Resident urges South Orangetown board to reflect after resignation, calls for greater transparency

Mara Lasda, a resident who said she began attending meetings two years ago, used the public-comment period to press the South Orangetown Central School District board for reflection and greater transparency after a recent board member resignation.

Lasda said several trustees had publicly distanced themselves from the resignation at an earlier meeting and asked: “What steps did you take to prevent the resignation?” She said inaction can be as consequential as action and asked the board to consider how it supports colleagues and models professional behavior to students.

Lasda criticized private one-on-one conversations among board members as potentially opaque and urged the board to make decision-making more transparent. She also noted the district recently hosted a Screenagers documentary and asked trustees to model the constructive behavior they recommend to students.

She proposed concrete steps to rebuild trust, including training through organizations such as the Constructive Dialogue Institute and outlined five principles of constructive dialogue: let go of winning, get curious, share stories, navigate conflict with purpose, and find what’s shared. She said the district should center the needs of students and staff in any reconciliation.

The board did not take action during the meeting in response to Lasda’s remarks; moderators moved on to committee reports and later business. The superintendent and trustees acknowledged the comment period but did not provide a substantive reply on the record during this session.

Next steps: Lasda suggested resources and training the board could consider; the transcript records no formal commitment to pursue those options during the meeting.