Have Your Say On Lakeland School Reopening Issues

With a decision pending from state officials about the reopening of schools, 14 districts in Putnam and northern Westchester — including Lakeland — are inviting residents to participate in an online forum about the issues.

"We are using the Thoughtexchange tool to capture a broad range of perspectives and to gain a better understanding of what is important to those in our school communities and throughout our region about reentry," Ossining Superintendent Ray Sanchez wrote his community.

The way it works: you click the "participate" button to share your thoughts and then rate at least 20-30 of the thoughts shared by others. The tool then shows you groups of topics and how they're rated, and gives you more ways to rate them.

Already, people have voiced concerns about such issues as: the health of staff as well as students, substitute teaching, outdoor classrooms, masks and simulcasting classes for kids who are at home.

You can go back in as often as you like to rate new ideas. The tool will be live until midnight July 13.

The districts are:

• Bedford CSD
• Brewster CSD
• Carmel CSD
• Chappaqua CSD
• Croton-Harmon UFSD
• Garrison UFSD
• Mahopac CSD
• Katonah-Lewisboro CSD
• Lakeland CSD
• North Salem CSD
• Ossining UFSD
• Somers CSD