Contact: Sean Thibault or Howie Levine
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
Washington, D.C. May 13, 2014 -- In response to the problems plaguing the East Ramapo Central School District, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, recently issued the following statement:
We are deeply concerned by the current situation in the East Ramapo Central School District that is inhibiting public school students from achieving their full potential. In the last few years, decreased resources have been directed to the public schools in the East Ramapo Central School District. This has resulted in many classes, extracurricular activities and staff have been cut at the public schools and in too many cases students can no longer get enough credits to graduate high school on time.
For generations of Jewish students, as they have been for generations of students from all backgrounds in every community across the country, the public schools were a crucial tool to rise from poverty to achievement in this country. We cannot allow the public schools to be weakened, denying this or future generations of students the same opportunities we and others have had.
We encourage the state to intervene as necessary to ensure that public educational opportunities are provided for all students in East Ramapo and beyond.