Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik today sent a letter to appeal Mayfield Central School District’s refusal to respond to her Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request.
“This failure to respond should outrage every family in the Mayfield Central School District. The deadline for Mayfield Central School District to provide answers for their wrongful removal of a hardworking Pre-K teacher from the classroom was Friday.
“These administrators are not above the law, but they refuse to comply with my office’s request for records. What are they hiding?
“Our community is rightfully incensed, and the administrators’ silence speaks volumes for their guilt over the wrongful removal of this hardworking teacher. The teacher has since been quietly returned to the classroom. We will not let the wrongful decision to place this teacher on administrative leave be brushed under the rug. The people deserve and are owed answers.
“I will always fight for accountability on behalf of North Country families - parents and students. And I will continue to use every oversight tool at my disposal as a senior member of the House Committee on Education and Labor. If the school district continues to evade the community’s calls for accountability, I will not hesitate to use the power of subpoenas to push for transparency and answers. Parents are the most important stakeholder in their children’s education, and they deserve answers now.”
Two weeks ago, residents of Fulton County brought to Stefanik’s attention the wrongful removal of a Pre-K teacher from her classroom in the Mayfield Central School District. As the most senior New York member on the House Committee on Education and Labor, she is using every avenue at her office’s disposal to push for accountability.
This follows Stefanik slamming Governor Hochul and the New York State Education Department’s forced illegal masking of children in schools. In response to the Governor’s refusal to lift these authoritarian mandates, Stefanik has heard from hundreds of parents around the district who have reached out sharing their concerns.
On Thursday, February 3rd, Stefanik sent the initial FOIL request seeking all written and electronic communications pertaining to this action. New York State Law requires public agencies to respond to a FOIL request within five business days. Following this appeal, the school district has an additional ten business days to respond.
