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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 24 January 2022

Created: 24 January 2022

Last Updated: 06 May 2022

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Even the Board of Education looked surprised at their January 24, 2022 meeting when Scarsdale Superintendent Thomas Hagerman asked to open the meeting. After some perfunctory updates he stunned the room by announcing that he would resign at the end of the school year. His words left the Board speechless.

The news came out of left field. Hagerman received a lucrative contract extension in July 2021 from a lame duck Board, making him the second highest paid superintendent in New York State. As of January, he was only a half year into that four year contract so there was a general perception that he intended to stay on. Though he had met with considerable resistance from a vocal segment of parents during the pandemic, it seemed that with the easing of the COVID crisis, the district would be in for smoother sailing.

Why did he step down and why now? It is hard to know. Observers had a difficult time assessing his reaction to community opposition or gaging his relationship with the Scarsdale faculty. If he was affected by angry parents or staffers he maintained a calm façade behind his mask so it was difficult to see what he was thinking.

Dr. Hagerman was recruited to come to Scarsdale in 2014 and will have completed eight years on the job this June. He followed Dr. Michael McGill who held the reins for eleven years but decided to retire one year earlier than planned due to pressure to curb tax increases from a different vocal minority.

During Dr. Hagerman’s term, he was successful at keeping tax increases below the state tax cap, completing major infrastructure projects, passing two major bond offerings and navigating the district through the COVID crisis, remote learning and compliance with myriad and often changing state mandates and health department rules.

In fact, following his resignation on January 24, he had to step out of the Board meeting to attend a phone call about masks, when a state judge overturned the Governor’s order for masking in schools.

He ran a tight ship, which was too tight for some.

For example, in order to hunt down children who were attending the school district while living out of town with a divorced parent, or staying elsewhere while their home was under renovation, the district hired private eyes to track the children. Parents, some who were divorced, or moved in after the school year began, received steep and unexpected tuition bills.

In December when the NYS Department of Health mandated that school children wear masks, Dr. Hagerman also announced that children would wear masks, without a break, even outside. After an outcry from parents he reversed course.

Most recently, Scarsdale Schools were off limits to visitors or spectators at performances and sporting events. Parents, who felt that they had already missed years of their children’s performances were enraged. They showed that other districts were letting parents inside and demanded that the district change course, which they did the following week.

He also undertook the job of reviewing every board policy, a multiple year job that often seemed out of sync with what was on the mind of the community.

In January, the School Board Nominating Committee held an election for a committee that would nominate the next members of the school board. Several of the people who were elected to the committee were among the most vocal critics of the district during the pandemic. Perhaps the superintendent saw this as a sign that he might have to deal with a more combative Board of Education down the line.

Whatever his reasons, the superintendent did not say what his next move would be, only that he had accepted an offer. In a gracious letter that he read at the meeting and entered into the online agenda, he said the following:

January 24, 2022

Dear Scarsdale Board of Education,

I am writing to you today to officially tender my resignation as superintendent of schools, formally effective at the end of this academic year.

When I came to Scarsdale eight years ago, the District was yearning for academic improvement, curricular consistency, clear communication, operational transparency, facilities and grounds improvements, financial stewardship, strategic planning, policy revision, and so much more. As I reflect over these many years and prepare to say goodbye to our students, faculty, staff, and parents, it is with the hope that these and many other areas have significantly improved, and that Scarsdale is positioned to continue on a positive trajectory of growth.

The heartbeat of this District has and always will be the people, starting with our incredibly capable and talented students. They are, and must always continue to be, our first priority. The extraordinary teaching and learning that happens in our schools is, of course, credited to some truly remarkable staff members, educators, and leaders. I hope that their skill, dedication, and expertise continue to be recognized and lauded by both the community and the Board as they are uniquely qualified to make the best educational decisions for students, both individually and collectively.

Finally, I would like to thank both our parent leadership groups and the Board of Education—both those currently in place and those that I have had the good fortune of working with throughout my tenure here in Scarsdale. With few exceptions, these individuals have understood their roles as school community leaders; stewards of our resources; defenders of excellence in public education; and avid supporters of students, staff, and the broader school community.

