To state the obvious, we are in uncharted waters as a society. People are dying at an alarming rate yet we are also concerned about how this will affect the education of our children. We would like to publicly thank the District staff and teachers, as well as the District Administration, for the countless hours that they have put in to initiate e-learning. This was not a scenario that could have been anticipated and we are confident that they are sparing no effort to make the best of our “new normal.” Please support them and don’t be hesitant to email constructive ideas to the Board (boardofed@scarsdaleschools.org) or Dr. Hagerman (thagerman@scarsdaleschools.org). We are confident that your suggestions will be met with open minds as we all try to navigate this disruption. A consistent message that we have heard in communications from subscribers to our list is a desire for more synchronous learning. We ask that the District make every effort to increase such opportunities, where appropriate and possible. Much to the chagrin of many parents, our kids miss school, their teachers and their friends. Maintaining this social connection is vital to their well-being.
It has been some time since we have reached out to you. Over the past half-year we have undertaken significant work behind the scenes regarding the security situation at our schools. We are pleased that significant progress has been made, on many fronts, with respect to securing our infrastructure. We are appreciative of the District’s more recent focus on security and will continue to support additional measures. We continue to believe that there is much work to be done. We renew our call for an independent audit of Altaris’s work for the District and the creation of an independent Board subcommittee on security to monitor District progress. We are hopeful that the newly constituted Board will take this up in the Fall. We further support the adoption of an integrated system allowing any teacher to initiate a lockdown from any location inside or outside of the school buildings. Such systems are prevalent and several states, including New York, are considering making their adoption mandatory. Scarsdale should lead, and not follow.
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