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Suffern Central School District

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Suffern Central School District
Cherry Lane Elementary, in Airmont, NY, was awarded the National Blue Ribbon of Excellence award in 2013.
45 Mountain Avenue
Hillburn, NY 10931
District information
GradesPreK to 12
SuperintendentDr. P. Erik Gundersen
Schools7 (soon to be 6)
Students and staff
Enrollment4,518 (as of 2014–15)[1]
Faculty371.3 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio12.2:1[1]
Other information
Websitewww.sufferncentral.org

Suffern Central School District, formerly the Ramapo Central School District, is a school district headquartered in Hillburn, a village in the Town of Ramapo in Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Suffern; east of Orange County, New York; south of Viola and west of Montebello.

As of the 2014–15 school year, the district and its seven schools had an enrollment of 4,518 students and 371.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.2:1.[1]

The Suffern Central School District serves the villages of Airmont, Hillburn, Montebello, Sloatsburg, Suffern (including Viola), and a portion of Monsey.[2] Its middle school and high school are named for Suffern.

The six villages together have a combined population of 46,926, according to the 2000 census, and takes up 20.9 square miles (54 km2) which makes the population density for the area the district serves about 2,245.26 people per square mile.

Several of the schools within the district have the privilege of being designated High Performing Reward Schools by the New York State Education Department in August 2014. These schools include Cherry Lane Elementary, Montebello Elementary, Sloatsburg Elementary, and Suffern High School. Suffern High School was once again named a High Performing Reward School for the 2016–2017 academic year. In addition to being named a Reward School, Cherry Lane Elementary also received the title of being a National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education in 2013.[3]

History

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Main article: Brooks School (Hillburn, New York)

Until the 1940s, some of the schools in the district were racially segregated, until the desegregation of the previously all-black Brooks School in 1943.[4] Thurgood Marshall who served as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, litigated this case as head of the NAACP legal team. Marshall later litigated and won Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (Kansas).[5]

In late 2016, the Ramapo Central School District began to explore the possibility of officially changing its name in order to avoid continuing confusion with the nearby East Ramapo Central School District. It was announced in June 2017 that the New York State Legislature approved of the name change and the bill was signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo', changing the name to "Suffern Central School District."[6]

In October 2023, the district announced that it was considering closing Viola Elementary School in Montebello, due to declining public-school enrollment driven by demographic shifts, as more families opt for Orthodox Jewish yeshivas in the area.[7] At the same time, the four remaining elementary schools would be realigned; while currently they are all K–5, the plan under consideration would make two K–2 only and the other two 3–5 only.[7]

Schools

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Elementary schools All of the districts elementary schools are K-5

  • Richard P. Connor Elementary School (Suffern) (RPC), formerly Cypress Road Elementary School
  • Montebello Elementary School (Montebello), formerly Montebello Road Elementary School
  • Viola Elementary School (Montebello)
  • Cherry Lane Elementary School (Airmont)
  • Sloatsburg Elementary School (Sloatsburg)

Middle school

  • 6-8: Suffern Middle School

High school

References

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  1. ^ a b c d District information for Ramapo Central School District (Suffern), National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 7, 2016.
  2. ^ SCSD At A Glance, Suffern Central School District. Accessed September 3, 2017. "The District serves students residing in the Rockland County communities of Airmont, Hillburn, Montebello, Sloatsburg, Suffern, Tallman, and part of Monsey."
  3. ^ National Blue Ribbon Schools Program Schools Recognized 1982 Through 2016, United States Department of Education. Accessed September 3, 2017.
  4. ^ Thomas J. Sugrue "Gof have Pity on Such a City", in his Sweet Land of Liberty: The Forgotten Struggle for Civil Rights in the North Random House, 2009 ISBN 978-0-8129-7038-8 chapter in G Books
  5. ^ "Thurgood Marshall's Hillburn desegregation battle recalled". USA Today.
  6. ^ Kuhn, Joe. 'Ramapo Rebrand: Say Hello to the Suffern Central School District", Rockland County Times, August 31, 2017. Accessed September 3, 2017. "Just in time for the new school year, the Ramapo Central School District on Wednesday officially changed its name to the Suffern Central School District.... According to Deputy Superintendent Walker, the main goal of the rebranding is 'to establish [their] identity as a premiere school district' and to “ensure that people inside and outside the area see the district as the best place to receive an education.” The renaming was also an effort to end the long-standing confusion between the former Ramapo Central School District and the East Ramapo Central School District."
  7. ^ a b Cutler, Nancy (2023-10-04). "Suffern school district eyes shutting Viola Elementary as more opt for yeshivas". The Journal News. Archived from the original on 5 Oct 2023.
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