We, the members of the Clarkstown Community, taxpayers, CCSD students, and parents of CCSD students, past and present, demand the immediate resignation of Board of Education Trustees: Christine Alia, Irene Tagaris, Zizette Deutsch, Brian Montes, and John Maltbie. These five Board Trustees have failed to keep ALL CCSD students safe, protected, educated, and failed to act in the best interest of ALL approx. 8,000 students, to whom they have sworn a duty.  Instead, as quoted by Ms. Tagaris, the five members are willing to adopt a controversial policy even if it only “saves one child", at the exclusion of all others. The named Board Trustees have ignored the concerns of students, parents, and community members alike, with the sole purpose of pushing a very specific ideology; and they have failed to respond with a plan to keep ALL students safe and welcomed at school. Students and parents alike have come forward to express their discomfort with the new policy which now defines bathrooms and locker rooms as gender neutral, engendering a policy of reverse discrimination.

On December 11th, 2023, a policy was voted upon with five Trustees in favor and two against, neutralizing the established gender of all bathrooms and locker rooms. Additionally, the policy included withholding information from the parents of students who wish to be identified with and use different pronouns and/or names. The information was taken from and is referenced in Clarkstown’s policy “0100 Equal opportunity and Nondiscrimination” from NYS recommended best practice guidance entitled: “Creating a Safe, Supportive, and Affirming School Environment for Transgender and Gender Expansive Students” (https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/student-support-services/creating-a-safe-supportive-and-affirming-school-environment-for-transgender-and-gender-expansive-students.pdf The disclaimer on page four absolves NYS of any actual responsibility for the implementation of this guide. On page four, the disclaimer reads “…the information contained herein is advisory only and does not necessarily represent an official legal opinion of the Commissioner of Education or the State Education Department”. Yet Clarkstown has chosen to take it as doctrine.

The NYS document was not a requirement from the state. Withholding information from parents about their own children is not a NYS regulation or law. These five named Board Trustees do not believe parental rights are critical, nor will they consider other student’s concerns when it comes to facility use, outside of Irene’s quoted “one student”. There has been no response to students who have come forward with their concerns, and no answers other than “this is the law” have been provided to the community. As reiterated, this is not the law. Instead, the five BOE Trustees seek to have the community ripped apart and neighbors at odds, rather than promote civility, reasonable suggestions, and open discourse. According to Zizette Deutsch, the meetings are “not a back and forth”. However, many emails and phone calls to these five BOE Trustees have gone unanswered. Despite their fiduciary duty owed to all taxpayers, no taxpayer matters. Your children do not matter. These members would rather paint the community as racist, homophobic, anti-LGBTQ+, and transphobic RATHER than have open and respectful dialogue about the concerns at hand for ALL STUDENTS.

Ms. Alia has stated on social media that her decision was based on funding. She has also been misinforming parents and students who have expressed concern about the neutralization of the locker rooms by stating “students do not change for gym class”, which is inaccurate. When parents asked about their child changing for mandatory swim class at Festa, she suggests “using the coach’s office if any student feels uncomfortable”. Alia has proven she is incapable of meaningful discourse regarding the very policies upon which she votes. Rather than address the issues at hand, she continuously defers to building principals and staff. Alia’s answer continues to be “call or email your school principal for options” without acknowledging that she is one of the BOE Trustees who has forced this policy upon the principals and school staff.  Irene Tagaris is quoted as only caring about the needs “of one student”, to the exclusion of all others. No comments are made regarding academic needs, the destruction of accelerated programs. Rather, she opts to name-call community members at BOE meetings. Irene fuels the separation within the community by making false accusations against the intentions of those who speak out about the rights of their children, themselves, and Clarkstown taxpayers. Rather than have legal representation present to discuss legalities of misinterpreted laws, John Maltbie chose to author and post on social media, a harangued essay of his interpretations of the law, without providing any information from the BOE legal counsel (which supposedly gave the “approval” to enact usage of the NYS Guidance referenced above).

Concerned parents, students, and taxpayers are not speaking out against any one group of students. To the contrary, we are speaking out for the rights of ALL students. Due to the actions, false narratives created, hostile environment, misinformation, self-serving actions of the five named Board Trustees and their corresponding breaches of fiduciary duty, we demand that they resign effective immediately. We want the focus to return to academic excellence, not educational mediocrity. We want equal treatment for ALL students, not just some, or one… and we seek the opportunity for community input that is regarded and not ignored.

As Board of Education Trustees, you have wholeheartedly failed to uphold your oath to office in which you “swear to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of NYS.” Your resignation is demanded by the signatories hereto, effective immediately.