Op-Ed: Crisis Averted, Now How Can We Make Sure It Won’t Happen Again?

Concerned and Devoted Parents and Esteemed Board Members,

Tonight, we have seen what a united stance can accomplish. We have seen how a united voice “b’achdus” can make a difference. It is the result of caring, passionate parents who have a strong feeling for their children’s chinuch.

Over the last few days, we witnessed children being left standing in the rain and not being allowed to enter school because they didn’t have a waiver allowing their school to test them without their parents present! Others were put in an empty locked classroom where they were guarded by a security guard for the duration of the day. Both the children and their parents felt humiliated and distraught, isolated and terrified.

BH the schools have backed down and have allowed the children to attend yeshiva without the waiver. Many of us still have valid questions and concerns about random testing and what it will ultimately accomplish. A decision like this must be made together with trusted doctors and rabbonim, yet these measures did not appear to be backed by any.

However, correcting all of this isn’t enough. This incident has reminded us that our precious children’s education must be guided and directed with the correct hashkafos.

We must consider the core of the problem: As important as a vaad hagashmi is to a school, they cannot manage a Yiddishe school alone. This was how the Rebbe wanted it and that was how all Lubavitch mosdos were established. Had there been a proper vaad haruchni involved in this situation we believe it would have been handled differently.

None of these decisions that we are all concerned about – random testing, contact tracing, health and safety measures taken by our schools – should be made without a well-rounded group of people driving them.

As parents, we want to see the situation corrected with the appointment of a proper vaad ruchni. Members must be respected community figures whose sole occupation and consideration is Torah and who can work alongside the vaad hagashmi in deciding the best thing for our children.

We need to know this will not happen again! Only through a healthy partnership between a vaad haruchni and gashmi, all decisions will go through the appropriate process. We cannot allow important decisions to be made in schools without a vaad haruchni.
Now is the time to correct this fundamental issue! We must demand it for our children. We must demand it so that their chinuch is secure.

With respect,

Concerned Parents