Superintendent says village won Safe Streets planning grant, outlines new district strategic plan and student highlights

The superintendent of the Pleasantville Union Free School District said the village has been awarded a federal planning grant to develop a safety action plan and described the district's next steps on a new strategic plan while highlighting recent student achievements and events.

"The village was awarded a planning grant by the US Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All program to develop a comprehensive safety action plan to implement safety projects and policies aimed at reducing hazardous conditions on our roads," the superintendent said, noting the plan could help the village qualify for further grants for physical improvements.

The grant and project aim to reduce vehicular speeds and improve traffic infrastructure such as curbs, sidewalks and signage in areas with higher pedestrian and vehicle traffic, the superintendent said. Public input is being sought: the district announced a public meeting at the public library on June 24 at 6:30 p.m. to gather community feedback for the Pleasantville Safe Streets Project.

On district planning, the superintendent said the district is "lining up the resources needed for our new district strategic plan," and that the board will select a consultant and form a steering committee to collect input from students, parents and teachers. No consultant name, timeline for selection or steering-committee membership was specified in the transcript.

The superintendent also reviewed recent student activities and accomplishments. Third- and fourth-grade students at BRS completed the New York State ELA test last week, with state math tests scheduled in April (exact dates not specified in the transcript). Students across grade levels have begun planting and will harvest vegetables later in spring.

Arts and extracurricular highlights included second graders' visits to Arc Stages through the Vision and Voices program—where students saw plays and wrote their own—last week; a successful middle school book fair; a fifth-grade visit to the refurbished Arc Stages theater that featured student playwrights and certificates of participation; the District Festival of Strings and an advanced jazz ensemble performance at the Sleepy Hollow Jazz Fest; and an upcoming orchestra and chorus concert.

Pleasantville High School teams also competed regionally: the superintendent said the high school took first place in Forestry at the Westchester County Envirothon Regionals. In addition, Pleasantville High School recently hosted visitors from France as part of a science research exchange after Pleasantville students visited France earlier in the year.

Next steps noted in the meeting: the public input meeting on June 24 for the Safe Streets Project and the district's consultant selection and steering-committee formation for the strategic plan. The superintendent thanked staff, crossing guards and volunteers for their roles in school operations and events.