East Ramapo Central School District Issues

New York State Education Law §310 provides that persons considering themselves aggrieved by an action taken at a school district meeting or by school authorities may appeal to the New York State Commissioner of Education for a review of such action. On October 21, 2013 I filed a §310 Appeal with the Commissioner in an attempt to force the East Ramapo Central School District to provide elementary school children with instruction in the arts (visual arts, music, dance, and theatre) as is mandated by State law.

New York State Education Law requires school districts to provide transportation to all public and nonpublic school students living more than two or three miles (depending on age) from school, up to a maximum of fifteen miles. A district may offer transportation to students living less than two or three miles from school, or to schools further than fifteen miles from their homes, only with the approval of the district's voters. East Ramapo's voters approved providing transportation to students living less than two or three miles from school 20 years ago. But they've never approved going beyond the state-imposed fifteen mile limit. Nonetheless, the Board of Education is providing taxpayer-funded transportation to schools 25 (and perhaps as much as 40) miles away.