The Croton-Harmon school board unanimously appointed Nichole Kelly interim principal of Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School on October 9, 2025, for a term beginning October 17 and running through June 30, 2026, unless ended earlier by the district. Trustees also accepted the annual external audit and heard parents’ concerns about enforcement of the cellphone ban. This article is written solely from the meeting's official minutes; croton.news had no reporter present. Kelly’s appointment provided an annual base salary of $170,461.00, prorated for the period she served, plus an $11,000 stipend for the appointment period that would be prorated if the assignment ended early. The board separately approved unpaid leave from her assistant-principal position beginning October 16. Trustees also granted Marissa Burke tenure in special education effective December 13, 2025. Assistant Superintendent for Business Denise Harrington-Cohen and Audit Committee member Omar Mayyasi presented the audit results. They reported no material weaknesses, significant deficiencies or control deficiencies, a $258,000 general-fund operating surplus and $19.5 million in general-fund reserves. About $2.5 million of the 2025 fund balance had been appropriated for the 2025–2026 budget. The board’s resolution accepted the PKF O’Connor Davies, LLP audit report with corrective action plans for the year ending June 30, 2025; the minutes do not describe those plans. During public comment, Kara Read supported the cellphone ban but said implementation was inconsistent and urged use of locked pouches. Shauna Usiak also supported the ban while calling for stronger implementation and community participation. Jill Anderson, representing the Croton Community Collective, advocated less classroom technology, more hands-on instruction and clearer information about student-data use. Anderson later asked for transparency about how district-committee members were selected. In discussion of proposed state school-board association resolutions, Sarah Carrier reported a board consensus against reducing lockdown drills from four to two a year. Mayyasi supported the proposed reduction because of potential student trauma, while other participants emphasized the value of practice. Carrier also reported a consensus not to support a proposal to incorporate artificial intelligence into the curriculum after discussion of its vagueness. These were positions on proposed association resolutions, not changes to district drill requirements or curriculum. Construction approvals included two Pierotti Corporation change orders for additional asbestos abatement at the middle school: $119,054.52 covering Rooms 311A, 315, 404 and 414, and $30,766.22 covering work in Rooms 311A and 315 and pipe insulation in Room 416’s walls. Other approvals included a $35,000 middle-school attic catwalk and $26,009.66 to TWP Plumbing & Heating, Inc. for an 85-gallon storage tank and circulator pump in the elementary-school boiler room. Trustees approved the 2025–2026 facility-use fee schedule. Harrington-Cohen said capital upgrades and the absence of increases for more than five years had prompted the revisions, with indoor-space increases of $2 to $5. Fees for turf, Spencer Field and lights would begin with a simple approach and could be adjusted based on use, she said. The minutes do not reproduce the full fee schedule. Superintendent Stephen Walker discussed regional cooperation in mental-health services, prekindergarten, transportation and internships. His goals included interdisciplinary learning, implementation of the new district-committee structure, evaluation of new programs and a communications and community-engagement plan. Student trustee Filomena DiMarco reported that the new schedule left fewer built-in Student Faculty Congress meetings, prompting consideration of additional meeting times. The meeting adjourned at 11:05 p.m.