Community organization urges Board of Education and district administration to continue initiative and retain committee in the wake of Superintendent’s departure

 Yorktown for Justice (YFJ), a community group dedicated to advancing equity and justice for residents in Yorktown and beyond, reaffirms its support for the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) initiative and committee formed by the Lakeland Central School District Board (LCSD) Board of Education (BOE). It also strongly urges the board and Acting Superintendent, Dr. Karen Gagliardi, to continue forward with the important work started under Superintendent Dr. Brendan Lyons’ leadership.

 “Due to Dr. Lyons’ unexpected and unfortunate departure, combined with misguided opposition from some community members and organizations, we have serious concerns that the future of this necessary committee is in jeopardy,” said Marisa Ragonese, YFJ Founder and DEI Committee Member. “The initial decision to pursue DEI work in the LCSD was because students and alumni shared their personal stories of discrimination in our schools. We must continue to move this committee forward – as many other neighboring districts are already doing – to ensure every single one of our students and staff feels supported and safe in our schools. We believe the existing programs in our schools are not achieving these goals, and that the various parent groups in opposition to DEI are spreading disinformation while playing politics with students’ lives.” 

Dr. Lyons proposed the formation of the committee and the BOE approved it, appointing Dr. Gess LeBlanc, Associate Professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Hunter College, to moderate. Dr. LeBlanc has been a consultant in the district doing similar work at Copper Beech Middle School and is a trusted resource familiar with the LCSD community. The committee consists of approximately 30 members including parents, students, teachers, support staff, administrators, and board members. They identified four areas of focus: School Climate, Curriculum, Professional Development, and Staff Diversity…