A growing group of Mount Kisco moms renewed their demands this week for action after an inappropriate encounter at a local elementary school heightened fears for their children’s safety.
The sometimes tearful pleas, made at the Village Board’s April 20 meeting, followed months of complaints from the community about repeated incidents of public intoxication, disorderly conduct, vagrancy, aggressive panhandling, and drug activity in certain areas.
An administrator at the Mount Kisco Elementary School on West Hyatt Avenue called police around 1:45 p.m. Monday (April 20) to report that three men who were hanging around on private property adjacent to the school had had a “verbal interaction” with students during recess.
According to a letter sent to parents by the principal, a soccer ball had been thrown over the fence into the playground.
After several students approached the fence “out of curiosity,” the men tried to engage them in conversation and offered them alcohol, the letter said.
School officials said the children immediately told recess supervisors what happened.
Former Deputy Mayor Theresa Flora was among those expressing dismay over the scary episode.
“These are more core memories for these children,” she said, adding: “It’s shameful. It was avoidable.”
Flora has been leading the charge for a crackdown on illegal or inappropriate activity in the downtown area and on the village’s nature/historic trails.
“They should be dealt with. They should be arrested,” she said of perpetrators. “Make them uncomfortable. Move them along. Something has to be done.”
“And it can’t just come out of the moms and the residents. We’re all suffering” Flora added.
In March, she told the Village Board that she’d had to file multiple police reports after being followed, verbally harassed, and physically intimidated by one individual with six warrants out for him.
Flora also read a letter from the parent of an MKES student who’d felt threatened by a group of men at the corner of West Hyatt Avenue and Lexington Avenue.
According to Westchester County Police Department spokesman Kieran O’Leary, officers located and detained the three men “after observing several open cans of beer in proximity to them.”
They were issued summonses for public consumption of alcohol, a violation.
Police assured the public that officers conduct daily inspections at or near the school during arrival and dismissal times and also routinely patrol West Hyatt Avenue during the day.
Patrols were increased around the school on Tuesday “because of parental concerns about Monday’s incident,” O'Leary said.
Two of the men were known to police from previous incidents where similar summonses were issued.
O’Leary also noted that police had “not had any issues previously on that property adjacent to the school.”
A review of police blotters from 2025 to last February showed that the WCPD had issued dozens of summonses for quality-of-life violations such as public consumption and possession of alcohol, trespassing, disorderly conduct, and urinating/defecating in public.
In her letter to MKES families, Principal Eleana Rojas wrote that the school staff “acted swiftly” and in accordance with “safety protocols.”
Recess supervisors immediately moved all students away from that section of the playground and remained stationed there throughout the end of the recess period, she said.
Building administrators, principal and assistant principal, were notified immediately.
They, in turn, contacted the WCPD and the SRO (School Resource Officer) to inform them of the situation.
Police arrived “promptly” and issued summonses to the three men and advised them not to return to the area.
The school also asked for “additional police inspection and presence” during recess times.
The students who were “witnesses” were interviewed to ensure that there was “a comprehensive understanding of the interactions.”
Furthermore, Rojas said, Bedford Central School District Superintendent Dr. Robert Glass contacted Mayor J. Michael Cindrich and has also asked the WCPD for “additional patrols and support.”
The district’s SROs will be “allocating additional time” to Mount Kisco Elementary School this week and the district is considering “privacy screens” for both Roary’s Playground, where the incident took place, and the school’s Circus Playground.
All recesses will take place at the latter until school officials “gather additional information from law enforcement,” Rojas wrote.
“Our safety protocols and active adult supervision afforded the opportunity to respond in a timely manner and address the situation appropriately,” she said, adding: “We are incredibly proud of our students for their quick thinking and for following the ‘see something, say something’ expectations and seeking adult assistance right away.”
She assured families that the safety of students is the district’s “absolute priority” and that it remains “vigilant” about monitoring the school’s perimeter.
Promising that the school will “continue to work closely with local law enforcement to maintain a secure environment for your children,” Rojas urged those with any questions about Monday’s incident to reach out to her.
Cindrich said the board has been brainstorming with the WCPD and legal advisors on topics such as homelessness, mental illness, and drug/alcohol additions and what it “can and can’t do” about them.
“I recognize the fact that many of these people need help, but I also recognize the fact that there has to be accountability and consequences,” he said.
According to Cindrich, all involved parties are analyzing the possibility of increasing police overtime versus adding an officer to each tour, which could cost up to $1.3 million.
A hybrid foot/motor patrol program is also under consideration.
The wooded area where the three men were is private property located on Dakin Avenue.
Cindrich asked the village manager to ask the owner to “post” it in the hopes of keeping out vagrants and trespassers.
“Issuing appearance tickets means have a nice day, you’re released. That’s the norm for a violation,” he explained.
