Concerns are growing among parents and educators over the use of public schools as early voting in New York. The contention arises from safety issues and disruptions to school routines, including canceled physical education classes and a lack of hot meals for students.
The issue was allegedly problematic last year when 33 public schools across Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island served as early voting locations. Notably, Queens public schools were not used for this purpose. Glenn Gontha, a parent and member of the Citywide Council on High Schools, recounted an incident where a voter accidentally entered a classroom, causing alarm. Additionally, the use of school cafeterias as polling places has deprived students of hot meals for extended periods.
A petition initiated in Staten Island, now expanded to three other boroughs, has garnered nearly 1,600 signatures, advocating for the relocation of polling sites away from schools on voting days. This movement has gained traction, with the citywide council of high school parents passing a nonbinding resolution calling for an end to the practice.
Kevin Moran, the chief officer of school operations, expressed personal and professional concerns at a recent city schools chancellor’s parent advisory council meeting. Moran’s children experienced the impact of their school being a voting site, leading to significant disruptions in their chedule.
Gontha, along with others, is exploring alternatives like community centers and libraries, refuting claims of voter disenfranchisement since viable options exist within a mile of current school sites. Meanwhile, school safety remains a concern, as safety agents and NYPD officers assigned to schools during voting periods focus primarily on election processes.
A state bill proposed by Senator Andrew Lanza in 2019 aims to exempt schools from being used as early voting sites, but it has repeatedly stalled in committee.
