The recent cry from Rockland County yeshivas (private religious schools) has been you can knock, but you can’t come in.
In the on-going fight related to fire and building code inspections in Ramapo and other parts of Rockland County, RC Executive Ed Day has stepped up fire inspections.
Rockland County Executive Ed Day discusses in a phone interview with FIOS 1 News the letters received by county fire inspectors from area yeshivas, stating they were not being granted entry to inspect the schools. / (Image from FIOS 1 video report)
But Day has incurred major pushback by a Ramapo pop-up group representing area yeshivas called School Religious Freedom Coalition (SRFC). The group is fighting the county’s authority to code enforce, saying the inspections are rooted in religious bias.
Yeshivas say county inspection ways draconian https://t.co/9BKaatYsAX @Sloatsburgny @AirmontUnited @monsey_com @pepot196 @aman2258 @yitzyul
— Steve Lieberman (@LoHudLegal) June 1, 2016
According to Journal News reporters Steve Lieberman and Michael D’Onofrio – SRFC believes Day’s zeal for inspecting private schools violates the U.S. Constitution. The group is represented by Nyack law firm Feerick Lynch MacCartney & Nugent, which sent a letter to new NYS Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, complaining that the County Executive’s fire inspection tactics are aggressive and prejudicial.
On the other hand, many have complained for years that yeshivas in Ramapo and other parts of Rockland County have ignored local building, zoning and fire codes. The latest stand-off stems from the Adam Peltz incidents, which involved the Ramapo Fire Inspector being called out for ignoring fire code violations in various private schools in Ramapo.
#Ramapo hires new building, fire inspectors hours after #Rockland County moves in to inspect Ramapo private schools. https://t.co/Y5JRm8LnqA
— MikeD_Rockland (@MikeDonofrio_) May 27, 2016
Zebrowski: State has right to delegate inspections https://t.co/hPCKlM8UZq via @lohud
— Steve Lieberman (@LoHudLegal) June 4, 2016
According to Day, the State authorized the county to conduct school safety inspections after the Department of Education and the state Department of State’s Division of Building Standards and Codes issued critical reports on fire and safety enforcement in Ramapo and Spring Valley.
News FIOS 1 reported that Day said in an interview that the county would be conducting five inspections per day, inspections sanctioned by the state, “and while not legally required, the county will inform the school’s attorney what those locations will be.”
“We will contact the attorney and inform him what we are going to do,” said Day in the FIOS 1 news report, “it’s not open to debate, not open to negotiation, we’re not negotiating on a point of law. If they choose to continue this conduct, we will go to court and pursue every legal remedy.”
