In December 2020, Joyce McMillan was a part-time employee of Singeria, a contractor with New York City's Administration for Children's Services (ACS). After a Facebook post where Ms. McMillan stated that the provision of drug screens is not a “service” for parents, ACS demanded that Singeria fire Ms. McMillan, or it would end one of its contracts with them. Ms. McMillan was fired on January 22, 2021, as demanded by ACS. Afterword, these actions were brought to the attention of senior staff at ACS by a fellow activist of Joyce’s. ACS then reversed itself, and Ms. McMillan was rehired on or about January 25, 2021. 

In March of 2021, the Center for Constitutional Rights and Ms. McMillan filed a Freedom of Information Law request with ACS for communications about Ms. McMillan as well as elements of her activism on behalf of Black families in New York. After many delays and receiving barely any documents, the Center for Constitutional Rights and Ms. McMillan filed a petition with the court to demand the release of additional records in response to our request. The Center for Constitutional Rights is represented in this litigation by the law firm of Beldock Levine & Hoffman.