FASNY Officials Challenge Board of Education Letter Against School Proposal

The following release is a response from the French American School of New York to a recent letter from the White Plains Board of Education against FASNY’s proposal to build a new school at the former Ridgeway Country Club site. A copy of the Board of Education letter can be viewed by clicking here:

The French-American School of New York (FASNY) today questioned why the White Plains Board of Education waited three years to express any opposition to the plan for FASNY’s school at the former Ridgeway Country Club. FASNY said the Board’s letter sent yesterday to the White Plains Common Council stating that it is opposed to the North Street access driveway to the school showed a lack of substantive analysis of FASNY’s driveway and student busing plans and appeared based on conjecture rather than facts.

FASNY pointed out that over the last three years, during which its plan has been the subject of extensive public discussion and multiple public hearings, the Board of Education offered virtually no criticism of the plan and did not participate in the process. In fact, the Board offered no comments on traffic or any other issue during the entire three-year State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) proceeding conducted by the Common Council. Last December the Common Council adopted the Environmental Findings Statement including the North Street driveway access.

FASNY said the only objection raised by the Board was to oppose a slight realignment of the White Plains High School’s North Street entrance. That issue, however, was rendered moot when FASNY acquired a property opposite the High School driveway eliminating the need to adjust the school entrance.

FASNY said that it appears that on August 25 the Board appointed a committee comprised of school district officials and board members to study the access driveway issue. FASNY stated that to its knowledge, no outside professional consultants were hired to analyze the FASNY’s access driveway and there was no effort made on the part of the Board or the District administration to reach out to FASNY with regard to the plan.

FASNY said that throughout the lengthy review process it had made every effort to be fully cooperative and transparent with the Board. It met and communicated with representatives of the School District on multiple occasions made a full presentation to the Board on September 23, 2013, at which the traffic plan was discussed. Meetings were held with the School District staff this year regarding the closing of a small portion of Hathaway Lane and the planned entrance driveway.

FASNY added that the Board of Education’s letter to the City also demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the busing plan that is an integral part of the overall traffic mitigation plan for the school.