Cooperstown Central plots anti-racism strategy, addresses complaints

Cooperstown Central School Superintendent Sarah Spross says she and the district’s Board of Education are moving quickly to address student-raised complaints about bullying and racism on school grounds as they investigate complaints parents have raised about school leadership.

“Any complaint that has been brought to my attention has been investigated,” Ms. Spross said. “Personnel matters at any level demand complete confidentiality. We know people want immediate action or an immediate response whenever a complaint is raised, but that’s just not the way it works.”

Board of Education President Timothy Hayes said the Board and school administrators follow a specific process in matters involving personnel.

“The Board of Education is bound by a volume of rules and laws on how to deal with situations like complaints, and it is a process,” Mr. Hayes said. “I’m not always certain that people understand that. Some issues won’t be solved in an instant and we owe it to everyone to follow the process that is laid out for us by state law.”

Explaining that the Board discusses personnel matters in Executive Session closed to the public, Mr. Hayes said, “An Executive Session duly called is the end of the feedback loop. We’re prohibited by law from discussing what we’ve said and decided in Executive Session. I cannot go back to a person who raised an issue and say, ‘Here’s what we discussed and here’s the outcome.’ It’s just not possible.”

“This is not a Board of Education that sweeps things under the rug,” he said. “There is not a person on this Board that backs down if people believe that the delivery of education is being denied.”

“People have to trust the process and understand that we are asking all of the questions that need to be asked,” Mr. Hayes said.