Long Island, NY – Lawrence Vote Becomes Bitter Struggle For Orthodox Jews

Long Island, NY – As we reported earlier last week, Tuesday’s school election will determine whether that majority continues. The Lawrence district has a distinctly sectarian flavor: It enrolls 3,380 students, but another 3,900 local students attend private religious schools — primarily yeshivas. In recent years, tensions have flared as the private school families seek more services from the district for their children.

They have been electing candidates to the school board to advance their views, and their majority-winning victories last fall unnerved local parents who sent their children to the public schools. Board members and candidates tend to be seen as members of one of two camps: “public school” parents or “private school parents” (who are almost invariably Orthodox). [newsday] read more on this story