Friends living in Rockland County: I have followed with sadness for several years the developments in the East Ramapo Central School District. The purpose of this post is to make a suggestion to every resident of Rockland County who has or had a son or daughter attend public school: contact the PTA of the nearest public school and cause that PTA to work to support the efforts of those in East Ramapo who are battling the enemies of public schools. If you think the problem is confined to East Ramapo, think again. Unless you plan to sell your house in the next few years and move to Florida, the problem that has destroyed East Ramapo will impact you as well, whether you live in North Rockland, New City, or Suffern. It may take decades, but there are no walls around East Ramapo and, if you have not noticed, the families that attend yeshivas in Monsey and Spring Valley are pretty large. Based on reports I have read, it appears possible that there have been irregularities by board members, past or present. The best way to prevent future irregularities is to make sure that present and future board members know their actions will be scrutinized by appropriate state and federal authorities and that there will be consequences if they act illegally. A good way to get elected officials to act om an issue is to make sure they know that voters care about an issue. So, if you are active in your PTA somewhere in Rockland or have a friend or neighbor who is active, think about what you can do to help the minority of people in East Ramapo who still rely on public schools to educate their children. I think the answer is obvious: when they hold a protest or rally, come in numbers and support them. It seems like a great way to do this is though the PTA structure.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 03:15:20 +0000