[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",5966961,"mediaKeyId","5868366-c1581182eac20325fb5a86be24f0987f","parentId",5868366,"title","Board approves health center lease and MOUs, appoints cable committee and adopts committee/audit policies","audioSeconds",31,"startMs",5166000,"endMs",5197000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5868366-c1581182eac20325fb5a86be24f0987f&start=5166&end=5197","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5868366-c1581182eac20325fb5a86be24f0987f/thumbnail_5166000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5966961/New-York/Board-approves-health-center-lease-and-MOUs-appoints-cable-committee-and-adopts-committeeaudit-policies","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5966961-82e5ae325e06ff44b6931aecf8d5dcb4/orig.mp4?Expires=1776274026&Signature=DGRvG1hjvumTa-jR3MKByKtkz58qtCNcY4FoXd31k1YFcLAaPv1u-VJVoGOySFEUl3ORvKBfX1yo7C8MO0rM~FO225Y3ghZW8OZqiHeJFOD2Vfudl9eALl8eps0ML28lKCeJn9HtzHkTdxX6fKW~x6Bbnd-DiwFH7~inlaUdiWIptRLUg51eLbg24Z34B~RuP4lz-Gwt7fv8cO3a7HLfhqS2fZeiJxgMb2~NhUU7JbcQDCC6w4NsCcmEnG52KDTM55gZVYJC~Bd576xLNlAXSktfbTXpPbTb9IiPbkVvNllH7g2GGPPrT7R0p2P46qEj64RSIEtjeI1k2dQX0xHxjA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","MOUNT VERNON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT","date","2025-10-01T00:00:00Z","article","The Mount Vernon Board of Education on Sept. 30 voted to approve several intergovernmental and vendor agreements and to adopt governance policies.

The board approved an authorization to enter into a lease agreement and memorandum of understanding with Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center Inc., doing business as Westchester Community Health Center, to provide services in district facilities. The motion was seconded and the board carried the item; the transcript records two abstentions during that vote but does not list individual vote names on the public record.

The board also approved an authorization to enter into a memorandum of understanding with Smile New York Outreach LLC for the 2025–26 school year, and approved a renewal agreement with Home Care Therapies (DBA Horizon Healthcare) for pupil-services health contracts for 2025–26. In addition, trustees approved a pupil personnel services memorandum dated Sept. 30, 2025.

The board appointed representatives to the City of Mount Vernon cable advisory committee and voted to waive the 24-hour notice requirement to allow the addition of late resolutions to the agenda. Following the waiver, trustees voted to waive the second and third readings and immediately adopt Board policies 2210 (Committees of the Board) and 5582 (Audit Committee). The board chair said the district has been discussing the picture and bell matter in executive sessions and that a decision is near.

In human-resources and operational business, the board approved a range of personnel appointments, leaves and resignations as listed on the consent agenda; several motions were made and seconded and carried without recorded roll-call tallies in the transcript excerpt. One item (11.16) was pulled from the agenda and tabled pending further work with the CSCA.

The transcript shows standard motion/second practice and that the majority of consent-agenda and contract items were passed by voice vote; where members indicated recusal or abstention the chair noted it during the vote, but the public record in the meeting transcript does not provide a full roll-call for each vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Mount Vernon Board of Education Regular Business Meeting September 30 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Mount Vernon Board of Education on Sept. 30 approved a lease and MOU with the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center (Westchester Community Health Center), signed an MOU with Smile New York Outreach LLC for 2025–26 and adopted policies clarifying board committees and the district audit committee.","taxTitle","MOUNT VERNON SCHOOL DISTRICT, School Districts, New York","taxId",38455,"location","New York","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5966964,"Speakers allege staff mistreatment; board adjourns to executive session on personnel and litigation",1334,510000,1844000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5868366-c1581182eac20325fb5a86be24f0987f&start=510&end=1844","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5868366-c1581182eac20325fb5a86be24f0987f/thumbnail_510000.jpg","/articles/5966964/New-York/Speakers-allege-staff-mistreatment-board-adjourns-to-executive-session-on-personnel-and-litigation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5966964-3272d36398a328b58930925ab5542ec0/orig.mp4?Expires=1776274026&Signature=T6FRJV80WElTzFF5kGdLTx88j60gwVSSEnnN9-jr4qNLC4SOIeNNxdgI2Vmexf7sguO3F3Y-LSC9yUjtN6JU5iPkE1JaXmPdktafcmjCfoqHBH6h3UrUYIhC0JMje0ll8R282i5E8LjA3h773QTYSCmzyFqxn3-3Zt5zBKseOkX6cT4x8CxQ332bPU9gFqLOuIg0MMSoFmCYmV5wOwCFsezuswLZ~LOtqbPQsKWlrbOYqepnmkz1Wyo5l1kXwowoh8ihj-nZ7NlZKgDJunYy5Z-W0JfKeAF7T64Asg9uMFTk5XPzGbpNc0A8aja0qUeKe7pgJfOMWi0UOnh8qFiZag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the start of public comment on Sept. 30, Quisha Ward and Mark Stuckey delivered emotional statements alleging personnel mistreatment and workplace bullying. Ward described being terminated while on approved FMLA and said she feels the district allowed a principal to hurt her. \"You let him hurt me... You let him illegally terminate me,\" Ward said during public comment, adding that she was caring for \"two children, one alive, one dead\" and that the situation has caused her ongoing distress.

