Millbrook Board of Education lends Pine Plains football helmets for the season

PINE PLAINS — Following a brief remote meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 29, the Pine Plains Central School District (PPCSD) Board of Education (BOE) approved an intermunicipal agreement with the Millbrook Central School District (MCSD) regarding it borrowing football helmets from Millbrook for the 2021-22 sports season.

The meeting was held via Zoom at 6 p.m. and live-streamed on www.ppcsd.org.

The PPCSD BOE readily approved this ultimate act of sharing — something all schools teach from the moment students enter their very first classroom as young tykes.

“I’d like to offer thanks to Millbrook for this level of cooperation,” said longtime PPCSD BOE member Fred “Chip” Couse. “As the school districts get smaller, more and more of this is taking place, and it speaks well of the cooperation between towns.”

Pine Plains Superintendent of Schools Martin Handler explained Millbrook doesn’t have a football team in place this year due to too few players being able to man a team. (To read about Millbrook High School sending two of its football players to participate on the Dover High School Dragons’ team this season, go to www.tricornernews.com.)

As a result of MCSD not having its own football team and therefore not using its football helmets this season, Handler said it agreed to loan the equipment to the PPCSD and to the Rye City School District in Westchester County.

In Pine Plains, Handler said the district has a few more students playing the sport than it has helmets needed for this year’s football program.

“We were really appreciative because they’re not available,” Handler said. “Even if we wanted to buy some extra helmets, we would not have been able to do so and that would have meant kids not participating.”

BOE member James Griffin asked if Pine Plains will buy helmets next year. Handler said it might, but reminded the BOE that “it’s a fluid situation with football” as far how many students register to participate in the athletic program. There’s also the cost to consider.

“We have a larger number of modified players and that’s what kicked us over into the situation,” Handler said.

On a later date, Pine Plains Athletic Director and Varsity Football Coach Rob Scott confirmed the PPCSD currently has 26 student athletes participating on the varsity football team this year and 26 students participating on the modified football team.

The BOE unanimously approved the intermunicipal agreement between the Pine Plains and Millbrook districts at its meeting on the 29th.

“I’m very happy that the Millbrook athletic director and superintendent worked with us to just give these kids opportunities to participate,” Scott said.

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