August 1 has quietly, very quietly, come and gone. After community fliers, press releases and two poorly attended community meetings (two others were summarily canceled), Glen Cove has been given the silent treatment by the charter school organizing committee of the Association of Italian American Educators.

August 1 was the filing deadline for those wishing to apply to the State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees for approval of any new public charter school to begin in September 2001. (Charter school applicants could also choose to file with the local school district or the New York State Board of Regents.)

Starting around July 19, when they canceled all previously scheduled public contact, the organizers of the proposed Dr. Leonard A. Covello Charter School have chosen to shut down the communications process. Stealth rather than open community involvement is now the apparent watchword.

Was an application filed with SUNY? Rumors say yes. Has the community, the media or the local school district been notified either yea nor nay? No! Silence reigns! The law calls for notice to the potentially affected local school district at "each significant stage of the process." Is it so unreasonable to view the filing of an application as a "significant stage?"

The proponents of what they have termed a "community centered school" have once again left the community (who must foot the bills for their vision of our future) in the dark. While touting a classical educational model built on a foundation of Greek and Roman culture, they seem to have misplaced the concept of democracy.

In due time, the SUNY board of trustees through their Charter School Institute will announce those entities that have filed charter school applications. Perhaps then we will learn what this group, overwhelmingly composed of non-Glen Cove residents, has in store for us.

Mary Ann and Bob Lupinskie