February 6, 2012
by Christine Yeres
• Whether to add a “Third Strategic Question”
• CEFF Knowledge Cafe rescheduled for Wed., April 25
• Parent permission slip and driving form for Saturday, February 11 Winter Dance
• Parents of Seven Bridge student struck by truck sue driver, CCSD, Town and County
• CEFF Knowledge Cafe re-scheduled for Wednesday, April 25
According to David Hayes, Public Information Office for CCSD, the Knowledge Café being facilitated by the members of the Chappaqua Education For the Future (CEFF) committee scheduled for February 15 has been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 25 “so the CEFF committee has more time to plan and prepare.”
The CEFF committee has identified three ideas for moving the district forward that will become its focus. This Knowledge Café will engage the community in a larger discussion of these ideas:
1) Pursue a paradigm shift toward a focus on 21st century skills
2) Foster risk-taking and creativity…value process and product
3) Establish practices to enhance the social and emotional health of students [In its January 31 meeting, board of ed members will discuss whether to adopted a Third Strategic Question on this subject. See Whether to specify “social-emotional-physical well-being” as a third “Strategic Question,” in today’s NCNOW.org.
• Parent permission slip and driving form for Saturday, February 11 Winter Dance
To enter the Saturday, February 11 high school “Winter Whiteout Dance,” Greeley students-only (no guests allowed) must have pre-purchased tickets signed by a parent. According the the “Rules and Expectations” set out in the driving permission form, “students may not walk to or from the dance and may not arrive or leave by taxi.” The rules also warn of suspension from school—“including extracurricular activities and athletics” for students who are “found to be in possession of or under the influence of alcohol or another substance”—as well as being “barred from attending future school events.”
The form advises that parents and students “read and discuss [the Rules and Expectations] together.” The $15 tickets will be on sale in the HGHS cafeteria through Thursday, February 9.
• Parents of Seven Bridge student struck by truck sue driver, CCSD, Town and County
According to a report by Elizabeth Ganga in yesterday’s Journal News, the parents of the student (age 14 at the time) struck by a truck on his way to Seven Bridges school filed suit in November in State Supreme Court in White Plains against the truck driver, the school district, the town and county, “saying that the governments,” according to Ganga, “all had a duty to provide safe routes to school and to install traffic-control devices and a crosswalk.”
In her article, Ganga writes, “the lawsuit argues that the school district should have known that [the student, who lives nearby] and other students walk to school. The lawsuit says neither the children nor their parents were ever told not to walk.”
In recent a “Knowledge Cafe” discussion of the budget, several parent participants suggested that, to save money, busing routes be changed to enlarge the area surrounding each school that is not provided bus pick-up because distances are considered walkable. At that time, Chow noted that although the three elementaries, Bell and Greeley all have such areas designated as too-close-for-bus-service, in the case of Seven Bridges there is no area exempt from bus service.
According to Ganga, the police determined at the time that the truck driver was traveling south on Seven Bridges Road “below the speed limit and was not at fault.” The student was, she wrote, “carrying a lacrosse stick and wearing earphones, ran out from behind a stopped SUV and was hit by the truck. He was thrown into a guide rail and a stone wall on the side of the road.” His was transported to the hospital with a fractured skull.
• Open Season for Chappaqua Continuing Education Spring Classes
Chappaqa Continuing Ed brochure for Spring Classes is now available online. Click HERE to download it from CCSD’s website.
Copyright 2012 NewCastleNOW.org