When a school board vote directly impacts only a small number of children, it is not openly discussed in public to protect the identity of those students involved. This is the case of Agenda Item #17, which did not pass at Dec. 18's East Williston School District's board meeting. Since the residents are not aware of the circumstances which brought this item before the board, no opinion can be formed regarding how the members of the board voted on the item. I would like to share some general information on the topic and my disappointment with the two board members who voted no.

NYS law requires resident students needing transportation to private schools file with their district by April 1 of each year for the following school year. This gives the district ample time to prepare their budget to include these costs. Every application received on time is approved, no reason need be stated. By law the district is obligated to provide books, school nurse care and transportation (within a certain mile radius) for all of its resident students regardless of the school they attend. When an application reaches the district after the state-set deadline, it is considered late and need not be granted unless it is for a student who has moved into the district (they have a one-month grace period, from the date of their closing or lease, in which to be considered on time - regardless of the month of the year) and any student classified as special education. Legally, the board must approve all late requests made on behalf of these two groups of students. In fairness to the rest, the Commissioner of Education has then charged boards with the discretion to evaluate the merit of any other late request and then grant those deemed worthy. Obviously, reasons such as: "we were on vacation," "we forgot," "our fax wasn't working," or "we didn't know the deadline date" are not valid reasons and are denied.

However, if a special education student requires services our district can't (or won't) provide and the bus service to the private school with the adequate program is automatically granted, shouldn't students on the other end of the spectrum and those in the middle, get the same consideration? What if a student is stifled because they have been tracked in seventh grade, blossoms by 10th grade and opportunities are now closed to them within our district? What if a child tests to the extreme and requires an accelerated program our district does not offer? What if a child is denied a seat in an AP course based on a district-imposed test, but is offered that opportunity elsewhere? What if the information supporting these decisions filters through after the April 1 deadline? Do these students, who require a more challenging programs than offered by our district, deserve any less consideration than the student requiring special education? It is for these types of reasons, those with an educational issue needing resolution, that boards were given this discretion. One of the requests covered under Agenda Item #17 was to provide a more challenging course schedule (including AP and honor classes) than our district was willing to offer a student. Can parents sit by while their child is denied placement in these classes when there are other schools offering the opportunity?

One school board member cited legal counsel's advice as a reason to deny such a request. Our counsel should be advising on the legality of granting such a request (and I hope the board was advised that it is well within the board's legal right to do so, according to NYS school law). It is not the job of our counsel to weigh the educational benefits against the financial impact to decide the merit of individual requests. That is what board members were elected to do. Hopefully, the board members do not believe that granting a few such reasonable requests will result in being inundated with others leaving our district in dire financial straits. The actual dollar amount associated with these requests can only be described as minimal when compared to the overall budget.

Actually curtailing outdated practices is one way to avoid the necessity of children being moved elsewhere to find the educational program right for them. District policies such as tracking and AP placement have recently been brought forward by both community members and board members as requiring evaluation. Our superintendent, together with the district's administration, has committed to undertaking this task. I eagerly await their findings.

I know I am in good company when attending monthly board meetings and work sessions. Most of us have moved here specifically to take advantage of this fine school district. Our neighbors are concerned residents from all facets of the community (from students to seniors) who actively participate and passionately support the candidates they believe will best serve in the interest of the children's educational development and the community's financial stability.

Please be mindful of how your elected board members vote on issues and continue to support those who best provide for the needs of all they are charged with serving.

Lori Castoria