Patrick Welcomes Community Engagement in the Scarsdale Schools

Signaling a new spirit of openness at the Scarsdale Schools, we recently met with Interim School Superintendent Andrew Patrick and Public Information Officer Michelle Verna for an informal discussion before the opening of the new school year.

Despite the August heat, the district office was humming. Staff wore t-shirts that read, “The Jerry Factor,” and "The Rachel Effect" to mark the last day of work for District Director of Instructional Technology and Innovation Jerry Crisci and Director of Information Technology Rachel Moseley who both retired and will be replaced by former Edgewood Assistant Superintendent William Yang and Jeannie Crowley. Patrick was already engrossed in school business and welcomed me into his office to discuss his priorities for the coming year and his thoughts on engaging with the community and the media.

Due to the constraints of the COVID crisis and safety concerns during the last several years parents have had almost no access to the schools. With policies preventing visitors, security guards at the doors and at times, limited in-class time for the students, some parents and community members have not seen the inside of school walls in years.

We asked Patrick if any of that will change and he said, “it already has.” He discussed end of year celebrations and moving up ceremonies at the elementary schools this past June and said that occasions like this would continue “within reason,” in the coming school year.

In addition to physically welcoming parents, Patrick hopes to engage the community on several issues that are on the agenda for the 2022-23 school year.

What are they?

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) – The district will continue to work with Dr. Derrick Gay, “a Diversity and Inclusion Strategist who consults with organizations, both domestically and abroad, Over the past 23 years, he has partnered with over 500 organizations across numerous sectors to deepen D&I capacity; enhance inclusion and engagement; attract, hire, and retain the best talent; and design strategy to maximize business and education goals.”

A session is planned during the year for Gay to address parents directly.Public Information Officer Michelle Verna sports a t-shirt to recognize Jerry Crisci's retirement.

Advanced Track and Advanced Placement Curriculum – The district will continue the work done by the Tri-State Consortium last spring and delve further into the question of the merits of Scarsdale’s AT curriculum vs. the more traditional AP curriculum offered nationwide.

Also new this year is REVEAL, a new math curriculum for K-5, that has been the subject of several courses this summer at the Scarsdale Teacher’s Institute, where teacher’s received training in the new program.

We asked Patrick for his thoughts on safety and security, given more disturbing news about gun violence around the country. He said, “Our first focus is student well-being…This year we have added four psychologist to our staff. Our first line of defense is to make students feel supported and engaged.” Referring to shootings in other areas he said, “These incidents have been caused by disaffection from someone in the community,” so the best way to prevent violence is to make people feel connected and engaged in their community.

About the school’s physical plant, Patrick noted that the buildings and facilities staff have spent this summer completing work funded in the 2018 school bond. This summer, unit ventilators were installed in several buildings. Patrick hopes that another heat wave won’t hit us in early September as though all schools have some air conditioned spaces, not all rooms are equipped with air conditioning and high heat could be disruptive.

Beyond the specifics of his agenda, what was most telling was Patrick’s willingness to invite me into his office, share information, suggest topics for upcoming articles and staff members to interview. His genuine desire to engage the community in the district agenda and the schools themselves was a sea change.

L-R: Jerry Crisici, Retired Director of Instructional Technology & Innovation, William Yang, K-12 Coordinator of Digital Learning & Literacy, Jeannie Crowley, Director of Technology and Innovation, and Rachel Moseley, Retired Director of Information Technology, Chief Information and Data Protection Officer.