to be submitted to NYSED on October 8, 2025. DCAS will verify each School’s enrollment information by referring to the documents submitted by the School to the New York State Education Department at any point deemed appropriate throughout the program year. If at any time the School’s enrollment fails to meet the 150-student threshold, then the School will be disqualified from the program. Applications for new Schools, and for Schools whose Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) is expiring on June 30, 2025, will be accepted until May 15, 2025, and reviewed for participation in the Program. Determinations will be made after Local Law 4 takes effect on July 1, 2025. A complete Application means all required documents have been received by DCAS. DCAS will determine whether each Application is responsive to the requirements of the Program and its final rules. Applications that DCAS determines to be non-responsive (incomplete or a School has not provided DCAS with sufficient documentation/responses within the timeframe requested) will be rejected. Incumbent Schools with an existing and active registered, or which are in the process of registering an MOU, will not need to complete another application for the 2025-2026 School year, unless it is for a separate location with its own BEDS code.
