East Hampton School District Asks Board Of Elections To Keep Voting Out Of The Schools

Citing concerns about student safety, the East Hampton School District has asked the Suffolk County Board of Elections to move polling away from all three of its schools, and sent a letter to that effect on September 5.

“This is not a new issue, but as mass shootings continue to plague our nation, school safety has gained significant political momentum in our community,” Richard Burns, the East Hampton superintendent, said in the letter, which was addressed to BOE Commissioners Anita Katz and Nick LaLota and copied to the superintendents of both East Hampton High School’s sending districts and of the Sag Harbor and Bridgehampton schools. “Parents and the community at large are justifiably concerned about school safety, as indicated by the overwhelming public support for school districts to take steps to enhance school security,” the letter said.

At its meeting on Tuesday, September 3, the East Hampton School Board authorized Mr. Burns to draft and send the letter, which notes “our pleadings over many years … to seek an alternative to the two currently designated school polling locations” at the John M. Marshall Elementary School and East Hampton High School. Voting in local elections is scheduled to take place at John M. Marshall, East Hampton’s elementary school, on November 4 this year.

“It’s now September. The election is November 4,” board member Jacqueline Lowey said at last week’s meeting. “They’re going to tell us they’ve already mailed out mailers telling people where to vote … They’re probably printing them now.”

Ms. Lowey called the Board of Elections “lazy” for not looking into other options.

“They’re putting our kids at risk,” she said. “The taxpayers are paying for school security and we’re inviting strangers into our schools. It makes no sense.” According to Kerri S. Stevens, the district clerk, there is a law that gives the Board of Election discretion and jurisdiction over where polling will take place — it is not up to the school districts themselves.

The East Hampton School District has written several letters to the Board of Elections, Ms. Stevens added, and the school board president, J.P. Foster, has met with the commissioners over the years to come up with a compromise.

“This has been going on for a number of years and they’ve chosen not to change the locations,” Ms. Stevens said.

When elections take place inside the schools, Ms. Stevens said the district tries to schedule a “staff development day,” canceling classes that so no students are present as strangers enter and exit to vote.

In the past, Ms. Stevens said, there have been some school days scheduled during elections, but the administration tries to design the calendar specifically not to have any students present on election days.

Locally, Ms. Stevens said, there are plenty of other options for voting, including the East Hampton Firehouse and Neighborhood House, where elections have been held in the past.

“Why not the American Legion Hall? There are places to consider other than school districts,” she added. “The issue is gaining momentum in school districts.”

The Board of Elections had considered moving Election Day voting from the elementary school to the board meeting next to the high school, which might be more secure because it is separated from the students, but the room was determined to be too small to accommodate all the election districts.

The board discussed adding another room and locking the door that leads to the halls of the adjoining high school, but felt that that would not be a safe option, either.

Board member John J. Ryan Sr. said he thinks other polling places should be explored before considering the high school.

“We don’t believe they’re looking hard enough,” he said of the Board of Elections.

“It needs to be pushed, it needs to be publicized and it needs to be fixed,” said Christina DeSanti, the board’s vice president. “At some point they’re going to have to move everything out of the schools.”

In his letter, Mr. Burns invited the Board of Elections to attend a meeting of the East Hampton School Board on Tuesday, September 17, to discuss the matter further.

“It is no longer acceptable to allow our school buildings to remain open to all, without challenge by security personnel. We simply cannot compromise the safety of our students and staff,” the letter said.