How Much Public Comment is Enough? Board Debates Time Limits on Public Participation
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At the height of the pandemic, with some school buildings closed, social distancing in force and remote learning replacing in class attendance, parents had a lot to say to the Board of Education about school policies. As a result some meetings extended late into the night, and the Board struggled to do their business and hear comments from the public.
With that experience in mind, the Board re-examined their policies on public comments and reviewed proposed changes at the December 6, 2021 meeting. They discussed the time limit for individual remarks, the overall time limit for the first public comment period and for the second as well. They also reviewed when to respond to the comments, i.e. after the first public comment session, after the second, or after both.
Currently individual remarks are capped at three minutes, with a one and a half hour limit on the first public session and no limit on the timing of the second session.
The Board deliberated at length about this policy, in an attempt to weigh their desire to listen to the public and conduct necessary board business. As Jim Dugan said, “We want to hear from the community and encourage people to express their opinions. It is a meeting of the Board in public, not with the public. There is important business we are attending to. We have to weigh encouraging public comment with the obligation we have to conduct our business in public. Having no time limit could become unwieldy. Having a time limit forces people to make their best points in the time that they have to make them. I support the limit of the first time period to 1 ½ hours and no time limit for the second.”
Ron Schulhof referenced a meeting last year when twenty people who attended the meeting went home without having the opportunity to speak. He said, ““There should be no limit on any of it. (The time limit on individuals) should not be 3 minutes, We don’t usually have this issue unless people need to speak. I don’t feel there should be time limits on the first and second public periods. If people need to speak, we need to hear from them.” He later said, “People often speak on behalf of community groups and then they need to bring multiple people to read their statements,” and “we talk about community engagement and this is a signal to the community that we want to hear from them.”
Amber Yusuf said, “Hearing from our community is important, via email and public comment. We strive to reply to every email so that the writer knows they have been heard. We should do the same with people who attend the meeting. We also need to conduct board meetings. At the height of the pandemic at one meeting we had 34 speakers share their thoughts. I support a 4 minute time limit for the speakers. Without limits on speakers we may run out of time to conduct board business. I don’t not support imposing a time limit on the first or second public comment sessions.”
Jessica Resnick Ault said, “This year we are focusing on community engagement and DEI – some of these comments are difficult to deliver in just 3 minutes.” She later said, “There are subjects that would engender enough conversation that it would exceed 1 ½ hours. I think it is critical not to limit the first public comment period so that we can hear from them before we deliberate. We can have a listening session if we need one to engage the community. I think we owe it to them to listen to those concerns. Comments should naturally moderate themselves. I think it’s worth the tradeoff not to have a time limit.
Karen Ceske said, “I support limit to individual comments. At 3 minutes they will be asked to limit their comments with the expectation that they will not speak for more than 4 minutes.” She commented, “When speaking before the Village Board about our marijuana letter, I had to edit a small portion of our letter. I support limiting first public comment session to 1 ½ hours and I do not believe the second public comment session should be limited.”
At the conclusion of the discussion the Board came to consensus on a 4 minute time limit for individual comments with a warning at 3 minutes, a 90 minute limit on the first public comments session and no limit on the second public comments session. They agreed to have a second reading of this policy at their meeting on January 10, 2022.
Furthermore, they agreed to revise the preamble to public comments to reflect this policy.
About the timing of the response to public comments, the Board agreed to allow for responses after both the first and second public comments sessions.
Edgewood PTA Delivers 180 Thanksgiving Pies
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The Edgewood Elementary School Fifth Grade Committee sweetened many Thanksgiving tables this year by delivering pies from Baked by Susan in Croton-on-Hudson directly to homes across town. 180 pies were sold and delivered with proceeds to benefit the Edgewood PTA and Fifth Grade Committee.
The most popular offering was apple pie followed by a tie for pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread. We had the apple cranberry and it was delicious.
The committee raised $2,000 which will be used to host special events for the fifth graders in their final year at Edgewood Elementary School.
Order Thanksgiving Pies to Support the Edgewood PTA
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Avoid long lines at the bakery this Thanksgiving! Edgewood Elementary is partnering with the famous Baked by Susan in Croton-on-Hudson to offer homemade pies to our Scarsdale community just in time for the holiday. Baked by Susan is known for their high quality baked goods made from organic ingredients. Pies are $30 and varieties include all the Fall favorites. We even have fresh baked pumpkin bread for $12.50. The Edgewood Elementary PTA will deliver pies straight to your door Thanksgiving week. Local Scarsdale orders only please. Eliminate the stress of holiday dessert and don't wait, order now. We only have until Monday November 8 to place our orders with Baked by Susan. Your purchase supports the Edgewood PTA and our 5th Grade Committee.
Click here to place your order now. See Zelle payment instructions on the order page. Deadline is Monday, November 8. Pies will be delivered on Monday 11/22 or Tuesday 11/23. We can only accept orders for local Scarsdale delivery. See the list of Thanksgiving pie options here.
District Releases Results of Survey on Substance Usage Among Scarsdale High School Students
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How has the pandemic impacted substance abuse among Scarsdale teens? A new survey released by Scarsdale High School shows that usage habits are remarkably unchanged since the school conducted the same survey in 2017.
