The Pine Bush Central School District was established in 1938 in Pine Bush, New York, United States, and spans all of the Crawford, New York, Town of Crawford and includes part of six other townships in Orange County, New York, Orange, Sullivan County, New York, Sullivan, and Ulster County, New York, Ulster counties. For the 2021-2022 school year, the district approved a budget of $125.8 million and currently enrolls just under 5,000 students. The school district has been named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed in March 2012 by three families alleging inaction following accusations of antisemitism and the resultant creation of a hostile learning environment.

Schools

The district has 7 schools. * Pine Bush, New York, Pine Bush ** E. J. Russell Elementary School ** Pine Bush Elementary School ** Crispell Middle School ** Pine Bush High School * Circleville, New York, Circleville: ** Circleville Elementary School ** Circleville Middle School ** Pakanasink Elementary School

Towns

*Orange County, New York **Crawford, New York, Town of Crawford **Montgomery (town), New York, Town of Montgomery **Mount Hope, New York, Town of Mount Hope **Wallkill, Orange County, New York, Town of Wallkill *Sullivan County, New York, Sullivan County **Mamakating, New York, Town of Mamakating *Ulster County, New York, Ulster County **Gardiner, New York, Town of Gardiner **Shawangunk, New York, Town of Shawangunk

Alleged antisemitism

On November 8, 2013, ''The New York Times'' ran a front-page story that detailed allegations of antisemitic bullying in the Pine Bush Central School District and a related lawsuit by the parents of three district students. There were students known to have a good relationship with the teachers and performed anti-semitic rituals almost every day after school. In an earlier ''Times'' article, Philip G. Steinberg, the district's superintendent from 2008 to 2013, who, as well as two other administrators named as defendants, is Jewish, described the lawsuit as a "money grab." In the days following the ''Times coverage hundreds of people protested against "its portrayal of Pine Bush as a bigoted, biased community." The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued a statement in support of the plaintiffs in January 2014. Following a five-month long state police investigation, the Orange County, New York, Orange County District Attorney's Office announced in September, 2014, that no criminal charges would be filed against any children and "the investigation revealed no evidence that any school official had engaged in any criminal conduct." On November 4, 2014, Federal District Court Judge Kenneth M. Karas, presiding in White Plains, NY, denied a defense motion to dismiss the case brought on behalf of three of the five children included in the complaint.{{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/05/nyregion/judge-denies-motion-to-dismiss-lawsuit-over-anti-semitic-bullying-in-a-new-york-school-district.html , first=Benjamin , last=Weiser , title=Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Anti-Semitic Bullying in a New York School District , work=The New York Times , date=November 4, 2014 , accessdate=May 24, 2015

External links

Pine Bush Central School District

References

Shawangunk, New York Education in Ulster County, New York Education in Orange County, New York School districts in New York (state) 1938 establishments in New York (state) Education in Sullivan County, New York