To the Scarsdale Board of Education, Superintendent Drew Patrick, and the Scarsdale School Community:

We, the undersigned members of the Scarsdale community and the Greater NY community, write to express our support for Board of Education President James C. Dugan and for a fair, principled, and lawful response to recent events at Scarsdale High School.

We condemn antisemitism, vandalism, harassment, and intimidation in all forms. Every student in Scarsdale should feel safe, respected, and able to participate fully in school life without fear of hatred or targeting. At the same time, we reject efforts to weaponize a painful incident into a campaign to remove an elected Board President based not on his conduct in office, but on guilt by association or pressure politics.

Scarsdale deserves better than personal attacks and demands for resignation untethered to established facts, district process, or the proper role of Board governance. Accountability must be grounded in evidence, policy, and due process. It must not be driven by rumor, outrage, or attempts to punish family relationships or private political viewpoints.

President Dugan serves on an unpaid elected Board whose role is to set policy, support district governance, and evaluate progress in public view. Scarsdale’s Board expressly provides opportunities for residents to speak at meetings and submit written communications. Those channels exist so disagreements can be aired openly, lawfully, and respectfully.  

We support a response to recent incidents that is serious, appropriate, and consistent with district rules. But we do not support calls for resignation absent clear evidence of misconduct by President Dugan in his official role. Public officials should be judged by their actions, leadership, and service to the district.

President Dugan’s record reflects sustained commitment to Scarsdale schools and community engagement. District materials describe him as a longtime Scarsdale volunteer and co-founder of the Coalition for Scarsdale Schools, and note that he has served the community in multiple civic roles.   During his service on the Board he helped the district through post-pandemic recovery and participated in the superintendent search process that resulted in the appointment of Dr. Drew Patrick.  

His recent work as Board President has included direct engagement with students on school issues such as grading transparency, the community lunch program, personal electronic device policy, AI, and other matters affecting student life.   He also initiated discussion on legislative priorities for the 2025–26 school year, helping establish a Board Advocacy Committee.   These are the actions of a functioning, engaged Board leader focused on students and district governance.

We further affirm that Scarsdale must remain a place where students and families may exercise their First Amendment rights responsibly and lawfully. The answer to speech we disagree with is not viewpoint-based retaliation or politically motivated removal campaigns. The district must distinguish clearly between protected expression, policy violations, and actionable misconduct, and respond to each accordingly and fairly.

We therefore call on the Scarsdale community and Board of Education to:

Reject demands for President Dugan’s resignation absent demonstrated misconduct in office.
Address any student misconduct through established district procedures, with fairness and due process.
Condemn antisemitism and all bias while also rejecting guilt by association and retaliatory pressure campaigns.
Protect civil discourse, viewpoint diversity, and lawful free expression for all members of the school community.
Keep the Board focused on its actual responsibilities: educational excellence, student wellbeing, fiscal stewardship, and transparent governance.
Scarsdale is strongest when it responds to conflict with integrity, restraint, and principle. We urge our community to step back from escalation and recommit to fairness, decency, and democratic process.

Sincerely,
[Names of Signatories]