Historically, our educators and many leadership teams have worked together collaboratively to balance the voices and needs of our schools' many stakeholders while also ensuring that our students remain the focus of our most meaningful work and decision-making. As Scarsdale’s schools continue to progress through a time of significant change and transition, it is imperative that these individuals and groups work closely together to preserve the best of what Scarsdale’s schools have always been: places of great teaching and learning; places that support its students, teachers, and leaders; and places that create a sense of community and camaraderie.

Know that I will always hold fond memories of my time here in Scarsdale. I wish nothing but the best for all that lies ahead.

Warm regards,
Dr. Thomas Hagerman

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 18 January 2022

Created: 18 January 2022

Last Updated: 19 January 2022

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After an outcry from heartbroken parents who could not attend their children’s sporting events and performances in the schools, Superintendent Thomas Hagerman announced an “adjustment” to school policies on Tuesday January 18, 2022. These new rules pertain to spectators in the schools and to school trips.

Citing improving COVID metrics, the Superintendent announced that each student will be permitted two spectators at a school event, as long as the event space is not filled to greater than 50% capacity.

Visitors, who were previously barred from entering the schools, will now be permitted after school hours, provided that they wear masks and remain six feet apart. This new rule will allow parent and community meetings to be held in the schools.

School Trips

Educationally relevant field trips (without overnight stays) are now being allowed with risk mitigation efforts in place, including masking, regardless of venue rules.

Trips that require an overnight stay are being allowed as long as a parent or legal guardian can accompany each student. No transportation will be provided.

All mitigation measures must be followed by all participants and attendees, including mask-wearing, regardless of venue rules.

Commenting on the news, SHS parent Claire Paquin said, "I am very happy that the Administration listened to the student-athletes and the community and decided to eliminate the spectator ban. It is definitely a step in the right direction to allow two spectators per athlete and to allow teams to travel overnight again."

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 11 January 2022

Created: 11 January 2022

Last Updated: 11 January 2022

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Though some say the end of the pandemic is in sight, students and parents are weary and frustrated with almost two years of restrictions that have cast a shadow over important years of their lives.

At the Board of Education meeting on Monday night January 11, Assistant Superintendents Rauschenberg and Patrick provided updates on COVID numbers, its impact on the schools and the steps they are taking to remain open.

As of January 9, the county reports a 20.7%% positivite rate among those who are tested, a number that was previously above 30% and is headed downward. However, Rauschenberg reported that there have been 317 COVID cases in the school in the last 10 days, broken down as follows:

- 126 Elementary School
- 89 Middle School
- 109 High School

How is the staff? As of Friday January 7, 83 staff members were positive and there were 266 absences over the last four school days. Patrick said, “We have exceeded 10% (staff) absences and are still running schools.”

The administrators defended an unpopular ban on spectators at sports events, concerts and plays that has prevented parents from seeing their kids perform. Physical Education Director Ray Pappalardi explained the policy which forbids all non-essential visitors to the school buildings. He said, “Several teams were on pause because of the volume of COVID cases during the break.”

Rauschenberg said that even if masked spectators remain six feet apart in the gyms or auditorium, problems arise when they enter or exit the building or mix during intermissions. He said, “When we allowed parents to attend performances, it wasn’t just the seating – it was the entrance and mixing during intermission which created a captive audience for spreading COVID.”

Rauschenberg credited the no visitors police with keeping the infection rate in the Scarsdale Schools lower than in other districts. He said, “In our last batch of tests sent to Mt. Sinai, our infection rate was significantly lower than other districts. It allowed more students to come to school. We had 40 positives out of 900 due to our mitigation process.”

Both Board members and parents expressed frustration with the policy, claiming that masked and distanced spectators posed little risk.

Board member Jessica Resnick Ault asked, “Could spectators enter the gym directly without going through the school?” She also asked, “What happens at away games?” Pappalardo responded, “The home schools rules apply. Our parents can attend away games.”

Board member Ron Schulhof made a plea for a change saying, “We have certain constraints but we have to help every kid. I don’t think spectators are part of our risk mitigation and it is having an impact on student’s mental health. It’s not just two weeks – it’s two weeks after two years.”

