By Laura Lane
The matter was discussed at length at the Levy-Lakeside PTA meeting on Dec. 13. In addition to security, parents said they worry about:
€ A lack of parking at the school.
€ Disruption of the school day.
€ A chaotic arrival and dismissal of students.
€ The possible elimination of phys. ed. classes for the day.
"I knew that parents would be upset about the decision, and rightfully so," said Michele Chernet, Levy-Lakeside's PTA co-president. "We've been trying to change the polling places. Having school on top of the polling place issue doesn't make sense."
Chernet said the library was suggested in the past as an alternate polling place. She has already spoken to Dr. Ranier Melucci, the Merrick superintendent, about parents' concerns. "I'm optimistic that this will be worked out," Chernet said. "We're confident that our concerns will be heard and recognized."
Geri Silverman, Levy-Lakeside's Health and Safety Committee chairwoman, is concerned that the school's security system, which includes video surveillance cameras, locked doors and hall monitors, will be compromised. "There will be people that need to use the rest rooms that will be walking around the school," Silverman said. "Even if the election turnout is small, there will be hundreds of people in the school, and the doors will be open. And during arrival and dismissal time, how will the aides distinguish between who is a parent and who is a voter?"
Trustee Andrea Messinger disagreed with the idea that there would be problems. "I think the administration will take every precaution to be sure that the area is cordoned off so there won't be a security risk," Messinger said. "And I don't think the voting will disrupt the day."
Trustee Diane Seaman said that many people vote before and after school, so she doesn't believe there will be a problem, either. "People will come in and vote before picking up their child or vote before dropping them off in the morning," she said.
Melucci said he would meet with principals to discuss how to keep security tight at all three Merrick elementary schools, which in addition to Levy-Lakeside include Birch and Chatterton. "I realize that with children in the school, we must make every precaution to be sure people who come to vote do only that," Melucci said. "And as for the parking, any time we have a large group of visitors, we have to be vigilant and make sure traffic is moving well. In May, more than a thousand people come to vote for the budget. We manage."
Dr. John Kohnken, Levy-Lakeside's principal, said he has spoken with several parents. Although he said he isn't as concerned as they are, he does believe that holding elections when school is open will present certain logistical problems. "Sometimes we have three phys. ed. classes at a time," said Kohnken. "If the gym is closed, we'll have to find a place to put these children. Sometimes the gym teacher will come into the classrooms to discuss topics like health if they can't use the gym."
Kohnken added that security shouldn't be a concern because hall monitors will be instructed to address people who might try to wander around the school. But he does think that parking will be a problem at Levy-Lakeside. "Depending on how big the election is, we've had it where our lots are packed and people can't find a place to park," said Kohnken. "That's why Dr. Melucci has tried in the past to move the voting. In my neighborhood, we have it at the firehouse."
Melucci is trying once again to have the voting machines taken out of the Merrick schools. Three weeks ago, he contacted New York state Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr., state Assemblyman David McDonough and Nassau County Legislator Dave Denenberg, asking for their assistance. "They all responded, saying they'd look into it," said Melucci. "The issue is security in this day and age. We don't feel we should have to hold elections in school districts; there are other venues."
The superintendent added that he hasn't heard from Chatterton or Birch parents about holding school on Election Day. He said he has notified the Board of Education about Levy-Lakeside parents' concerns.
Cindy Davidowitz, Chatterton's principal, said that keeping her school open on Election Day wouldn't be a problem. "The area where they vote is a little bit self-contained, since it's in a different wing of the building," explained Davidowitz. "The kids won't be able to use the lunchroom, but they can have lunch in their classrooms. Parking is always a problem at Chatterton. People who vote will have to park on the street or behind the stores. Our parking lot is too small."
Davidowitz said that she would use her hall monitors to keep security tight in the school. She added that she hadn't yet heard from parents regarding Election Day.
Rita Ratner, Birch's principal, said that parents have asked her about Election Day plans. "Most of our children are bused here and come into the school on a private road," said Ratner. "I am going to suggest to Dr. Melucci that the local [police] precinct have an officer assigned to each building during school hours."
Customarily, parent-teacher conferences are held in Merrick schools on Election Day. That is now being changed to the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The administration decided on the change to help teachers get to know students better before reviewing their progress with parents.
"This is an idea that everyone worked on together, how to redo the calendar so it would be in the best interests for the children," said Ruth Rosenberg, the Merrick teachers' union president and a Levy-Lakeside teacher. "Often in the past, the parent-teacher conference came on the heels of open house. Now we will have more of an opportunity to know the children and be more informed. If there were any glaring concerns, the teacher would have spoken to the parent prior to the teacher conference."
Rosenberg added that the decision was made after much consideration. Marcie Glickman, a Birch technology teacher, supports the change. "I'm happy the decision was made to keep the school open on Election Day," said Glickman. "The extra two weeks will give us more time to evaluate the children. I believe that the decision works to the advantage of children and teachers."
Shear, the Board of Education president, is still considering the feasibility of keeping the district's schools open on Election Day. "The reason why I abstained was because I have a couple of concerns in my head that I need to clarify," she said. "We, as a board, are sensitive to the concerns of the parents, and in all likelihood, we'll revisit this issue in January."
Comments about this story? LLane@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
