Warden: ‘Zero tolerance is wrong’

By DAVID HULSE

ELDRED — Eldred Central School (ECS) officials Thursday took exception to a reported Sullivan West decision to suspend a student based on violent suggestions he made to another student.

Concerned about ECS policies in like circumstances, Board of Education member Robert Warden said the district overreacted, as the student’s comments could have been in regard to any number of everyday sources kids are subjected to. “It could have been something he got from a video game or the news. This is ridiculous. We need to use intelligence in evaluating these things,” he said.

The Sullivan West district reaction was based on the state’s new “SAVE” safe schools policies.

“That’s exactly what we do,” Eldred district superintendent Candace Mazur said. Mazur said ECS has used SAVE to “review and make additions” to existing policies. “Zero tolerance at ECS means if you mess around you’re going to have a problem,” she added.

Warden said he would support a common-sense approach to similar problems at ECS. “We don’t want to wind up with [what happened in Narrowsburg]. I don’t want any part of zero tolerance the way it’s used these days,” he added.

Expressing her agreement with his “common sense” position, Mazur noted that board members would have ample opportunity to comment on any like rulings, as they will come before a board of education hearing.

In another matter, Mazur said she was uncertain yet how a recent state Supreme Court decision throwing out the state’s school aid distribution formula would impact ECS. The court ruled that the formula favored upstate districts over New York City districts. “[The ruling] is not going to help us. I’m sure of that,” she said.