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Written by: Oscar Tirabassi

Published: 12 March 2020

Created: 12 March 2020

Last Updated: 12 March 2020

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On Sunday night March 8 the Scarsdale Union Free School District announced that it would close until March 18 after a teacher at Scarsdale Middle School tested positive for coronavirus. Since then, 36 faculty, students, and parents have been asked to quarantine for fourteen days. The district is currently in the process of disinfecting all school buildings and buses. High school students are mostly not unhappy.

On their website, the district has advised against “larger gatherings of students or students and adults.” Even so, students have reported seeing “fun gatherings at Kenisco Dam” on social media, as well as parties hosted by their classmates. “I want to go to a [subject omitted] class party, but my parents won’t let me out of the house,” one junior lamented.

A senior had more reservations. “I’m very surprised that a lot of people are not taking this seriously whatsoever. I get that just one teacher had it, but going to the beach? Really?” She also mentioned seeing many videos about coronavirus posted by her classmates on the popular social media app Tik Tok. “I’m not going to go to a big gathering, but I want to go out later to Michaels [the arts and crafts store].”

“Fifty percent of people say everyone is going to be affected, fifty percent say it’s just a flu – I don’t know how imminent the threat is,” another senior said. “Even if they disinfect the schools, what if we go back and there’s one person who has it, and everyone gets affected? I’m scared.” She expressed concern over transmitting the virus: “It feels like you have too much control over other people’s lives to just go out.”

High school teachers will be permitted to assign work to their students starting on Monday, March 16th. It remains to be seen how this interruption will affect teachers' curricular plans. Many have already posted announcements on social media postponing or delaying certain projects and assignments. One student said his teacher initially assigned homework online, but then withdrew the assignment when the school requested it to be removed.

Other students are relishing their time spent at home. “I am taking this time to relax at home, update myself on the current epidemic, catch up on my favorite shows, and do some gaming,” a senior explained. “I am planning on staying home, as I think it is necessary for us all to give up a little bit of our time going out in order to keep our community healthy.”

It is unclear if spring break will be cancelled so that the district may fulfill the required minimum of school days mandated by New York State. “We will notify the community as soon as possible if the use of such days is necessary,” the district website states. To many high school seniors who have meticulously planned their spring break trips with friends, this could be nothing short of a disaster. One student maintained that “technically, [the district] can’t take away break days because it’s a state of emergency.”

A senior said that since his spring break plans were inevitably going to be scrapped, he would hang out with friends during the extended closure. “I’m going out often,” he said confidently. “Corona is so overblown, and young people with healthy immune systems easily survive it.”

“I love the days off,” he said. “It’s probably a little excessive, but who cares.”

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 02 March 2020

Created: 02 March 2020

Last Updated: 02 March 2020

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(This is the opinion of site founder Joanne Wallenstein) We’re living in unprecedented times. Each day the news appears more like a doomsday script for a movie I would be too frightened to watch. On the national level, our President is unhinged, he’s dismissed and ignored the experts and mocked science saying anything that doesn’t fit into his playbook is “fake news.”

Up to a month ago, policy on the national level was disheartening, hurt our sensibilities and our pocketbooks but did not threaten our very survival. Now with the outbreak of the highly communicable and possibly fatal COVID-19 or Coronavirus, failures at the national level could have dire consequences on the local level.

We’ve already seen the President contradict the scientists and deny the severity of the threat. We’ve read news reports from those who feared they had the Coronavirus but were unable to get tested as they didn’t meet CDC guidelines – only to later learn that they were infected. Anyone who can read has good reason to be skeptical about the way that our national leaders are handling the outbreak.

So now more than ever, it’s important that we think smart on a local level and call on our Scarsdale leadership and resident experts to safeguard our community. We have a Mayor, Village Manager, Village Board, School Superintendent and School Board who can all make critical decisions in these unusual times.

One of the goals of our school curriculum is to teach critical thinking skills, and now’s the time for these local leaders and our uniquely-qualified residents to analyze the situation, formulate plans and implement them if needed.

Last week Scarsdale faced its first challenge in the crisis when families returned home from the February break. It quickly became known that several families travelled to Milan and skied in Northern Italy where there has been an outbreak of the virus. Another family travelled to South Korea, an area hit hard by the virus.

The CDC recommended that those who spent time in either country in the past 14 days take precautions. Many companies who have employees who travelled to affected regions are requiring them to self quarantine for 14 days before returning to work, even if they are showing no symptoms of the disease, which can take weeks to manifest.