Mark Stuckey, who identified himself as a district employee and described himself as a whistleblower, said he was opting out of a state-mandated program (CSC) and alleged ongoing staff harassment and instances of what he described as employee time theft. \"If the administration cannot respect staff and stop harassing, bullying them, tormenting them, then what's the sense in taking that program,\" Stuckey said. He also said he had reported a case of an employee who \"stole time, money from the taxpayers.\"

Shortly after the public comment period, the board made a motion to enter executive session \"for the purpose of discussing pending litigation, the financial history of a particular person or corporation, all matters leading to the appointment, employment, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal, or removal of a particular person or corporation and to receive legal advice on a pending matter.\" The motion was seconded, and the board voted in favor; the chair announced the meeting would recess for executive session for approximately 25–30 minutes. When the public meeting reconvened later in the evening, the chair announced the board had returned from executive session; no summary of actions taken in executive session was read into the public record during reconvened proceedings.

The statements by Ward and Stuckey are allegations made by public commenters; the board did not make any contemporaneous public statement confirming or denying the details raised. The transcript shows the board followed open-meeting procedures by moving into a closed session to discuss the types of personnel and legal matters the motion described.","Two public commenters described alleged bullying, harassment and personnel mismanagement; an employee called himself a whistleblower. The board then voted to enter executive session to discuss pending litigation and personnel matters.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5966967,"Residents urge better special-needs facilities, question Parker school closure and preservation of historic items",271,840000,1111000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5868366-c1581182eac20325fb5a86be24f0987f&start=840&end=1111","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5868366-c1581182eac20325fb5a86be24f0987f/thumbnail_840000.jpg","/articles/5966967/New-York/Residents-urge-better-special-needs-facilities-question-Parker-school-closure-and-preservation-of-historic-items","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5966967-8dda9bded0c91e95798296c1cf227498/orig.mp4?Expires=1776274026&Signature=mrBvU8m-LJmoCDYwUDOO6jPR4KzNExk7fic1tVW9TuhFLhoCNNpiFgMOjhvXMQTCsJh435XhQFB4ToqX526Lw53MNT4ykDMEna3Tqr1LmYcXNJsbMqImz~~9ijZPW0oUHQAj8~eg3swUjC6vHe7fVYag~keYdyWLEaZQnX-OiWs0rvFKpxJdu9IHqqMpiLPFbKFqkQHxyWIy-r2mIkb9EEjUg7ed-YzQwepo09oxR4OegrpO2k-sKXukD4PSezW-rFOU9BydPxjwQxahXVH3CYWP1AwIfZMDx74m1V9VtZ0BFlMSyupFOKT-KK86S-gB3MdE08r81b3Tu8V4bfPDEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cynthia Crenshaw and other residents told the Mount Vernon Board of Education on Sept. 30 they are concerned about building conditions and the district’s treatment of students with disabilities. \"You should have locks on all the doors that has host autistic kids,\" Crenshaw said, and she asked the district to provide a separate, secure changing room rather than individual bathroom stalls for students who need assistance.

Crenshaw also raised issues about teacher quality and working conditions, citing parking shortages and dilapidated staff spaces at one building she called \"R.A.T.\" (an older facility), and asked the board to survey staff about conditions. She questioned why Parker School was closed and said rumors persist that it might be leased or purchased by a private entity named Armani; Crenshaw said retaining a historic Black school building matters to the community and asked the board to address the issue publicly.

Crenshaw asked whether charter schools admitting more special-needs students would divert resources from the public schools, saying, \"Our tax dollars should go to the public schools.\" She also asked about the status of a historic picture and the school bell; board leadership responded later in the meeting that the picture and bell matter had been discussed in recent executive sessions and that a decision was approaching.

Crenshaw concluded her remarks by circulating a petition to rename Sixth Avenue School to \"Cecil H. Parker Way.\"

Board President responded after public comment that the picture and bell are under active discussion and \"we are very close to making the decision,\" and that community members would be notified when the board finalizes plans.

