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Schools
This School District In Region Ranks In Top 15 In America, New Report Says This School District In Region Ranks In Top 15 In America, New Report Says
This School District In Region Ranks In Top 15 In America, New Report Says A school district in Westchester has been recognized as one of the best in the entire country, according to new rankings.  The Scarsdale Union Free School District has placed No. 11 in America, according to Niche's new 2023 rankings of the top school districts in the country.  According to Niche, the organization uses "a series of steps to ensure statistical rigor and useful guidance in the school choice experience," according to its website. A detailed explanation of the criteria used to rank the school districts can be read by clicking here.  In addition to ranking as one …

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
School Superintendent In Region To Step Down: Decision Made With 'Very Heavy Heart' School Superintendent In Region To Step Down: Decision Made With 'Very Heavy Heart'
School Superintendent In Region To Step Down: Decision Made With 'Very Heavy Heart' The superintendent of a Hudson Valley school district has made the unexpected decision to retire in order to take care of a family member. Laurie Bandlow of the Brewster Central School District in Putnam County is set to retire at the end of the 2023-24 school year, according to an announcement by the school district.  The "unexpected" decision came after Bandlow's mother died in September 2022 and she realized that she would soon need to care for her aging father, according to district officials.  Because of this, she decided to give notice to the district a year in advance…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Support Pours In For Teens Severely Injured After School Bus, Car Crash In Region Support Pours In For Teens Severely Injured After School Bus, Car Crash In Region
Support Pours In For Teens Severely Injured After School Bus, Car Crash In Region A community is pulling together to help several teenagers who are fighting for their lives after suffering severe injuries in a head-on crash between a car and a school bus in Northern Westchester.  The crash happened on Wednesday, April 26 just before 3 p.m. in New Castle on Lake Road, New Castle Police said.  Earlier Report - New Update: At Least 9 Injured After Head-On New Castle Crash Between School Bus, Car The incident involved a head-on collision between a school bus and a Honda Accord that somehow veered into the southbound lane on Lake Road near Crow Hill Road, inju…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
School District In Hudson Valley Didn't Properly Monitor, Account For Fixed Assets: Comptroller School District In Hudson Valley Didn't Properly Monitor, Account For Fixed Assets: Comptroller
School District In Hudson Valley Didn't Properly Monitor, Account For Fixed Assets: Comptroller A school district in Northern Westchester was found to have maintained inaccurate records of fixed assets by an audit performed by state officials.  The audit, performed by the Office of the New York State Comptroller between July 2020 and April 2022, found that the Chappaqua Central School District did not "properly monitor and account for" several fixed assets, and had not performed a physical inventory count since 2018, state officials said.  According to a report released by the Comptroller's Office, of the 164 assets reviewed by the audit, 148 assets totaling over $220,0…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Police Charge Teacher In Region Over Alleged Criminal Behavior Police Charge Teacher In Region Over Alleged Criminal Behavior
Police Charge Teacher In Region Over Alleged Criminal Behavior Police are investigating alleged criminal behavior by a public school teacher in Westchester County. It is alleged by a student that William  Archacki, age 50, a teacher at Yonkers Public School  No. 21, had caused a student to fear for their safety by walking up behind this student while holding a paring knife during school hours on Wednesday, Feb. 8 Archacki is a Northern Westchester resident of Buchanan, and was a fifth-grade teacher at Public School No. 21, located on Lee Avenue in Yonkers, at the time of this incident, Yonkers Police said.  He was placed on modified dut…

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
School Swatting Threats: 50 NY Districts Report New Round Of Incidents School Swatting Threats: 50 NY Districts Report New Round Of Incidents
School Swatting Threats: 50 NY Districts Report New Round Of Incidents More than 50 school districts across New York reported receiving swatting threats of an active shooter. The districts reporting the incidents on Tuesday, April 4 were located on Long Island, in Central New York, the Southern Tier, and the North Country, authorities said.  "I want to reassure parents that their children are safe at school - swatting threats are false and intended to cause panic and scare students, teachers, and families," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement on Tuesday. On Thursday, March 30, numerous school districts reported receiving swatting calls of…

