To the Editor:

On the May 7 Berne-Knox-Westerlo Board of Education meeting agenda, the broad topic of “Media” was addressed. As part of that discussion, I read the following statement, which I share with those of you who were unable to attend.

Following the April 25 early morning security incident, I had several concerns expressed to me by friends, acquaintances, former students, and voters who know I have been deeply involved in our school district as a student, teacher, parent, grandparent, and longtime seasoned school board member. A heavy flow of communications began coming my way.

This is how events unfolded for me. I first heard of the troubling incident while attending an early morning meeting at the school. From there, I joined friends at the Fox Creek Market for breakfast. Students were already messaging on Instagram, and Facebook was lighting up. People were asking me at the Market, “What is going on” at the school? A police car zoomed by. After, when I arrived home, I began getting calls from concerned residents.

Clearly, the levels of community anxiety were great and building. Consequently, I felt it would be well for the community to know the facts and allay the growing concerns as soon as possible, so I communicated with The Enterprise, to suggest the newspaper contact the school to gain a fuller understanding of the nature of the security incident and possibly inform its readers.

In no way did I identify myself as 1) a member of the board, nor 2) as one speaking on behalf of the board, nor 3) make any reference to the board. I made the call at the time that I did as I knew The Enterprise would be going to press shortly. Later, Rose [Schneider, Enterprise Hilltown reporter] called me. She asked how I knew about the incident in the first place. I told her the story. It’s that simple and straightforward.

Later, board members questioned the appropriateness of my call. President [Matthew] Tedeschi reminded me that our handbook indicates the president is the voice of the board — meetings and media, and he elaborated electronically that there seems to be a lack of continuity for who the board handbook is for and what we have established and maybe we should vote to take the handbook out of service and not use it anymore as it clearly is not a practical document to have.

Concerned that I may have falsely interpreted and then acted inappropriately as charged by some on the board, I thought it best to get expert advice and contacted the appropriate source for answering such questions in New York, namely the Department of State’s Open Government Committee, which as you know, oversees and advises the government, public, and news media on Freedom of Information, Open Meetings, and Personal Privacy Protection Laws. The Committee offers guidance in response to phone inquiries, prepares written legal advisory opinions, and provides training to government and other interested groups.

I spoke with Bob Freeman, the executive director of the New York State Committee on Open Government for over 40 years, who has the duty to provide legal opinions and training at the request of any person or organization regarding public access to government information in New York. I recounted the chain of events.

Bob Freeman confirmed my behavior was proper. He stated that a board member has a responsibility to express themselves on matters of public concern and controversy. He emphasized I was not speaking for the board. He added that he was available for follow-up calls on this subject. Board members or appropriate others could call and speak to him further on this matter if they wish at 518-474-2518.

Perhaps, come July, when the handbook committee reviews our handbook, we should consider appropriate clarifying refinements on such matters to avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations on any board member’s part in the future.

After thoughts

After the meeting, thoughts of Anderson’s “The Emperor's New Clothes,” a favorite tale that I frequently shared with students, kept coming to mind. I recalled the lone voice that cried out that the Emperor had no clothes and how at first he was ridiculed.

Later, the reader learns the value of listening to and learning from different opinions, even unpopular ones. The boy, of course, was correct while the rest of us were wrong.

My conclusion: These deceptively simple tales are often the keys to unlocking difficult situations. In my view, boards benefit from differences of opinion. If we ever get to the point where every board member is on the exact same page, then it might be time for a change.

Helen Marie Lounsbury

Member of

Berne-Knox-Westerlo

Board of Education

Editor’s note: See related story.