These public comments were made during the district’s public comment period; speakers framed building-condition problems as health, safety and equity concerns and requested specific follow-up and clearer communication from district staff.","During public comment, community members told the board they want better changing facilities and locks for autistic students, expressed concerns about building conditions and teacher working conditions, and raised a longstanding rumor that Parker School may be leased; a speaker also circulated a petition to rename Sixth Avenue School.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5966970,"Mount Vernon superintendent cites climate survey gaps, staffing shortfalls and new cybersecurity pathway",538,1919000,2457000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5868366-c1581182eac20325fb5a86be24f0987f&start=1919&end=2457","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5868366-c1581182eac20325fb5a86be24f0987f/thumbnail_1919000.jpg","/articles/5966970/New-York/Mount-Vernon-superintendent-cites-climate-survey-gaps-staffing-shortfalls-and-new-cybersecurity-pathway","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5966970-92853ef7c49a419bb468654ed207b87e/orig.mp4?Expires=1776274026&Signature=b1XFou0fakarBYNG8OPxzr-BMWVZwlu6Fr060KfjV-YtY4Friden7Z89k8et5qgKaNi6C2fnh5Sfap5pQi-iEqO3O8CeoIkP-LA0~EQH5uvW2bPC0eLbb6Q6ib8LlZNfHhuTq6--0e-50kNiLP7m0j33iny-1quCscTLZd-k7Uud~9qEnS-3pmvttaD-bH0ZwkwP0fGAe7eAPdjwD2YzCeXHtVwD9DCr8b4Hos08EcuYR-h5LIbapTMTLysQOP6allkvvMTEW~ROsY-uSMylQOl3UWnqqoxaYT1v0CBBcA31T3rPrYiUeCcmRSEq-Jybzx8GZxM~BVpnSCFz5inH3g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dr. Demario Strickland, superintendent of the Mount Vernon City School District, told the board Sept. 30 that a district climate survey shows only about half of students feel supported by central leadership and that staff report a perception of low support and transparency from district administrators. \"Only half of our students feel supported by district leadership,\" Dr. Strickland said, adding that the district must improve communication, curriculum and supports for its most vulnerable students.

The survey results were the centerpiece of Strickland’s September report. He said 65% of respondents believe their school promotes a culture of diversity, 81% said teachers care about them, and 77% of students reported having at least one adult in school they can trust. The superintendent framed the findings as a starting point for changes the district will pursue: better communications, targeted curriculum work and stepped-up support for English language learners and students with disabilities.

Strickland also outlined personnel and enrollment pressures. He said the district currently has \"over 40 vacancies\" for administrators, classroom teachers and teaching assistants, and nearly 20 openings for nurses, security guards, lunch monitors and clerical staff. Since July 1 the district has registered more than 700 students and placed over 600, he said, and administrators are adding sections and classrooms to accommodate the influx.

On career and technical education, Strickland described a new cybersecurity pathway that offers three courses — IT Essentials, Network Routing and Switching, and Cybersecurity — for which students can earn college credit. \"Many thanks to our CTE director Bridal Simmons and everyone involved in this exciting program,\" he said.

Trustees pressed for timelines and data. \"We can't wait too long... the clock is ticking for them,\" Trustee Kelly said, urging quick results on overcrowding and scheduling. Trustee Peterson asked for building capacity and enrollment counts; Dr. Strickland said official BEDS reporting begins the next day and offered a target of providing a cleaned, districtwide capacity/enrollment report by the end of the month. The superintendent acknowledged the district’s scheduling system is inconsistent — some schools use A/B days, others A–F — which complicates sharing staff across buildings.

Trustees and the superintendent discussed translation and services for families whose primary language is Spanish. Trustee McDonough suggested testing real-time translation devices for registrations; Strickland said the district previously used translating headsets but that funding is limited and Title III grant funds do not cover all language-access needs. The district website already has an agenda-translation feature, he said.

The superintendent said building leaders have begun meet-and-greets and new student socials to ease transitions after recent building consolidations and said some principals reported smooth starts despite the challenges. Strickland closed his report by inviting questions and committing to follow-up reports.

Board members applauded some early signs of progress while emphasizing urgency. Several trustees said they want quarterly benchmarks to track progress on staffing, scheduling, special education compliance and curriculum work.

Dr. Strickland concluded: \"We are committed to tackling the concerns that were raised in the survey,\" and asked for the board’s patience as the administration addresses immediate operational needs while pursuing longer-term changes.","Superintendent Dr. Demario Strickland told the Board on Sept. 30 that a district climate survey shows staff and students report gaps in support and communications; he outlined vacancies, new cybersecurity CTE courses and plans to address inconsistent scheduling and services for English learners and students with disabilities.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board approves health center lease and MOUs, appoints cable committee and adopts committee/audit policies

Speakers allege staff mistreatment; board adjourns to executive session on personnel and litigation

Residents urge better special-needs facilities, question Parker school closure and preservation of historic items

Mount Vernon superintendent cites climate survey gaps, staffing shortfalls and new cybersecurity pathway