Trustee Tom Luzio, a former prosecutor, said the board and the police have discussed working with the district attorney’s office to examine ways of “making better cases, to look for criminal offenses.”
Charges have to be “fact specific” and are sometimes “difficult to prove,” he warned.
It’s speculation, but if there were an “attempt to lure” then that might be a felony.
“The fact that they explored it is encouraging, but the laws are what the laws are,” Luzio said.
“So, we’re dealing with it, professionally,” the mayor said, noting that if anyone is seen loitering near the school, personnel there have been told to contact police immediately.
Emphasizing that “children ARE the red line,” Trustee Heather Bryant pointed out that the previous board had “made the choice to defund the CRO (Community Resource Officer).”
Since then there’s been a marked increase in the number of disorderly conduct and other quality-of-life issues, she claimed, not blaming the police, who are working with the resources and budget they currently have.
Foot patrols have gone up by 18 percent and there have been more than 600 train station inspections in the fiscal year’s first quarter, she said, adding “but that’s not enough when there are people talking to our children.”
“This IS budget season, but if what we need is another officer or another resource, then we as a village should be willing to fund it,” Bryant said.
Thanking residents for bringing their concerns to the board, Trustee Tammy Brown reminded folks that it can’t take action about particular situations unless it’s fully informed.
Parent Valerie Stout spoke Monday about her son who has been too nervous to walk home from school by himself because of men congregating on Lexington Avenue
Calling Monday’s events “devastating,” she said the three men involved “seem to be repeat offenders” who are “getting more aggressive” about approaching people on the street.
“They are unpredictable and you don’t know who they’re going to go after next. It may very well be a child,” Stout said.
Two days before the incident, she was driving on Lexington Avenue with her husband and child when they saw one of the men lying – apparently unconscious – on the sidewalk.
He was being “kicked” by one of his friends who seemed to be trying to get him to respond.
“I finally got my son to walk home from school with a friend on Friday afternoon, for the first time in months, and then, on Saturday he sees this?” she asked in disbelief.
Noting that when police were present in the area, it did seem to “deter” bad behavior, Stout called for more “consistency” in patrols.
Parent Jennifer Vallejos told the board that residents are more than frustrated with the situation, they are “genuinely alarmed.”
“For months, residents have come to these meetings, raising the same concerns over and over and over again: public intoxication, disorderly conduct, panhandling, and drug activity, particularly on Lexington Avenue,” she said, claiming that “despite this, nothing has changed. In fact, it feels as though it’s just getting worse.”
“The same individuals are still there every single day creating ongoing issues in our town. This is no longer just about inconvenience, it’s about safety and quality of life,” Vallejos added.
Getting the email from her daughter’s school principal was “frightening.”
“No parent should ever have to worry about their child being approached while playing on a school playground at recess. This is a line that should never be crossed,” Vallejos asserted, warning that the village “cannot continue to ignore this or make excuses.”
Resident Palmina Sandoval was also upset about the school incident.
“When I heard that, it boiled my blood,” she said.
A certified addiction recovery coach and a peer specialist in mental health, she offered to work directly with troubled folks.
“I want to help. I want to do something to make this town shine again,” Sandoval said.
Jenn Brunelli said she and her family bought a house in Mount Kisco about 12 years ago because it was located where everything they needed was either a short walk or drive away.
They were once able to stroll into town on a nice day with no worries about safety—but no longer.
Recently there was “a guy slumped over in Kirby Plaza, drool coming down from his mouth, I told my kids, it’s fine, don’t worry about it, he’s probably tired and not feeling well,” she said, explaining that she tries “to keep everything light for them, you know, unicorns and rainbows, cause they’re young.”
“I would love for my children to be able to walk to town with friends, to go for dinner or the movies, but there’s no way I would ever allow my kids to walk in town alone. It’s gotten bad,” she said, getting choked up.
“I don’t feel safe. Something has to change,” Brunelli added.
Lou Terlizzi brought up an earlier incident.
“When it was reported that a 10-year-old was accosted on his way home from school, the silence from this board was deafening. The police should have nipped this in the bud,” he said.
Terlizzi also claimed that he had been followed a couple of times recently by “one subject who frequents the corner of Lexington and Sarles (Avenues),” including that afternoon.
“The subject appears to be acting more and more unhinged. He’s frequently under the influence of alcohol and other substances and is increasingly behaving erratically,” he said, urging police to be more proactive.
Parent Pamela Florio pointed to “a noticeable and troubling shift in the quality of life.”
While she appreciated the increased police presence and the steps that have been taken so far, it’s clear, she said, “that the current approach is simply not enough.”
The school incident is “a safety breach that should be taken seriously,” Florio said.
Local business owner and resident Robin Buco urged the village to restore the Community Resource Officer (CRO) position that had been eliminated by a previous board.
“We need police officers who are genuinely committed to this village and invested in building meaningful relationships with the people who live here,” she said.
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