Nearly 1,000 sign petition for Scarsdale school board president to resign; rival petition has 200+ signatures
Scarsdale School Board President James Dugan has condemned what happened, but parents say his response isn't enough.
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Hundreds of people are calling for the resignation of the Scarsdale school board president following an antisemitic incident at the high school.
Flyers promoting a student-led Israeli culture club event were torn down and thrown away at Scarsdale High School. The principal said some of the flyers were found inside a urinal.
Parents were told the daughter of school board president James Dugan shared a photo of one of the flyers in a urinal on Instagram. On the picture, there was text that said, "Keep up the good work."
Monday coverage
Dugan condemned the incident in a statement Saturday.
"As a parent, I will focus on healing my family. But as a school board member, my focus will continue to be on our students, our schools, and our educational program," Dugan said in a statement.
News 12 talked with someone who says they are a family friend of the Dugans. He says Dugan's daughter has apologized, reportedly saying she was sorry and has learned a real lesson from the response.
Nearly 1,000 people have now signed an online petition calling for Dugan to resign. A petition supporting Dugan has more than 200 signatures.
"At a time when antisemitism is rising nationally and globally, incidents like these cannot be minimized as immature mistakes. History has shown that when hatred is tolerated or ignored, it escalates. If this behavior is not addressed firmly and immediately, we risk creating an environment where far more serious harm can occur. Preventing that outcome requires leadership now," says part of the petition online.
Another online petition has been created in support of Dugan.
"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," says the petition in part.
The Scarsdale schools superintendent says they’ve been working on developing a clear, written set of guidelines regarding student speech.
A draft of those guidelines will be introduced at a school board meeting on May 11.
You can read the full statements from the district and other school officials here.