However, our school district has not required students who travelled to Italy or Korea to abstain from attending school. Naturally, parents with children in the classrooms with these returning travelers are concerned. Though the travelers might feel fine now, they may have been exposed and could potentially become ill during the next few weeks and infect others. It is unknown if the disease can be spread before people become symptomatic, but it appears that it might.

Parents questioned the school district and requested that the families who travelled should be encouraged to self-quarantine for the recommended two-week period. Even if it turns out that no one was exposed or infected, this would safeguard the rest of the children -- and the community at large.

The school responded by saying, “School attendance is compulsory under the law,” and said they had no right to “question or monitor where District families travel,” and “do not have the right to impose additional quarantines above the procedures set out by the government.”

Furthermore, “The District has a responsibility to work with the County Department of Health for students exhibiting symptoms and have traveled to China under Education Law 906.1 (This law is explained well in the State Guidance I have linked in the District-wide emails). District nurses have been instructed to seek guidance from the county in any situation when a symptomatic child has traveled to an affected region as the law currently only covers China.”

The school did not change their response when more countries were added to the list. This weekend several airlines suspended flights to Northern Italy, recognizing the difficulty of containing communication of the virus.

According to the district policy, the school nurse is bound to wait for a child to exhibit symptoms before making any recommendations regarding attendance. But as other parents have pointed out, once the child develops symptoms, it’s simply too late to protect others in the school.

The district did agree to reach out to families if they were made aware of travel to affected countries, saying “In instances where the District has information about student or family travel to an affected region, we are reaching out to those families to support them and make sure they are aware of the CDC recommendations.”

This offered little solace to parents who had no way of knowing whether the affected children would be present at school.

We spoke with one very worried mother who contacted Superintendent Thomas Hagerman, Director of Special Education and Student Services Eric Rauschenbach, her school principal and the class teacher to ask if the children who travelled could stay home for two weeks, as recommended by the CDC. All gave her the same response: “There’s nothing we can do.”

Another parent told us that one of the families offered to quarantine themselves for two weeks and were told, “You and your family have done nothing wrong and deserve to return to your normal routine without this type of interruption.”

Where does this leave the balance of the community? What about the rights of others to attend school, free from fear? It seems the only choice for those who are worried is to pull their own children out of school.

This problem is an easy one to solve. Administrators could actively encourage these families to keep their children home rather than run the risk of infecting their classmates. Since there are only a handful of families involved, only a few would be inconvenienced to spare many from potentially catastrophic results.

In this case, instead of doing some out of the box thinking, district administrators appear to have contacted their lawyers and come up with a policy that could work for another type of virus, but not for this one.

As my 84 year-old aunt said, “I have never lived through a pandemic,” and neither have any of us. In order to minimize the risk to everyone in the community, let’s ask our leaders to be flexible and creative and use their critical thinking skills to balance the rights of a few vs. the needs of the community.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 24 February 2020

Created: 24 February 2020

Last Updated: 24 February 2020

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Vicki Presser, the Public Information Officer, media liaison and the voice of the Scarsdale School District has announced she will retire in June after 18 years on the job.

We asked Presser a few questions about her role, her history and the future and here is what she shared”

What are your current responsibilities?

I write or edit all the articles in Insight, and take the classroom photos that are published there; I gather and edit the articles for 'Dale Dispatch; I send Board meeting notices and news releases out to the news media and the community, and write and distribute Board Highlights; I edit reports and papers written by our District administrators; I write special pieces as needed; I answer community and reporter requests for information; I post items on the District Facebook page and contribute to Website postings; I notify news media concerning inclement weather postings; I take part in Safety, Security, and Emergency Management committee work; and there's probably more things that are not coming to mind just now! Oh right: I help bewildered, lost people in the hallway -- a lot. That just happened, so it reminded me.

How has the job changed during your tenure?

Google Docs is a game-changer, as they say. So much easier to collaborate on drafts and keep track of changes.

Under which superintendents did you serve and how did their communication styles vary?

Just Dr. McGill and Dr. Hagerman.

How has the advent of social media affected the way you communicate with the community?

In 2002 Facebook was barely a thing. Now we have nearly instantaneous access to information. But the same rules of communication apply - be clear, concise, and mindful of community concerns.

Were you ever fooled into reporting a fake story or fake news?

Nope. I'm the one telling people to go to Snopes and check the veracity of a story BEFORE passing it around.

What was one of the funniest stories you ever reported?

