New Principal Appointed at Chatsworth

Skateboarding Issues Surface on Chatsworth Playground

by Joan R. Simon

(March 15, 2006) On Tuesday, March 14th the Mamoroneck School Board approved the appointment of Steven Castar as the new principal for Chatsworth Avenue School next year. Mr. Castar, who is currently principal at the Reinhard Early Childhood Center in the Bellmore School District on Long Island, will replace Jane Hand who is retiring on June 30th. Previously Mr. Castar was the principal at the Friends Academy in Locust Valley for 12 years.

Chatsworth Playground Under Review

During the board meeting, Superintendent Paul Fried alerted the community to problems at the Chatsworth playground with the competing and often dangerous interaction between skateboarders and younger children who use the facility after school. Last week, Dr. Fried met with several parents to discuss the problem, which has been an issue at the school for some months. Initially, the district was considering closing the playground after school and on the weekends.

As an alternative, Dr. Fried has asked Dr. Christine Grucci, the assistant superintendent for operations, to research types of obstacles that could be installed to discourage skateboarding. This suggestion came from Chatsworth parent Gracen Fraser (see Letters: Chatsworth Playground At Risk of Closure) who has been looking for an alternative skateboarding venue for the past two years. There have been discussions about the possibility of establishing a skate park at Central School.

The school district is also planning to close the playground after dark by installing higher fences in areas where access is now available even when the gates are locked.

“We continue to look for solutions to this situation,” Dr. Fried said, explaining that he would be sending out a letter to Chatsworth parents about “the process we are using to address this problem.” He cited the need to “protect children and school property and to do what’s best for the community.”

BOCES Presents: To Join or Not

Officials from Southern Westchester BOCES gave a brief presentation at the school board meeting on the services they offer and the associated costs. The school board is considering whether the Mamaroneck School District, which uses a considerable number of special education and administrative services from BOCES, should become a component member (see: BOCES: To Join or Not to Join).

A key issue is that membership is permanent. By law, once a school district joins BOCES, there is no way of opting out. In response to a question as to why such a law was enacted, a BOCES official responded that a fluctuating membership would make it very difficult to plan ahead in terms of facilities and faculty needed to provide school districts with BOCES services.

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