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Parent says daughter injured on district track and urges netting before capital vote
Summary
A Pleasantville parent told the board her 12-year-old was struck in the forehead by a varsity baseball during overlapping practices and urged immediate installation of safety netting; the board did not commit to immediate action during the meeting and pointed to the capital proposals and athletics policy discussion as pathways to address safety.
Valerie Racinelli addressed the board during public comment on Tuesday to report that her 12-year-old daughter, Sofia, was struck in the forehead by a baseball while taking part in a modified-track practice on April 30.
Racinelli said the incident occurred while multiple teams used adjacent spaces, including the high-school varsity baseball team practicing on turf near where younger athletes were running on the track. "She got hit in the forehead. She had bleeding inside of her nose and was taken to Northern Westchester Hospital emergency room to receive care," Racinelli said, adding that Sofia passed neurological testing and a CT scan but experienced subsequent headaches and bruising.
Racinelli urged the district to install safety nets and to prioritize children’s safety in scheduling and facility decisions: "Get the net. This was an accident that could have been avoided. What will it take to make our children’s safety the number one priority? This is gross negligence," she said.
Board members and administrators listened; the meeting’s ensuing discussion of the capital project and later debate on field lighting focused on limits, time of use and mitigation measures but did not include a board commitment during the session to immediate net installation. The superintendent’s capital presentation listed athletic improvements, restroom upgrades and field lights as part of the Proposition 2 scope and noted that the maximum project cost is $17.5 million, funded in part with reserves and borrowing and eligible for state aid.
The transcript records no immediate staff directive in the meeting to install netting before the May 19 vote. Racinelli and other residents tied safety concerns to the ballot questions and urged voters to consider the risk when deciding whether to approve the capital propositions.
Next steps: the board’s capital proposals and policy 32-85 (use of turf-field lights) were part of the same evening’s business; residents seeking immediate facility mitigations should consult district communications and the capital FAQ posted on the district website for implementation timelines if propositions pass.