Not exactly that, but here's one of my favorite stories: It was Human Rights Day at the Middle School some years ago. I had twisted my ankle badly the day before, but gamely limped around the hallways taking photos -- until principal Mike McDermott stopped me and said, "young lady, I'm sending you to the nurse's office!" Now, that is truly one of the perks of working in a school district.

Down the road, what changes in district communications do you anticipate?

I've already seen the transition from phone calls to emails to texts. But some things never change -- for example, a print newsletter is still the only reliable way to reach everyone living in the community.

Do you think the job description for your replacement will differ from what you currently do?

I'm certain my successor will find new and better ways to get the work done -- and will probably also be able to reach items on top shelves.

What do you plan to do in your retirement?

I was recently elected to the White Plains Common Council, and very much enjoy serving the community where I've lived for nearly 40 years. But another title I got in January is even more exciting -- Grandma! My new granddaughter is in Chicago; regular visits will be in order. Apart from that, I'll be glad to have more time to read, take part in synagogue activities, attend concerts, and visit museums and parks.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 12 February 2020

Created: 12 February 2020

Last Updated: 12 February 2020

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As a result of projected energy savings, school administrators were able to decrease the projected tax levy increase for 2020-21 to 3.31%, translating to a 3.15% tax increase for Scarsdale residents and a 3.98% increase for residents of the Mamaroneck strip. The total budget is now projected to be $166,875,850. The numbers were reviewed at a budget study session of the Scarsdale Board of. Education on Monday night February 10, 2020.

At the meeting, administrators reviewed key elements of the school budget, highlighting priorities and changes to the budget.

Here are a few highlights from each of the presentations:

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Edgar McIntosh reviewed the largest single component of the budget; $60,334,389 in salaries for instructional staff that includes professional development supplies and instructional materials.

According to McIntosh, the guiding principle behind the educational program are:

Students are at the Center
It is important to connect knowing and doing
Creation and cohesion require collaboration
Scarsdale is a destination (but not an island)

Mcintosh explained that the program and curriculum are assessed and reviewed on an ongoing basis. The staff uses the summer to look at the curriculum, assess and adapt what they are teaching.

Another component of the program is arts education. The district has an Alvin Ailey dance program in the school, has relationships with external art institutions and invites visiting artists and arts programs to come to the district.

The district conducts several programs to connect our students and educators with those from other countries. The district runs the Interdependence Institute and this year will host international leaders during the Global Alliance in April.

For faculty, the district runs the Scarsdale Teacher’s Institute for professional enrichment and growth and also offers teachers grants for professional development through the Center for Innovation.

As a part of Scarsdale’s commitment to sustainability, the schools run a gardening program at all district schools where students learn to grow their own food and conduct plant-based research. At the high school, there is an advanced science research program as well as AT courses that are now being assessed and reviewed.

Special Education

Director of Special Education Eric Rauschenbach explained the 9.35% growth in his portion of the budget for 2020-21.

The proposed special education budget is $15,616,807, up $1,334,972 from 2019-20 or 9.35%. In the last ten years, the district has seen an increase in the number of classified students, going from 6.8% of the school population in 2010 to 10.4% in 2020. There have been increases in the number of students with autism and social emotional disabilities as well as those with more involved learning issues.

Next year, the district will offer a new 8:1: 2 classroom that will accommodate some students who are now placed out of the district. The cost of the additional staff should be offset by a reduction in out of district tuition payments.

This year, the Special Education department spent more than what was budgeted due to additional students entering the district during the summer, more funds for BOCES and increased legal costs as a result of litigation.

Special Education and student services represents 12.5% of the total school budget.

Technology Director Jerry Crisci marveled that the technology budget is just 2% of the total school budget but touches 100% of the community. The technology budget has been flat for the last three years and is expected to increase by 1.5% for 2020-21. They have been able to keep costs down by using funds from the Smart Schools Bond and by spreading costs for technology updates over four and five years. Some unknowns this year are the effect the Corona Virus could have on the supply chain from China. Crisci said, “We don’t know what the impact will be on pricing until this summer. We don’t know the prices of Chrome books right now – we need a large quantity and a small price change could have a big impact.” Furthermore, along with the purchase of iPads, the district needs to buy cases, home filtering, and mobile device management software for updates. In other words, they are not just buying the devices. He said he plans to upgrade the district to wifi6.