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
Swastikas Found At High School In Region Swastikas Found At High School In Region
Swastikas Found At High School In Region Police in the Hudson Valley are investigating after several swastikas were discovered at an area high school. The incident took place in Rockland County on Wednesday, March 22, when a school resource officer assigned to Clarkstown South High School in West Nyack was informed that swastikas were discovered in a classroom, said Clarkstown PD Det. Norm Peters. Peters said the drawings were reported by a teacher who stated that she observed the two swastikas over the past month in her classroom.  The first was observed on a wall near the exit door accompanied by the words “…

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
School Swatting Incidents Occurring Across NY, State Police Say School Swatting Incidents Occurring Across NY, State Police Say
School Swatting Incidents Occurring Across NY, State Police Say Authorities are investigating numerous incidents of schools in New York state receiving swatting calls claiming there is an active shooter in the building, state police said.  The threatening calls were received by schools on Thursday morning, March 30, and have all been found to be false, state police announced.  The State Police is aware of swatting incidents that have occurred across the state, in which a caller states that there is an active shooter in a school. All of the reports are unfounded. We are working alongside our federal & local partners to investigate the threats. pi…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Report Of Shots Fired Causes HS To Be Placed On Lockdown In Region: Police Report Of Shots Fired Causes HS To Be Placed On Lockdown In Region: Police
Report Of Shots Fired Causes HS To Be Placed On Lockdown In Region: Police A high school in Northern Westchester was placed on lockdown and inspected by authorities after a complaint of shots fired was reported, police said.  The incident happened at 8 a.m. at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua when New Castle Police responded to an anonymous complaint of shots fired. Because of the complaint, the school was placed on lockdown, and responding officers checked the school. After a search of the building, the initial report was determined to be false, police said. The lockdown at the school was then lifted.  After this incident, all schools in t…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Person Accused Of Making Threat Against Current Student At High School In Region Person Accused Of Making Threat Against Current Student At High School In Region
Person Accused Of Making Threat Against Current Student At High School In Region A former student has been accused of making threats against a current student at a high school in the Hudson Valley. On Thursday, March 23 at approximately 12:30 pm, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into threats made on social media targeting a student at Brewster High School. The suspect, who resides outside the county, was quickly identified, located, and issued an appearance ticket for Putnam County Family Court, Putnam County Sheriff Kevin J. McConville said. Out of an abundance of caution, additional sheriff’s patrols are on the scene at all of the B…

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
Teacher Injured During Fight At High School In Orange County Teacher Injured During Fight At High School In Orange County
Teacher Injured During Fight At High School In Orange County A teacher was injured during a fight between two students at a school in the Hudson Valley. The incident took place in Orange County on Monday, March 6 at Middletown High School. The fight took place in a hallway outside a classroom.  The teacher was injured while attempting to intervene, said Amy Creeden, Superintendent of Schools for the Enlarged City School District of Middletown. "This saddens our entire school community and we are thinking of the faculty member during this difficult time," Creeden said in a letter to staff.  Security staff responded immediately, arriv…

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
Students At HS In Region Impersonated Administrators, Police In Racist Videos, BOE Says Students At HS In Region Impersonated Administrators, Police In Racist Videos, BOE Says
Students At HS In Region Impersonated Administrators, Police In Racist Videos, BOE Says Several students at a high school in the Hudson Valley used artificial intelligence to impersonate both school district administrators and police in racist videos on social media, officials said. The videos were created by students in Putnam County who go to Carmel High School, the Carmel Central School District's Board of Education announced on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 15.  Both Carmel Central School District administrators and members of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office were impersonated in the videos, which contained inappropriate and racist content and were posted on TikTok…

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by Ben Crnic