Award Winning Program in Jeopardy
Port Chester parents, educators, and school board members, along with Port Chester Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edward Kliszus, are dumbfounded by a sudden, recent 3-2 School Board decision that would eliminate a signature Port Chester enrichment program that has been unanimously approved in the district for the past 10 years.
The global character education program, One World — founded in Port Chester and now operating in more than 200 schools in 10 countries — is a free and voluntary program popular with Port Chester students, educators, and parents alike. Just last month, the New York State School Boards Association awarded One World and Port Chester schools its ‘Champions of Change’ award for helping make Port Chester the first school district in America to achieve “carbon neutrality” through the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) Climate Neutral Now program.
“Port Chester students have benefitted for more than a decade from One World’s award-winning programming, and one hopes that the Board will consider supporting the program for the duration of this school year,” Dr. Kliszus said. “It is a critical time – our high school students are currently building their college resumes and One World risks losing its grant funding for future years should the district no longer participate. One World has brought this district international distinction and pride and has been fully supported by the educational community. This is a program that can benefit students in any district. Like clubs, a diverse selection of courses, athletics, and the arts, this program opens a door, an opportunity, for a young person to find and engage their passions in a unique manner.”
“The global character education that One World provides has given Port Chester students a clear leg up in life, and losing the program here would represent a terrific loss for local kids” said One World founder and Port Chester resident Joe Carvin. “Through One World, students have had the opportunity to interact with peers from around the globe, as well as with 21st Century thought leaders from Harvard University and elsewhere. There is only upside to One World’s continued existence within the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District, and I remain hopeful that the Board will again recognize that in its vote on Wednesday.”
A letter has been issued to School Board Members from One World Board Chairman, former Rye Mayor Douglas French, and former Westchester County Legislator and One World Board Member David Gelfarb, laying out the facts of One World’s case. The letter states, “It is abundantly clear that the reasons for the denial are a mere pretext to disguise that the decision was made in an effort to retaliate against Mr. Joseph Carvin, the founder and CEO of One World for having run for school board in 2020 against two of the boards dissenting votes, Mr. Thomas Corbia and Ms. Anne Capeci, and Mr. Carvin’s public repudiation of Mr. Corbia’s alleged controversial posts on Facebook in recent month.”
“It is unconstitutional to to treat the One World organization adversely and to retaliate against it as a result of Mr. Carvin’s constitutionally protected rights to run for office or to make public criticisms.”
The letter also points out that BOE Trustees Corbia and Capeci have both voted in favor of using the One World Program on several occassions over the years, prior to the dustup this year.
More on this story in the weeks to come.
