NEW ROCHELLE, NY — New Rochelle community members will be able to address the Task Force on Reducing Violence in the Lives of Children and Youth in a public meeting from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, April 14. It will be held in the New Rochelle City Council Chambers on the first floor of City Hall, 515 North Ave.
Community members can sign up in advance to speak at the meeting by emailing nrtaskforcechair@gmail.com. Attendees will also be able to sign up at the meeting. Those signing up to speak are asked to indicate whether they are students in the schools.
Speakers will be placed on a list in the order in which their request is received. However, students will be given priority in speaking during the first hour of the public session. Speakers are asked to bring their solution-oriented ideas and recommendations and present them concisely to allow others to have time to present their views.
“Input from the public is crucial to our mission,” said Dr. Jonathan Brice, chair of the Task Force. “Suggestions, thoughts and ideas from the public will expand our perspective of the New Rochelle community and will inform the recommendations on how we can build community-wide supports for youth and students.”
The Task Force continues to accept comments and recommendations at the email address at ideas.nrtaskforce@gmail.com.
In early March, the New Rochelle Board of Education established the 46-member Task Force to recommend measures to ensure the schools and community are safe, nurturing places for the children, teenagers and young adults in the city. Since then, the members have met several times and have visited schools. Members have been assigned to four working groups on the Task Force: district policies and practices, New Rochelle High School policies and practices, City of New Rochelle policies and practices, and community-based resources.
Recommendations from the Task Force are expected late in April.