Power of Ten Update
In This Issue:
1. Judge: East Ramapo Violated Open Meetings Law
2. Chiku Awali Open House
3. Community Forum on Ending the School To Prison Pipeline
1) Judge: East Ramapo Violated Open Meetings Law
The NY State Supreme Court has reversed an action taken in 2014 by the East Ramapo school board.
The school board voted to layoff of bus drivers, based on discussions they had in executive session. However, the judge found that the board failed to give adequate justification for hiding their discussion from the public. The judge also found that “the Board of Education has engaged in a persistent pattern of deliberate violations of the letter and spirit of the Open Meetings Law”.
Why has the school board been so obsessive about getting rid of buses and drivers, to the point that they are breaking the law to do it? The explanation may be that the land used for the bus depot is desired by developers or other corporate entities. This is what happened with Hillcrest Elementary and Colton elementary. Schools were closed and sold, not because that was in the best interest of the district or in pursuit of the stated mission and goals of the district, but because the majority on the school board had a different mission.
How often has the board entered into illegal, secret discussions? For what purposes? How many other actions are being taken based on secret, private, illegal conversations? Is the mandate of the Open Meetings Law being routinely thwarted by thinly veiled references to the exceptions the law allows?
This is not the last we will hear of this. There is still the question of damages. Will there be back pay? Legal fees?
2) Chiku Awali Open House
Chiku Awali African Dance, Arts & Culture, Inc. invites you to our open house
SAMPLE OUR PROGRAMS
10:30 am—12:30pm The Excellence Club for ages 5 and older
12:30pm—1:30pm Drumming and Percussion Instruments
1:30pm—2:30pm Dance and Introducing Zumba
2:30pm—4:00pm Life Skills Enrichment for ages 11 and older
Refreshments served
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017
Louis Kurtz Civic Center
9 North Main Street Spring Valley, NY 10977
ALL ACTIVITIES AND CLASSES ARE FREE
For Information Call (845)357-5062 or Email: info@chikuawali.org,
www.chikuawali.org
3) Community Forum on Ending the School To Prison Pipeline
Protecting Our Youth: Ending the School to Prison Pipeline
A special community forum by Rockland Coalition to End the New Jim Crow
Presenting the Film: The School to Prison Pipeline, featuring our guest speaker Mr. Five Mualimm-ak, human rights defender and co-founder of Incarcerated Nation Corp (INC)
SUNDAY OCTOBER 29TH 2-4PM
Finkelstein Memorial Library
24 Chestnut St., Spring Valley, NY 10977
A DISCUSSION WILL FOLLOW
In partnership with:
CEJJES Institute, Creative Response to Conflict (CRC), Helping Hands, Hudson Youth Leadership Academy (HYLA), Nyack NAACP, Power of Ten, Ramapough Lenape Indian Nation, Rockland Citizens Action Network, Spring Valley NAACP, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockland,United Methodist Church of New City