Letter from the Board October 22, 2014

All: We wanted to let you know that the Department of Corrections is building a borough-wide parole center on 2nd Avenue near 5th Street, and the school’s current response to it. We have spoken with our City Council representative Brad Lander, other nearby schools, and our local police precinct about what impact, if any, the center will have on the safety of our school and our students.

The consensus seems to be that no impact is expected, for us. As a practical matter, people are expected to use the Smith/9th Street subway stop, and walk up and down 9th Street to 2nd Avenue, and then to 5th Street. The expectation is that they will bypass our neighborhood entirely. (In addition, the canal is a “natural” barrier between our 5th Street property and the center.)

Nevertheless, as always, the safety of our students is paramount. We have spoken with Brad and the precinct about our interest in increased safety, both on the F and G trains and on the streets. We will continue this conversation and let you know of any developments and plans. In addition, as you know, we recently reviewed all of our safety procedures and protocols with our local precinct.

Parents are certainly free to protest the site and/or sign Brad’s petition (as Emily did) here: http://docfacility-bradlander.nationbuilder.com/doc_petition. At this time, the board and the administration have decided that the school, itself, will not organize against the center. While this is not necessarily a welcome addition to the area, we recognize that we live in NYC among all sorts of people, where all sorts of services are provided, and as long as the facility does not compromise the safety of our school and students, we are inclined to let it be.

Nicole Nash, Head of School
Emily Reisbaum, Board Chair