Board member Amber Yusuf asked what the metrics would be to change the policy – and whether we would consider numbers from the county or the schools.

Commenting remotely, Jim Dugan said, “My kids are swimmers. This might be the only time in their lives they will do varsity sports. Not having spectators is a downer. It impacts performance and the joy they will get from it for the rest of their lives. I see it in our family. I implore the administration to come up with a workable solution to allow spectators at sports programs.”

Parents were even more passionate. Former Maroon and White President Kate Conlan made the following statement and presented the chart below of the policies of neighboring school districts:

“Tonight I am here to speak about the sports spectator ban. Sadly, we have to say that we are disappointed with the BOE, the administration, and Dr. Hagerman. This spectator ban was not developed based on science or the guidelines from the CDC or NYDOH. There was no public or student input, and the response to our objections so far has been deflection, without providing any transparency or justification for the decision. The closest thing to an explanation we received said: “Since the main goal is to keep schools open and to keep sports running, we have had to adopt stricter health and safety procedures.”

Let’s be clear about this statement. The Administration absolutely DID NOT have to ban spectators from games. There is no Federal mandate, state mandate or county mandate requiring this action. The administration unilaterally CHOSE this policy, a policy that is overly punitive, ineffective, and out of step with regulatory guidance and the sober judgement of all of our neighboring school districts.

I emailed the board and the administration a chart of 24 school districts in our surrounding communities. Of the 24 communities, Scarsdale is the only district that has implemented a full spectator ban. 8 districts have no spectator restrictions and 15 districts have well-thought out spectator limits that consider the density of spectators in the gym – from Pelham who limits spectators to 88 in their gym, to New Rochelle limits spectators to 5 per athlete for both home and away teams. The most restrictive policies are Ossining’s and Brewster, which limit spectators to 2 spectators per home athlete. Again, the only district that has fully banned spectators is Scarsdale.

These kids know the science. They know that COVID does not spread in a gym with masked individuals socially distanced. They know the CDC guidelines suggest no more than 50% capacity in gyms and arenas. They see their neighboring communities and that these communities allow spectators at games. They see their parents watching them play at away games, but not in their home gym. The students also know that the district is not acting in the best interest of the athletes – for no apparent reason, and definitely not based on the available information. These kids know that they are being punished. These kids know that the spectator ban is overreaching and does not provide any health benefits.

I implore you to talk about this ban tonight and swiftly come up with a reasonable policy like 4 spectators per athlete in our 700 capacity gym? Please don’t put this off for two weeks—the kids have been punished enough. This is not just two more week of these kids’ lives but they have been dealing with this for 2 years. For most of the seniors, this is the last season they will play their sports. They were denied spectators last year, and January is the core of this year’s season. They will never get these games back. Please don’t rob them and their families of another moment, another memory. Please be reasonable, understand the urgency, appreciate how out of step and needlessly putative Scarsdale spectator ban is with the rest of the country, and act tonight.”

Eric Miller of Overlook Road said, “I have a kid who plays basketball. This policy is Inconsistent with what’s happening across the county. The end of January is a lifetime from now. Four board members gave good reasons why the spectator ban should be lifted. You can enter the building through the gym doors. The fact that we are all here for four hours is completely inconsistent.”

Jen Sussberg said, ”I wasn’t planning to speak – but we are here for our students. The policy is not consistent. We have guests here tonight! We have so many games in the next two weeks – it leads us to the end of the season. Discuss it tonight in the interest of the students.”

Sarah Hopkins commented remotely saying, “This pandemic is in its third year. It’s not the kids fault that they are tired of these restrictions. This is contributing toward mental health issues… We are all going to get COVID – there is no reason to act the way we are. My son is cast in a high school play that will be ZOOM only again. Our policies are hurting our kids.”

