Why do Ridgewood Public Schools choose to keep schools open and in session for students while schools are used as polling places on Election Day and open to the general public? In today’s day and age, where incidents of mass violence have become commonplace, we allow the general public to enter our schools unchecked with little security beyond HSA volunteers. I ask the Ridgewood Board of Ed to either change the polling places to non-school locations, or make Election Day a school holiday as many other districts do.
This is such a dumb request. It is appropriate for we the tax payers to see the schools in action. We should at least get a glimpse of what we pay for. Accusing the people who fund your snowflake’s education of being suspicious just because they are not students is totally inappropriate.
I don’t know why people have to go to the schools to vote go to church go to Borough Hall Better yet go to police department
The simple answer is that closing schools on election day would be an admission by school administrators that Ridgewood schools aren’t 100% safe. Never going to happen. Political suicide.
So you want all the citizens of Ridgewood to go to Village Hall to vote. Sure that will work. How about separation of church and state. Or that only work when you want it to. We pay 2/3 of our property taxes for the school and that where we should vote
Anyone can walk into the schools (taxpayer or not) without accountability. Who would stop someone with bad intentions? Most times I walk into my polling place, no one watches me come in or leave. Schools should be closed that day-common sense.
This is not a taxpayer issue or a church and state issue. This is a safety issue. You’re not going to the school to “see the schools in action” or to see how you’re tax dollars are spent. You’re going there to exercise your civic duty. Doors are locked during the regular school day, it is not a facility that is open to the public. Election Day should not be an exception. By all means vote in the schools. But school should not be in session.
No one needs to go and vote in any of the schools. That should be done in the basement of village hall or bring in trailers. This has nothing to do with paying your taxes to schools some people have their head up their ass, this is about security.
It is up to the state on where the polling takes place. The schools have tried to move the polling out of the buildings.
Why do people have to be so nasty when responding to these posts ? You seem to be very angry and have so deep issues @3:10 and 5:54.
But in interest of safety they should close the Schools . It is considered a holiday after all .
Ah the Safety Card. When all else fails.
I think the town should set up a tent in the park for voting. You can then use the valet parking. A win win for the Chamber and the Village
I think this is another reason to have the garagezilla built. Make it big so we all can park and vote there on election day.
Community is a blessing not a risk! The people who come to a school to vote are your neighbors. They are the people who pay for the building and the education.
Statistically there is a near 0% risk from opening the school for Election Day. I have not heard of any issues of violence at any polling places outside of Catalonia and I do not anticipate voting on Jersey-exit anytime soon so I am not too concerned. In fact, violence by non-students at schools is statistically non-existent. The car ride to school is statistically much more dangerous than any other part of your child’s life. There is no actual risk in any statistically relevant sense.
We should actually look for MORE ways to get our citizens into our schools. Find ways to have seniors work with students, mentor, enjoy presentations and art created by students. Maybe then a neighbor can help a kid who trips on the way home or help prevent a fight when one is brewing off school grounds.
When the schools become a black hole in the neighborhood where only children and certified teachers can roam that is the beginning of the end of our Village as we know it. Our schools are the heart of this community and we must resist allowing hysteria to destroy our community and our schools.
The only people that should be in the schools all the kids and teachers no one else. But all the things that are going on in this country no why keep the doors locked you want to go vote have it somewhere else you know what people are soul into electronics vote on your phone iPad computer Done.You want to use the machine and go to the county someplace they have room
This town is going down it’s not what it wasLike years ago overrated
The snowflakes have taken over 12:07.
There are also about 4 elections a year. Do you want to close for all of them? what about special elections for ballot issues? How would those work? What if an angry garage voter came in to…vote?
PERMANENTLY CLOSE ALL SCHOOLS!!!
… If JUST ONE CHILD can be saved, it will be WORTH IT!!
“What if an angry garage voter came in to…vote?” Why did you post that would be angry 1:16?
I thought this blog was a forum for residents to discuss issues. I didn’t realize it was an angry troll comment board. Really don’t get all the anger and vitriol over this issue.
Ridgewood has many angry trolls and a few stalkers as well
You do whatever you have to do to make to school safe schools are for kids and teachers only end of the story. Have the bowling somewhere else village will basement, or maybe another location I can rent out there our meeting waltz in the area VFW building. We don’t need screwballs walking into schools and scoping the area out lock You down. I’m for 120% security for the schools I don’t give a shit if we have to hire a full-time policeman for each school. Security security security
7:01 are you ok?
If you close the schools, you have yet another 2/4 school holidays which must be accounted for in the schedule. Parents who both work will have to find additional childcare, etc, etc. Most of the schools hold voting in an area whose entrance into the school is limited. Elections are outrageously expensive on their own without talk of adding facility rental to the cost, and there is no way that voting can be confined to only one or two places. Did all these complainers actually vote?