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Students urge civil‑rights dialogue; parents seek review after children excluded over immunization status
Summary
Two student speakers described a newly formed student civil‑rights group seeking dialogue with district leaders to lower political tensions and protect students; separate parents told the board their children were excluded from district schools in January for immunization status despite an approved medical exemption and asked for remedies.
NISKAYUNA, N.Y. — Public comment at the Niskayuna Board of Education’s Feb. 25 meeting included students asking for dialogue on civil‑rights concerns and a parent couple who said their children were excluded from district schools because of immunization status despite an approved medical exemption.
Student speakers: Sean Calhoun and a peer described a recently formed student group called the Institute for Civil Rights (as identified in public comment) and asked for open dialogue with the board and district officials. Sean said the student group’s aim is to ensure all students are "represented, equally and heard" and to "lower the temperature politically for the whole country." A second student speaker, who identified with the same group, said the club is intended to combat bullying and online hate and to expand community conversations with students, teachers and parents.
Parent grievance: Mariah and Jason Raimondo told the board that their children were excluded from attendance effective Jan. 21, 2025, for immunization status despite having a medical exemption that they said had been approved by the district every year since February 2022. The Raimondos said the exclusion conflicts with the family’s understanding of federal law they referenced as the "Free Child Act" and with district policy that they said allows attendance with an approved medical exemption. They requested compensatory services for homeschooling and reimbursement for lost wages dating to December 2024 and said they are open to an out-of-court settlement; they said they have supporting documentation available for district review.
A parent, Kathy Levy, used public comment to request more information about how the district intends to address recommendations from the 2024 security assessment and to ask the board to consider whether school resource officers would be included in the budget; she cited studies she said show armed officers do not reduce shootings and can have negative impacts on students.
Superintendent Carl thanked the student speakers during his report and said district leadership looks forward to collaborating with student leaders and classmates.
Why it matters: student advocacy and parental grievances raised during public comment can prompt administrative follow-up, policy review and additional communication between families and district staff.
Ending: The board did not announce any immediate policy changes during the meeting; staff said they will follow up on public‑comment items and budget questions raised during the session.
