March 13, 2025

Dear Pleasantville Families,

Following the March 6 Pville Press section on Portable Lights for Spring Athletics, we want to provide additional details regarding the Board of Education’s approval of a contract for portable lights on the Pleasantville High School main field for the Spring 2025 season.

The lights will be used between March 24 and May 26, on an as-needed basis, for approximately ten evenings. The lights will be turned off between 8:30 PM and 9 PM on the days of usage.

Why do we need portable lights on the HS field?

The portable lights are needed to ensure our Varsity and JV Girls Lacrosse teams can complete their scheduled games given the later start times and back-to-back scheduling.

Why are games starting later?

There are three (3) factors contributing to the later start time:

Bus Driver Shortage: Fewer drivers have led to delayed team arrivals and later game start times.
Later Dismissal Times: Schools dismissing students later push back game start times.
League Alignment & Travel: In a region-wide effort to be more competitively aligned, teams may experience an increase in travel distance and may encounter additional traffic delays.

Why are certain games scheduled back-to-back?

Due to a nationwide referee/official shortage, this scheduling method allows the same referees/officials to oversee two consecutive games, improving efficiency and coverage of more games, which is critical for student-athlete safety.

The decision to use these specific portable lights is for the spring of 2025 only. This is a short-term solution to meet immediate needs. This season will serve as an opportunity to assess their effectiveness and inform future decisions. The newly formed Community Facilities Committee will explore needs and solutions for the long term.

For more information, please review the fact sheet which outlines the reasoning for this decision, the specific details of the portable lights, and how they will be used.

Thank you for your continued support of our students and the District.

For the youth,

Dr. DeSa

Share the Pville Press with a friend. Forward this email to Pleasantville community members who might like to sign up and learn about all the great things happening in the PUFSD.

Join Our Mailing List