Letters to the Editor, Nov. 28, 2025

An open letter to the BCSD Board of Education and superintendent

Editor’s Note: This is an open letter to the BCSD Board of Education and superintendent, published at the writer’s request.

Our district rarely has the opportunity to embrace a program that reaches every grade level in our schools while also extending its impact to the broader community. The Northwell Behavioral Health collaboration is one of those rare initiatives. Its scope touches every child in our district in secondary school ages 4 to 22, including families  and anyone who recognizes the devastating impact of today’s youth mental health crisis.

Unfortunately, information about this collaboration was not well communicated to the community. I urge Dr. Glass and the board to reflect on how this process was handled to ensure that future initiatives of this significance are communicated clearly and thoroughly. To date, there has not been a public presentation. Where was the discussion with parents, educators, and public health experts? The community deserved to understand what was being proposed and now, how it will benefit our children.

Why did lingering questions among the Board Trustees remain unanswered? This collaboration has been under discussion for more than a year, yet it appears that only after the initial vote failed and a surprised and disappointed community voiced strong support, did efforts intensify to find solutions. That sequence of events raises serious concerns. Why did it take community outcry for the process to move forward?

In October, Northwell provided information clarifying the distinction between its private practice and the school district program available only through contract participation. Even though part of this information was read out loud at a meeting, it was clear that some board members remained confused, yet they did not request a postponement. Again, deeply concerning. 

I am very glad the collaboration has now moved forward. But the way the process unfolded remains troubling. I hope this experience serves as a lesson in transparency, diligence, and genuine community partnership.

Jill Becker Bedford

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Writer asks how all are not outraged by Trump’s role in current events

To the Editor:

In the first six months of 2025, the Trump organization earned $672 million from meme coin sales and $802 million from crypto investments (Newsweek, 10/29/25). Trump fired crypto regulators and dropped investigations while collecting millions. During the government shutdown, Trump went to the Supreme Court to stop SNAP payments for 42 million poor families who were unable to feed their children. Simultaneously, he threw a lavish “Great Gatsby” party, with a guest list of millionaires and billionaires. 

Recently, Trump called for the arrest and execution of elected officials, who are veterans and public servants. Their “crime,” restating that military and intelligence officials are required by law to refuse orders that violate the law or Constitution. It is disturbing that the president and his administration repeatedly misrepresent what the congress members said. We seem to have gotten to a place where it is not outrageous when the president of the United States and his administration blatantly lie to the American people. 

The elected officials’ video was made probably in response to the bombings of boats off the coast of Venezuela, resulting in the deaths of 82 people … people not targets. The Trump administration claims all are drug traffickers but to this day, have not provided any evidence supporting their claim (NBC News 11/19/25). This same week, the president said “Quiet Piggy,” to Catherine Lucy, a Bloomberg reporter, after she appropriately questioned him regarding the Epstein files (CNN & Fox News). Immigrants with no criminal record continue to be the largest group in U.S. immigration detention, not “hardened criminals” (The Guardian 11/21/25). That’s what happens when masked ICE agents raid workplaces and apartment buildings and are permitted to arrest folks based on the color of their skin (Supreme Court ruling September 2025). 

Are we still in America?! How are we all not outraged?!

Jennifer Brennan Francis South Salem

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Longtime Katonah resident grateful for improvements in Bedford

To the Editor:

Since the inception of the Communities Organization Committee under Lee Roberts as supervisor, I have been pushing to get the end of Cherry Street near the reservoir cleaned up, planted, and changed from an eyesore to a thing of beauty. Ellen got it done! 

I am certain it was not easy, as she had to deal with extensive DOT rulings. Some land in that particular area belongs to three different towns, which must have made the project even more difficult to accomplish. The area now looks just lovely, with grass, plantings, and a new sign in place. Hopefully the other side of the street down there can have its turn at an uplift very soon too. I would like to praise also the decorative plantings around town done by John Goodman of the highway department and his crew. 

The islands in the center of Katonah are looking so much better. They should be the showplace of this hamlet, I have said for years to anyone who would listen. The area garden clubs have worked their magic in a number of spots in town too. Do notice the extensive work done in front of Memorial House, next door to the fire station. As a former president of the Kartonah Village Improvement Society I encourage you to make your yearly contribution to this group which is very concerned with our area’s beautification.

Marilyn A. Pellini Katonah

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Anti-trafficking expert says Epstein files ‘are records of systemic failure’

To the Editor:

While the public focuses on the salacious details of the Epstein files and the high-profile names, the human beings at the heart of this tragedy — the survivors whose lives were stolen, commodified and silenced — are too often lost. These documents are not merely evidence of crimes; they are records of systemic failure. They show how wealth, power and social influence can shield perpetrators while leaving survivors to rebuild their lives in the shadows.

As a longtime anti-trafficking advocate and the executive director of the only transitional housing program dedicated for trafficking survivors in the New York metropolitan area, I’m not shocked. Both sex and labor trafficking are alive and well in virtually every community across the United States, including right here in northern Westchester. My hometown of Pound Ridge has seen several cases of human trafficking in the time that I have lived here. In 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recorded 27,800 reports of child trafficking; the victims’ average age was just 15 years old. 

Human trafficking is a daily occurrence in our community and we lack the resources and services they need and deserve to recover from the heinous crimes perpetrated against them. As these files reignite public outrage, I urge readers to turn that outrage into action. Learn about trafficking in your own communities. Support the organizations, like LifeWay Network, providing housing, counseling and long-term services to survivors. Demand accountability not only from the individuals involved, but from the systems that allowed such abuse to flourish. 

Alison Boak Executive director, LifeWay Network  Cofounder, Westchester County Anti-Trafficking Task Force