Mareesa Nicosia

mnicosia@lohud.com

A persistent critic of East Ramapo officials who photographs schools in disrepair has been warned to stay off district property and could face legal action if he doesn't comply, a letter from the superintendent says.

Clarkstown resident Bob Kurkela says he found a cease-and-desist letter signed by Superintendent Joel Klein tacked to his front door last week, after months of Kurkela's complaints about conditions at the schools, including Chestnut Ridge Middle School, where he has photographed construction of a summer camp's four swimming pools under a controversial lease agreement.

In the spring, Kurkela trained his iPhone camera on the dilapidated front entrances at Kakiat Elementary and Ramapo High schools and posted the photos on Facebook, saying he sought to bring attention to safety hazards. As for the Chestnut Ridge school, he's questioned how the pools will be dismantled and the grounds restored when the camp leaves at the end of August.

Kurkela said his letters of complaint to district and state officials about the crumbling entrances to Kakiat and Ramapo High this spring have produced no response — until now.

"It's shocking that a superintendent threatens criminal prosecution for exposing safety, security and health violations that are ultimately his responsibility," he wrote in response to the cease-and-desist notice. "I maintain that public safety takes precedence over unfounded allegations of criminal trespass or loitering."

East Ramapo says Kurkela has no "legitimate business reason or other purpose relating to the operation of the schools to enter onto the school grounds, and thus, (his) entry onto school grounds at the three schools is unlawful." The district will take "any and all legal action" to enforce its directive, the letter states.

Kurkela shared the cease-and-desist notice and his written response with reporters, telling The Journal News on Tuesday that he will comply with the district's demand though he doesn't think it has a credible case.

"I obviously am a thorn in their side, and they're trying every which way to silence me," he said.

Klein is on vacation and could not be reached for comment. A message for the security director, Tom Carton, was not returned. School board President Yehuda Weissmandl declined to comment.

Kurkela and his wife moved from Chestnut Ridge to New City in 2003 so their two young daughters could attend Clarkstown schools. He got involved as an advocate for East Ramapo public-school students — and a critic of the Board of Education — last summer, when a school attorney's profane verbal attack on a parent created a firestorm.

"I feel like, although I left, if I have any ability through my voice and words to help those kids who were not fortunate enough to leave, I have an obligation to do so," he said.

Kurkela is an author of children's books and an educational consultant and works summers teaching kids about nature and science at Deerkill Day Camp. He said he took photos of the damage at Kakiat when he was there as a volunteer speaker in the spring, presenting an interactive author assembly to students.

The board recently approved emergency repairs throughout the district, including a $104,500 project for Kakiat. Fixes to the Ramapo High School facade are planned but the cost wasn't available, the district said.

Kurkela, a member of community activist groups Power of Ten and Save Our Schools, is among East Ramapo watchers who've been riled by the Chestnut Ridge camp's initial refusal to apply for a village permit. It later obtained one but a county Health Department pool permit remains outstanding until the pools are fully constructed.

Of his frequent visits to the middle school, Kurkela said he tried to abide by what he thought the law was and purposely went on weekends when he knew the camp wasn't in session.

"I made sure no one was there," he said. "So indicating I'm, like, a criminal and lurking around, it's astonishing to me."

Police have investigated recent incidents of vandalism at Chestnut Ridge camps, including a pool slashing at Camp Shalom that's contributed to the project's delay. According to its lease, the camp will pay the district $125,000; the school board authorized a credit for the camp's installation of security cameras after the incident.

East Ramapo activists have sparred with administrators and the Orthodox Jewish and Hasidic-controlled school board over trespassing in the past. In 2012, when parents complained that strangers were using school property as a shortcut during the school day, district officials responded that it wasn't really a problem, and that a no-trespassing edict could be perceived as anti-Semitic in a district whose large Hasidic population walks many places.

After pushback from parents and community activists, officials eventually convened an invitation-only forum to address security and safety and the decision was made to post "No Trespassing" signs at all East Ramapo schools. But others were insulted they weren't invited to the forum, including representatives of the Spring Valley chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, who'd been among the most vocal proponents of strengthening the district's security policy.

Klein has said previously the district doesn't want to deter neighbors from walking and jogging on school property so long as it's not during school hours. Staff have been directed to call police if they witness trespassers.

Earlier in 2012, Klein had dismissed parents' complaints about strangers regularly traipsing through school property during weekdays when students were on the playground. Parents and other community members worried their kids could encounter sex offenders and urged the district to post signs, which were missing from most schools at the time, officials said.

"Except for some people making a big issue of it, (trespassing) isn't an issue," Klein told The Journal News at the time. "If you have a sex offender looking to do harm, a 'No Trespassing' sign will not stop him."

Twitter:@MareesaNicosia