When Vice President Dick Cheney fell asleep during an important meeting, he was roundly criticized…but I’m pretty sure no one resigned over the impromptu nap.

Not so in East Ramapo, where seeing school board president Nathan Rothschild fall asleep during a public presentation so enraged one woman that she resigned her position on a district committee.

That woman was Peggy Hatton, one of a handful of parent members on East Ramapo’s Committee on Special Education, which determines the special education services received by individual district students. I’ve pasted the text of her Nov. 13 resignation letter, which was addressed to East Ramapo special student services director Sherry Ehrlickman, below. Below that, I’ve also included a letter from a friend of Rothschild’s, addressed to me, defending the school board president.

You’ll find a story on Hatton’s resignation and reactions from both the school board president and superintendent in tomorrow’s paper. A web update on the issue is here.

(For those unschooled in the ways of East Ramapo, it would be helpful to know that the district’s nonpublic school population outnumbers its public school population by 2-to-1. In her letter, Hatton makes reference to “the Public School community.”)

Dear Sherry,

It is with a heavy heart that I am resigning my CSE Parent Member position.

After attending the November 7, 2007 Board of Education meeting, I am painfully aware that there is a total lack of respect for the Public School community, as was demonstrated by the President of our Board of Education.

As you know, there was a special paid guest who our District hired to provide a forecast of future student enrollment and building usage. This information was of vital interest to the Public School community. However, it appeared to be of no interest to our Board President. In order for the Board Members to view the presentation, they had to move into the Audience. Mr. Rothschild was seated next to me. He made a joke to a friend that he needed a pillow because he was going to take a nap. To my astonishment, he did just that! Mr. Rothschild was finally awakened when he failed to respond to a question. When people saw that he was sleeping, it got a really big laugh. I did not think his behavior was funny! Mr. Rothschild did not accidentally fall asleep, it was purposeful. I am personally insulted and embarrassed that he showed so little respect for the parents, district employees, students, Board Members and the guest speaker who were present at the meeting.

Perhaps Mr. Rothschild is not concerned about school space. As an audience member said, “the private school numbers are going to grow much faster than we think�. He was very proud to say that his people intend to grow far from their current boundaries into Spring Valley and beyond, pushing out the current Public School population. Perhaps Mr. Rothschild was not anxious to let the man speak because he was letting the cat out of the bag. I am concerned that they are planning a Kiryas Joel type of School District and they plan to use our buildings for their schools. Sadly, there will be little dissent from the public. The people of East Ramapo are like lambs going to slaughter!

If this is the stature of the people who will install the next School District Leader, every parent of the East Ramapo School District should be outraged. But since few people attend the BOE meetings, they have no idea about what is really going on.

I believe that the soon to be vacated position of Superintendent of Schools has been purposefully downgraded. The newly titled position, School District Leader, no longer requires New York State Certification. I have spent hours researching all vacant Superintendent jobs in NY, NJ and CT. All of these jobs require State Certification, even those with much smaller districts. The East Ramapo position now requires 5 years of Administration experience at a District level, Certification preferred. The Board has cancelled the next two meetings. The next meeting is not scheduled until December 19, 2007. A major part of the Board’s responsibilities are to hire a new School District Leader. Aren’t they concerned that Dr. Schwartz is leaving in January with no replacement? Perhaps they know something that we are not privy to. I believe that Mr. Rothschild and majority of his Board plan to install a lesser qualified candidate from their community, or a puppet that will do as they wish without any resistance. I hope am not proved right, but I hold out little hope.

I feel sorry for the employees of the District. The anxiety is palpable in every building. People are fearful about what the future holds for them. I think the best disinfectant is sunlight, and this Board should speak openly about their plans.

I am glad to have had the honor and experience of working with you and your staff. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for helping my children realize their full potential. You all do a tremendous job for the students with special needs. All Special Education parents owe you a debt of gratitude. I wish you and your staff success in all of your future endeavors; I can see that you will need it.

I am no longer hopeful for the future of our School District.

Sincerely,

Peggy Hatton

Dear Ms. Gomstyn, November 28, 2007

As a friend and colleague of Nathan Rothschild I am outraged at the news of your impending article based on the ridiculous accusations of a disgruntled committee member. Mr. Rothschild has been a pillar in the community and is actively involved with numerous volunteer positions that he is passionately committed to.

As a journalist for a reputable local paper, you have the obligation to verify whether or not there is any merit to the claims you are reporting. If you choose to print this article then I hope you will at least be honest and fair enough to present the other side of the story by stating his numerous awards and accomplishments as School Board President including the Eddy award (I am sure you have other records of these). And also his many other volunteer positions which he holds in addition to being owner/president of his own private company. Some of his current positions:

Board President of local health clinics
Fire Commissioner and active volunteer firefighter
President of 2 synagogues
Board President – private school
Rockland County Hazmat team
Jewish Burial Society

Mr. Rothschild’s philanthropic contributions to local organizations are endless. He has implemented programs to feed the underprivileged and has personally funded the building of several residential homes for displaced children and much much more.

You would have a difficult time trying to find a more dedicated and committed school board member and local citizen than Mr. Nathan Rothschild.
Sincerely,
Katie Mazzella