Joint Statement from Village of Pleasantville and Pleasantville School District Condemning Racism Against Asian American Pacific Islander Community

The Village of Pleasantville and the Pleasantville Union Free School District unequivocally condemn racism and xenophobia towards the AAPI community that has escalated throughout the country, including our neighboring cities and towns. We stand with this community in solidarity and express our sympathy to those who have been victims of violent acts.

Here in Pleasantville, we do not and will not stand for hate. We remain committed to educating ourselves about discrimination of all kinds and taking concrete steps to make those in our schools and community feel safe and accepted.

We urge residents to speak out against injustice and give you our commitment that your voice will be heard. The Pleasantville Police Department is available 24/7 to anyone who feels that they or others have been threatened, wants to express a concern, or has a question. In our schools, we are working hard with our partners to educate students about overt and implicit bias. We have established safe places for students to ask questions and engage in difficult conversations, and made clear that they can approach any faculty or staff member to confidentially share a concern. One of these partnerships is with the ADL (Anti-Defamation League), and we are implementing their No Place for Hate program which has provided teacher and student training and age-appropriate resources across all three of our schools. To our AAPI neighbors, friends and students, we see you and we support you. We mourn the tragic loss of life in Atlanta with you. If you are in need of support, please reach out to your child’s school. You can also contact the Westchester County Human Rights Commission to report bias or prejudice, 914-995-7710 or HumanRights@westchestergov.com. To report anonymously, visit www.westchestergov.com/biasreporting. Your County, Village, and School Leaders are here to help.