Commenting after the meeting, Irin Israel said, “While the omicron variant of COVID is absolutely a concern, and we want to ensure that its spread does not lead to quarantines and school closings, it is always important to add risk and tradeoffs into the equation. As one parent at the Board meeting eloquently stated, by keeping our masked, distanced, vaccinated children’s parents out of the gyms during games, we are merely keeping away the only people that they are exposed to unmasked all day at home. Additionally, admitting around 30 parents to ventilated gyms with maximum capacities of hundreds does not move the risk needle.

Most importantly, when the Scarsdale school district is an outlier, especially a lone outlier, it is worth re-examining whether we are at the forefront or whether we are missing something. In this case, over 25 local school districts are allowing at least a limited number of parents to attend games – with Scarsdale being the only one that is not. We need to reassess what we are truly preventing versus what we are actually missing – both in the science and in our children’s lives.”

Responding to the outcry Rauschneberg said that the district had received new guidelines from the state, just 30 minutes prior to the meeting. He said they would read and digest them and make changes accordingly. He said, “We will see what’s going on with our students and decide whether or not we can safely go back.”

Dr. Hagerman agreed, saying, “We will look at the new guidance and decide how to proceed with the visitor policy.”

Parents, who hoped the district would reconsider the policy at the Monday night meeting were disappointed that the Board failed to act. As Kate Conlan said, “Please don’t rob them and their families of another moment, another memory.”

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 05 January 2022

Created: 05 January 2022

Last Updated: 06 January 2022

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As if the problems caused by the fast-spreading omicron variant were not challenging enough, Mother Nature dealt her own blow to the effort to keep schools open on Wednesday January 5, when Scarsdale awoke to black ice on Westchester’s roadways.

Treacherous driving conditions caused the school district to announce a two-hour delay, which was later converted to a full day closure of the schools.

A message from Scarsdale Schools Superintendent Thomas Hagerman explained, “Roads in Scarsdale remain quite treacherous as do many roads to the north of us. Unfortunately, we have reached a point where these conditions and our inability to staff our buildings are causing us to close schools for the day. Remote learning is not an option at this point due to high levels of reported absences and faculty and staff who are in the midst of commuting in these hazardous conditions. We hope to be open tomorrow on our regular schedule.”

Staffing problems may be in the offing for the district in upcoming weeks. On Tuesday January 4, 2022, parents received emails from the district outlining plans for a switch to remote learning if necessary. The email explains that an “emergency virtual teaching plan” will only go into effect “in the event the State initiates a mandate to close school or the number of quarantined staff impacts our ability to safely staff a classroom, a grade, a school, and/or our District.”

However since the district has not released any statistics on staffing shortages or the number of staff members who are quarantined, it is difficult to assess how likely it is that the district will revert to remote learning.

Masks

Last week the district sent out a lengthy memo outlining new COVD protocols. Under these new rules, there would be no mask breaks and students would be required to wear their masks, even when playing outdoors. However, after pushback from parents, the school district‘s attorney contacted the Governor’s office who clarified the mandate to allow for unmasking outdoors.

The revised memo from the Superintendent reads as follows:

"In general, people do not need to wear masks when they are outdoors (e.g., participating in outdoor play, recess, and physical education activities). CDC recommends those who are not fully vaccinated wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings or during activities that involve sustained close contact with others." Therefore, I am happy to announce that we will be able to retain our ability to unmask outdoors and take outdoor breaks as needed.”

Spectators at Sporting Events

Another polarizing mitigation effort outlined in the January 4, 2022 memo was the banning of all spectators from sporting events. The provision says, “These restrictions will include the elimination of spectators at sports competitions.”

This seems to have irked parents of high school athletes who will miss their children’s sports seasons. Some say they have already missed so much and they want to be there to watch and experience their children’s games. They point out that the size of the high school facilities allow for social distancing, that masks will mitigate spread and that other schools are allowing spectators to attend. Commenting on social media Brian Mancusi said, "I don’t like getting involved in these posts as people become very passionate on both sides, but unlike school , athletics are an optional event, if you don’t want your child to play because of Covid , and they’re safety I get it , but if you are ok with them playing , why not have spectators . No one is forcing you to go to watch if you are nervous, but for someone who wants to go and and watch and sit with others or sit by themselves to watch.. why can’t they."

Perhaps the district will revisit this rule? TBD.