On Feb 8-9, research students from SHS participated at the Westchester-Rockland Junior Science and Humanities Symposium at John Jay High School. Caroline Roberts won fourth place in Cellular and Molecular Biology for her PowerPoint presentation of her work entitled Proposing a Model for Regulation of Ras and Rabex-5 through Deubiquitinating Enzyme Fat-facets (faf). She will advance to the next level, the Upstate New York JSHS, where she will present a poster on her work. (Caroline is in the back row, third from the right.)

Facilities:

Stuary Mattey outlined some items affecting the facilities budget, which is expected to go up $364,525 or 4%. The increases are primarily due to:

The addition of air conditioning, which he anticipates will increase the district’s electric bill by $61,000 to power the units.

The Safety and Security Budget will rise by $244,570 to allow for improvements in the lock down system and the addition of gates and security film. The total budget for safety and security will be $1,363,871.

Environmental testing will continue with $65,000 in testing for lead in the water and another $34,500 to replace lead water filters.

Also in the budget for plant improvements for next year are:

-The installation of ceiling fans in elementary school gyms
-De-commission the science wing elevator at the high school which is out of service and no longer needed.
-Exterior painting at schools
-Repointing and bricks and roofing ($250,000)
-Building condition survey items as identified in the master plan ($185,000)
-Asbestos abatement $75,000
-Bus compound renovations - $60,000

High School Auditorium

Another big item of discussion was a proposed $2.3 million for renovation of the high school auditorium. This would be funded by a transfer to the capital fund. The auditorium has not been renovated for 40 years and is need of updating.

The administration proposes to:

-Remove and replace seating
-Remove and replace carpeting
-Repair concrete below seating
-Replace and improve sound system
-Replace and improve lighting control systems
-Replace and improve stage lights
-Improve stage rigging
-Replace and improve electric wiring

These improvements would bring the auditorium up to current standards and impact performances and the students who work with the equipment.

The auditorium renovation prompted some discussion from the Board. Chris Morin said, “The auditorium work is an awful lot in a year without a bond. Could this be done in two phases over two years? He later commented, “It is smaller than Greenacres but larger than many other projects.”

Stuart Mattey responded, “This list was put together after a lot of discussion with the stakeholders.” Dr. Hagerman said he met with PTC who “wanted an affirmation that this will be done.”

Scott Silberfien asked, “Can we set up a meeting and invite community input on the auditorium? I want to make sure we’re doing it right for all the stakeholders.”

Following some discussion, the Board agreed to keep the auditorium work in the budget for now and get community input. Dr Hagerman recommended that the Board partner with the SHS PTA to get feedback on the auditorium, saying, “this will help to enrich the dialogue.”

The Board will meet again on the budget on March 9, adopt a budget on April 20 and hold the community wide budget vote on May 19.

For the 10th year in a row, the Scarsdale Middle School Mathcounts team took first place at the Westchester/Putnam Mathcounts Competition. 18 schools were represented. Onto the state competition March 7. Iris Wang, Partick Chen, Alex Rizk, Frederick Li, Kenneth Ren, Tommy Kornfeld, Thomas Xin, Bryan Chung, Janghee Lee, Sophi Li and Coach Steve Weiss. Photo credit: Laura Ren.


Mold

In other news, the Superintendent reported on a mold finding at the middle school in October, 2019. At the time, the district responded to a teacher complaining of a persistent cough who worked in room C57 which is on the lower level of the school.

Testing found elevated humidity in the room and a visual inspection showed moisture permeating the exterior wall of the room which is below grade and a leaking pipe. When the baseboard of the exterior wall was removed, mold was discovered on the lower few inches of the wall, “with the potential for mold to be present on the interior of the wall as well.”

The classroom is about two feet below grade and has a grass covered hill outside the windows. Peeling paint and plaster were found in the southwest corner of the room and the plaster was found to read “at risk” and “wet” on the moisture meter. It is suspected that water runoff from the sloped hill causes water intrusion. A few ceiling tiles were stained and a leaking pipe was discovered in the plenum.

Air samples showed elevated counts of Basidiospores and Aspergillus/Penicillium in room C57. Lead was detected at the low levels in the plaster wall paint. The concentration of fungi in the room was more than three times higher than found in a control room where no moisture was found. See the environmental testing results here: 

Retirement
Victoria Presser from the Public Information Office of the schools announced that she will retire after 18 years in the district in June 2020.

Personnel
Haley Rauch was recommended for tenure in the math department at Scarsdale High School.

Joy Ying has approved as a replacement math teacher for Elise Nelson at Scarsdale High School.