NEW YORK
The Journal News
Steve Lieberman, slieberm@lohud.com May 26, 2016
Rockland officials newly empowered by the state to inspect private schools for fire and safety code violations made their first stop Thursday afternoon at a local yeshiva.
When Rockland County Fire Coordinator Gordon Wren Jr. entered the Yeshiva Shaarei Arazim at 900 Route 45 in Ramapo, he told reporters, he immediately noticed the push bars on two of the doors did not work and the doors did not open, a clear violation.
He was accompanied by Spring Valley Fire Inspector Frank Youngman, who is also a Hillcrest firefighter and retired police officer.
The high school – formerly the Jewish Community Center building – had what Wren and Youngman estimated was a foot-high pile of garbage in one 25-foot-wide room, moldy food on the floor, stairwells used as storage, and doors propped open, among several dozen violations. The pair said, however, that they were impressed with the school’s programming, as well as the young men and the teachers.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.