The survey, called PRIDE, has been used since 1982 to collect information from adolescents across the county on substance use and perceptions of the risk substance use. It also measures the power of protective factors such as good grades, participation in sports, school attendance and appropriate behavior in school.
The community uses the data to identify areas of concern, trends and patterns, and to evaluate substance use prevention efforts.
This year, the voluntary and anonymous survey was given during the school day on March 25 and 26, 2021. Both parents and students were given the opportunity to opt out. In 2021, 75% of high school students or 1,140 participated which is down from 1,268 who participated in 2017. Participation was highest among ninth graders, though 67% of the senior class took the survey.
The survey primarily measures substance use in the past 30 days, and you can see these core measures in the chart below.
Overall, use of alcohol fell slightly from 39.7% in 2017 to 37.9% in 2021. Marijuana usage also decreased from 20.3% in 2017 to 17.9% in 2021. Notable was an increase in the use of e-cigarettes and atomizers to 13.1%.
Interpreting the data, Assistant Principal Chris Griffin said, “As expected, usage increases with age and older students are more likely to drink at home on the weekends.” Marijuana usage is also more prevalent among older students as only 3.6% of ninth graders report usage in the past 30 days as compared to 28.5% of seniors.
See below for a chart showing protective factors against substance use and risk factors that could increase abuse.
And also see below for the important takeaways from the data.
Griffin said that the survey data will be shared with school administrators, youth outreach workers, the Drug and Alcohol Task Force, parents and students so that the current situation can be assessed, and the community can examine the effectiveness of current prevention programs and make modifications if needed.
Scarsdale Boys’ Soccer Secures Semifinal Date With Arlington
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Third-seed Scarsdale punched their ticket to the semifinals in front of a large crowd following a 3-0 quarterfinal victory over sixth-seed North Rockland.After an excellent 11-2-2 regular season for the Scarsdale Boys’ Varsity A Soccer Team, which included securing a League I – B title thanks to a Senior-Day victory over Mamaroneck, the Raiders had to forget about the thrill of the victory over the Tigers to turn their focus to the playoffs. The first-round clash against 14th seed Ketcham on October 21st (Scarsdale the third seed) appeared to be an easy game for Scarsdale at face value. Nonetheless, the Raiders needed to take care of business, and they did so with an impressive, albeit expected, 4-1 victory.
In the quarterfinals, the Raiders came up against a more daunting opponent: sixth-seeded North Rockland. This was guaranteed to be the Raider’s final home game of the season because their first playoff opponent would be Arlington, a higher seed, with the home field advantage.
For the final game against North Rockland, the 12th man provided by the crowd helped give Scarsdale an extra edge throughout the tightly-contested affair.
In the first half both teams had a similar number of chances, with neither side really gaining an upper hand for a prolonged period. Goalkeeper Rowan Haffner did well to prevent a one-on-one breakaway for North Rockland from turning into a visitors’ lead, as Scarsdale’s co-captain rushed to the feet of the attacker to cut off an angle for a more dangerous shot.
A brutally honest halftime team talk was given, with coach Marcos Monteagudo and team seniors emphasizing the adjustments that needed to be made to give the Raiders the extra edge.
The second half took on a completely different complexion. Despite strong opposition, Scarsdale’s attack became freer flowing. The deadlock was broken thanks to a brilliant play by freshman Lorenzo Galeano. Senior Eli Gelblum played the ball to Galeano, who picked it up about 30 yards away from the net on the left-wing. His first touch directed him towards the box, giving him a one-on-one with one of the opponent’s center-backs, who subsequently fell over thanks to the Scarsdale winger’s fancy footwork. Galeano danced around the fallen player, cut the ball onto his right foot to evade two onrushing defenders, chopped the ball forward to get out of the reach of the back-on-his-feet center-back, and fired the ball into the bottom corner of the net, just beyond the goalkeeper’s outstretched right arm.
Galeano was once more involved when the Raiders doubled their lead. From a set-piece routine, Lorenzo assisted his brother Nico with a delicate ball over the top of the opposition’s high defensive line. Scarsdale’s third goal saw freshman Leo Khang whip in a pinpoint corner for an unmarked Gelblum, who still had a lot of work to do to remarkably tuck his volley into the top-left corner of the net. There was a slight bit of controversy late on as a North Rockland player was shown a red card for spitting at Scarsdale co-captain Kian Batliwalla.
The 3-0 final score in favor of the hosts was no less than what they deserved. The Raiders officially completed the season undefeated on their home fields (Quaker Ridge and Butler Field).
The Raiders are scheduled to kick off their semifinal clash at Arlington at 2 pm on October 27th. One of Scarsdale’s two losses this season came in their regular-season match at Arlington, with the team from Dutchess County emerging as 2-1 victors in that clash. The Raiders will be hoping to get their revenge to punch a ticket to the section finals on October 30th against the winner of the match between John Jay East Fishkill (first seed) and Mamaroneck (fifth seed). Regardless of what happens, this year’s Scarsdale Boys’ Varsity A Soccer Team has been the best team it has been in recent memory, so there is already so much to be proud of. Nonetheless, the players know its a win-or-go-home scenario and they will do everything they can to avoid tasting defeat with this team ever again.
