District Update

Dear East Ramapo Central School District Community,

I am thrilled to welcome you to the 2026-27 academic year!

The start of a new school year always brings a sense of optimism and a fresh beginning. For me, this year is especially meaningful as I begin my first school year as the proud superintendent of the East Ramapo Central School District.

Over the first two days of school, I had the pleasure of visiting many of our buildings and meeting with students, teachers and staff to gain a deeper understanding of our procedures, routines and relationships. Seeing our schools in action and listening to the people who make them special is essential to understanding how we can create meaningful learning experiences and opportunities for every student.

While there is important work ahead, I am inspired by the dedicated educators and staff I met who care deeply about our students and take great pride in our schools. I look forward to partnering with them to develop and embrace shared expectations across our schools, creating greater consistency and stronger conditions for every student to thrive.

The year ahead is an opportunity to build on what is working and strengthen what we can accomplish together. Through partnership, trust and a shared commitment to putting students first, I am confident we can continue building a district where every student has access to meaningful learning experiences and opportunities.

With trust, collaboration and a shared commitment to keeping students at the center of every decision, I look forward to all that we will accomplish together this year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Leslie-Torres Rodriguez

Superintendent of Schools

ERCSD buildings came alive on Thursday, September 3, as students and staff returned for the 2026-27 school year. From the elementary and middle schools to the high schools, the first day was filled with smiles, hugs, excitement and warm welcomes as our school communities reunited and kicked off a new year together.

Providing safe and reliable transportation remains an important part of supporting our students.

As we welcome everyone back for the beginning of the school year, we will once again be utilizing our Transportation Hotline to better assist families with any transportation questions, concerns, or issues. Our goal is to provide families with timely support and help resolve transportation matters as quickly as possible.

Transportation Hotline: 845-577-6498

Please note that a Contingency Plan has been posted on the Transportation Department page of the district website. The plan provides guidelines for parents and caregivers to follow should any unusual or unexpected issues arise.

The safety of our students and staff is always a top priority at ERCSD. Security personnel are stationed in every school, with school resource officers assigned to both high schools, and school officials are trained to respond quickly and appropriately in the event of an emergency.

Families and staff are encouraged to review New York state’s S.H.E.L.L. emergency response terms; more information is available on our Safety & Security page on the district website.

Creating a safe school environment also means providing clean, well-maintained facilities where students and staff can learn and work comfortably. The district is committed to maintaining our schools and grounds to support a welcoming, healthy and secure environment for everyone.

The East Ramapo Central School District has established protocols for deciding whether to close or delay school or cancel programs due to inclement weather or other emergencies. For information about notifications regarding emergency closings, visit the Emergency Closings page of the district website.

A reminder that all district, school, classroom and teacher communications is sent through ParentSquare.

If you have not yet activated your ParentSquare account, we encourage you to do so today to ensure you continue receiving important updates, announcements, emergency notifications and messages from your child's school.

If you do not have a smartphone, you can still access ParentSquare from any web browser by visiting www.parentsquare.com.

If you need to update your contact information or have questions about activating your account, please contact your child's school.

For more information about ParentSquare, visit www.ercsd.org/parentsquare.

ERCSD families can find everything they need to prepare for the new school year including bell times, bus passes, school supply lists, important dates and more in the Back to School Guide. The guide will be mailed to all district families and is also available on the website.

2026-27 INSTRUCTIONAL CALENDAR

SCHOOLS CLOSED

September 21: Yom Kippur

October 12: Indigenous People's Day (Columbus Day)

FAMILY WELCOME CENTER EVENTS

October 3: FRC Color Run at Kakiat S.T.E.A.M. Academy

COMMUNITY EVENTS

September 15: Public Hearing on the ERCSD Long Term Strategic Academic Fiscal Improvement Plan (LTSAFIP)

September 23: LTSAFIP 2026-27 Community Briefing

BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGS

The next meeting of the East Ramapo Central School District Board of Education will take place on September 15 at Spring Valley High School at 7:30 p.m. View the schedule for all upcoming meetings on the district website.