In a recent front-page article in The Riverdale Review, Asemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz was quoted saying that the PS 24 Parent Association “has become highly politicized.” According to our assemblyman, PS 24 parent Jennifer Firestone does not have the right to volunteer in support of her children’s education and be politically active as well. Perhaps the Assemblyman’s comments say more about how he feels about whom Ms. Firestone chooses to support than anything else. Perhaps the Riverdale Review’s coverage of PS 24 has become politicized. In any case, it is disappointing that such a popular and effective public servant as Mr. Dinowitz would join the community pile-on that threatens PS 24.
My family and I recently celebrated our seven-year anniversary as Riverdale residents and, in all respects, living here has been a wonderful experience. We have enjoyed the tranquility, the abundance of open green spaces and most of all, the community of families raising children here. The education my son has received at PS 24 has been extraordinary and every teacher who has taught him has been excellent.
The one thing I have never understood, though, is the compulsive way this community attacks PS 24, the Bronx’s premier elementary school, and one of the best things Riverdale has going for it. PS 24 was a big factor in our decision to move here, so I’ve found this phenomenon impossible to comprehend.
As a newcomer to Riverdale, the general negative public attitude toward PS 24 stands out to me as an incongruous black eye on an otherwise sophisticated and prosperous community. A community as alive and intelligent as Riverdale should support its best public school, and politicians and editors should not be slapping around its dedicated parent volunteers.
