Q&A

with Larry Jackson

  • I am a first-generation college student turned Columbia educator and academic leader who lives in Nyack with my wife and two kids. Now I’m bringing my experience in the classroom and in academic leadership home to Nyack.

  • I want to make sure every child here gets the same chance I did. I will champion multilingual after-school enrichment programs, promote safe and sensible technology use in our schools, and advocate for a Safe Zone policy that will make sure every one of our students can learn without fear, no matter where they’re from. I know why these priorities matter, and I know how to advance them.

  • Education has been my life’s work. I’ve been in education for 20 years, both in the classroom and in academic leadership. I teach at Columbia University and serve as Dean of the university’s largest academic program, the Core Curriculum. In that role, I set policy, manage a multimillion-dollar budget, and hire and support hundreds of faculty. I’ve taught in a program for high school students facing serious hardship, in community colleges, in four-year institutions, and I’ve advised high school teachers and administrators on teaching and learning.

  • For nearly two decades, I have been a steward of academic institutions as large and complex as the Nyack School District. My values are based on my experiences in the classroom and in the community. I believe that leadership requires service, an unwavering commitment to the common good, and extensive collaboration. It also requires perseverance in the face of crisis. In my role as a Dean at Columbia University, I have led our community through a pandemic, two strikes, and political strife on campus by bringing people together to participate in decision making. That’s the experience and the set of commitments that I will bring to this role. If elected, I will work to earn and maintain your trust by making sure the community contributes to the board’s deliberations.

  • The school board has a legal mandate to be transparent. But democracy isn’t just about transparency. It’s about being part of the decision-making process. That’s why I’ll push for citizens advisory committees on Board issues. I’ll hold public forums where parents can have real input on school board business. I’ll make sure that Board communications exceed the state’s legal requirements for transparency. 

  • I will champion multilingual after-school enrichment programs that develop cognitive skills, promote academic achievement, and close performance gaps. I will promote smart and sensible technology use in schools so children aren’t exposed to harmful online content and addictive devices. And I will push for a Safe Zone policy that will protect the right of every student in our schools to learn without fear, no matter where they are from. 

  • Yes. School boards don’t just approve budgets. They make and revise the policies that make it possible for our children to learn in school. And they create programs that enhance the student experience. All of my proposals fall within those areas. I’ll push to create new policies, such as a Safe Zone for our schools. I’ll advocate for revisions of existing policies like our out-dated technology policies, which were last updated in 2011, to bring them into this decade. I’ll find the funding to get multilingual after-school enrichment programs off the ground in our district, so we can close gaps and open minds. 

  • Most of my commitments and priorities require no additional spending. To pay for enrichment programs, such as multilingual after school programs, I’ll work hard to reallocate funds wisely and obtain federal and state grants that can support this programs — something I’ve done throughout my career. We’ll cut expensive contracts for technologies that don’t enhance learning or can’t be used safely and put those funds into educational priorities, as many school districts are doing nationwide. A 2019 analysis showed that 67% of educational software licenses go unused nationally. A 2025 survey found that 24% of school districts nationally expect to reduce software license spending, and 39% expect to reduce device funding. 

Technology

  • Students need to learn how to use technology. But we must have effective safeguards to prevent children from being exposed to harmful online content, manipulative algorithms, and addictive technologies. I want an audit of technology use in our schools to make sure any tech we are using is safe and is actually helping students learn. I want the school board to update its tech policies — which hasn’t happened in 15 years. Let’s invest wisely in what’s proven to help students learn. 

  • Not at all. I think that children should learn about technology in school, and I think that technology can assist learning in some areas. But it must be done safely and effectively. In a 2023 national survey by Common Sense Media, one-fourth of teenagers admitted to looking at online pornography while in school — half on school-issued devices. I will push for an audit of tech devices used in our schools so we can see what helps students learn and what doesn’t. I want the Board to update its policies on technology, which are 15 years old. And I want safeguards that protect students from harmful online content, manipulative algorithms, and addictive technologies. 

  • Our district uses an app called Lightspeed to monitor activity on school-issued Chromebook devices. There are two reasons this is inadequate. First, the district has turned off the app’s parental monitoring functionality. I want parents to be able to monitor their students’ screen time on these devices and the sites that they visit. The second concern about Lightspeed is that it is easy for students to bypass the filter with proxy sites, USB devices, VPNs, and other means. The district’s Lightspeed filter uses a “blacklist” approach — prohibiting sites rather — rather than a “whitelist” approach — restricting Chromebook access to a curated list of sites. This means that restricting access to inappropriate material online will always be a cat-and-mouse game. If the district will not change its approach, then it should restrict use of Chromebook devices to supervised situations in the classroom.

Enrichment

  • Multilingual learning is a way to build on the linguistic diversity of our community, develop students’ cognitive skills, and close performance gaps. Students in after-school enrichment programs would learn both a second language and academic content, such as science, developing stronger academic skills while honoring the languages already spoken in Nyack homes. Multilingual education has been shown to improve performance in numerous subjects and closes performance gaps. The effect is disproportionately high for low-income students. Last year’s graduating class of 235 at Nyack High School had only 9 students who received New York State’s bilingual credential. In a district with 18 languages spoken and a third of students coming from Hispanic/Latinx families, we can do better. Let’s give all of our children a chance to grow up bilingual.  

Safe Zones

  • A Safe Zone policy prohibits staff from sharing students’ immigration status, requires court-issued warrants before ICE agents to enter school buildings, and establishes clear, public protocol for staff, students, and families. It ensures that all of our students can enjoy their right to learn without fear — no matter where they are from. Safe Zones have been adopted by more than 700 school districts in 33 states. They are endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, and the American Civil Liberties Union. 

  • Advocating for a Safe Zone policy simply means making sure we fulfill our legal and moral obligation to protect all children in our schools. It is not a statement about federal immigration policy. 

  • Yes. Safe Zones are about making sure our schools follow the law. They are grounded in the 1st, 4th, 10th, and 14th Amendments to the Constitution, and backed by decades of Supreme Court precedents, such as Plyler v. Doe, and federal Civil Rights law. Safe Zones also align with the policies of New York State and federal protections of students’ privacy rights. 

  • The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student records. It does not protect privacy in general. Directory information, which can include a student’s birth place, is not covered by FERPA. The Department of Education also notes that FERPA does not prevent school staff from revealing information obtained through personal experience or observation. A Safe Zone policy would prohibit disclosure of any student information to immigration enforcement unless required by a judicial warrant. It would establish clear, public protocol for what can be shared with immigration enforcement officers.