Residents question decision-making process

After hearing parents criticize its decision-making process, the Haldane school board voted unanimously on Tuesday (May 6) to reinstate the district's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy. It had suspended the policy on April 22, fearful of losing $450,000 in federal funding threatened by the Trump administration's opposition to DEI programs.

The board said it reversed course after federal judges in three jurisdictions on April 24 temporarily blocked the administration from cutting funding to schools that have what the White House characterizes as "illegal" practices.

Six residents who spoke at the meeting expressed gratitude for the board's decision to reinstate the policy but also voiced frustration with how the initial decision was made.

"I don't think the board is doing a good job of making those decision-making processes transparent to our community," said Paul Cummins, who has two children at Haldane.

After the meeting, Peggy Clements, president of the five-member board, said the decision to suspend the policy happened "at a really fast and furious pace and certainly didn't allow for the careful consideration and outreach that we would ordinarily engage in."

"This was nothing that any of us wanted to do," Clements said. "It did make us deeply uncomfortable. But we felt like the district was truly at risk of losing $450,000."

During the meeting, Board Member Michelle Kupper said she regretted "not communicating more about the future of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy months before the vote. A lot of us in the school community knew that the current presidential administration takes issue with diversity, equity and inclusion, and we should have been talking about how to handle it."

Carl Albano, the interim superintendent, said the decision to suspend the policy on April 22 was rushed because of an April 24 deadline set by the Trump administration.

In early April, the U.S. Department of Education ordered states to gather signatures from local districts certifying their compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as rejection of what the Trump administration calls "illegal DEI practices."

The directive did not carry the force of law but threatened to use civil rights enforcement to rid schools of DEI practices. Schools were warned that continuing such practices "in violation of federal law" could lead to Justice Department litigation and the termination of federal grants and contracts. New York State responded that it would not comply.

Despite that, Albano said that on April 11 the district's law firm, Shaw, Perelson, May & Lambert, recommended that the board certify compliance with Title VI. Many other districts did the same. At the time "we didn't see an issue certifying, because, again, we believe we are in compliance," Albano said. "None of that raised concern for me or the board."

However, on April 18, "our attorney, after reviewing the DEI policy, had concerns about the diversity hiring provision," Albano said.

That provision states: "The district will strive to create a workforce that is not only diverse and inclusive, but one that recognizes and values the differences among people. As part of this effort, the district will seek to (a) recruit and retain a diverse workforce in all areas and at all levels [and] (b) provide staff with opportunities for professional development on cultural responsiveness."

Albano said that on April 22, just hours before the board was scheduled to meet, he gave members the attorney's recommended resolution to suspend the DEI policy because it "may, in part, be inconsistent" with the Department of Education's interpretation of Title VI. After suspending the DEI policy, the board certified compliance with Title VI.

The Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery district, which includes O'Neill High School, which Garrison district students can attend, also voted last month to suspend its DEI policy. Halfway into its April 10 ...