Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Hempstead Union Free School District Takeover

October 9, 2018

New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Board of Regents, Room 110 EB
Albany, New York 12234

Dear Members of the New York State Board of Regents:

Please take immediate action to “takeover” the school board of the Hempstead Union Free School District.

I will not waste time writing a rationale for what has been painfully obvious for decades.

I can only think of two things that have prevented the state education department from taking action on Hempstead’s dysfunctional school board: Politics and Fear. I agree with Bolman and Deal (2017): “It is deeply disturbing to see political agenda corrupting technical decisions, particularly when lives are at stake.”

Please do not delay any further. Act now on behalf of the children of Hempstead. While receivership may not be the answer, it is at least a start to corrective action. Each day of inaction is incomprehensible and highlights your failure as a governing body akin to that of Hempstead’s school board. Not to act is definitely a betrayal of the most vulnerable of our community: children.


Sincerely,


Bernard Gassaway

Concerned Citizen