MONSEY, NY - The large Orthodox Jewish community here
sends most of its children to private schools but took control of the public
school district six years ago.
Now, there’s a heated school board election pitting three
Orthodox Jewish candidates against so-called “public school candidates,” who
have or had children in the school system.
Critics say the current school board has favored private
schools, closing two public schools and arranging for them to be used by
yeshivas, or private Jewish schools.
Members of the Orthodox Jewish community say the board is
acting appropriately and trying to make sure that the needs of children
attending private school aren’t ignored.
At a Parent Teacher Association candidate’s forum last week,
the only candidates that showed up were public school candidates. None of their
opponents made an appearance.
It was the same story at an NAACP candidate’s forum earlier
this month. The Orthodox candidates complain they never received an invitation.
“There has been a lot of division, unfortunately,” said Kim
Foskew, president of the Parent Teacher Association Council. “I wish there
weren’t. People are getting angry. It’s just the culmination of everything and
it has built up a lot of animosity.”
Similar power struggles have taken place in communities with
large Orthodox populations, such as Lawrence, Long Island, and Lakewood, N.J.
But in the East Ramapo district, residents say the conflict has reached the
breaking point.
Both the Anti-Defamation League and the New York Civil Liberties
Union have written letters to school officials expressing concerns about
various issues in the district.
Situated about 35 miles northwest of New York City, the East
Ramapo district faces an unusual situation. Its public student population of
roughly 8,100 is dwarfed by a private student population of about 20,000. The
majority of private students are educated in yeshivas.
No comments:
Post a Comment