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Schools
City In Area Approves Funding For More Officers In Schools City In Area Approves Funding For More Officers In Schools
City In Area Approves Funding For More Officers In Schools Students will soon see more police officers on campus in Schenectady public schools. The city council approved a controversial agreement between the Schenectady Police Department and the school district Monday, May 9, that will provide up to six officers in schools over the next three years, according to the resolution.  The officers, dubbed community engagement officers, will “enhance the safety and welfare of the students and the overall school community,” reads the resolution. As part of the expanded program, two officers will be placed at Schenectady High School and three others w…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Candidate Drops Out Of School Board Race In Hudson Valley After Offensive Facebook Posts Candidate Drops Out Of School Board Race In Hudson Valley After Offensive Facebook Posts
Candidate Drops Out Of School Board Race In Hudson Valley After Offensive Facebook Posts A prospective school board candidate in the Hudson Valley has ducked out of the race after multiple racist, offensive, and anti-Semitic posts made over the course of nearly a decade on social media resurfaced. In Putnam County, Robert “Bobby” Palazzo, age 70, who was running for a seat on the Carmel Board of Education has reportedly dropped out of the race after the inflammatory posts were leaked to the public, including several targeting former President Barack Obama. “Obama want a banana?” one post from January 2010 read above a photo of the former president. Another simply stated, “Oba…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
School District Searches For Successor After Superintendent Resigns School District Searches For Successor After Superintendent Resigns
School District Searches For Successor After Superintendent Resigns A school district in Westchester County is searching for a successor after its superintendent resigned. Scarsdale Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Hagerman resigned on Friday, May 6, following the news the school board announced in early April about a more than $1,300,000 tax lien against the district, according to a report from Scarsdale10583. The Board of Education meeting was held at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The school board also announced that Dr. Andrew Patrick, the assistant superintendent for human resources and leadership development, is serving as interim superintend…

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by Nicole Valinote
Schools
'It Means A Lot': Teacher In Region National Award 'It Means A Lot': Teacher In Region National Award
'It Means A Lot': Teacher In Region National Award A science teacher in Westchester County is being recognized for teaching her students to have compassion for all living things. Melissa Flores, a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher at Enrico Fermi School in Yonkers, was one of three runners-up from across the US in this year’s Teacher Appreciation Contest from TeachKind. The group is the humane education division of PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Working with schools across the country, TeachKind helps teachers shape their curriculum in a way that’s more humane to animals, like coming up with alternatives to dissections …

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
These High Schools In Region Among Nation's Best According To Brand-New Rankings These High Schools In Region Among Nation's Best According To Brand-New Rankings
These High Schools In Region Among Nation's Best According To Brand-New Rankings It’s no secret that New York is home to some of the nation’s best schools, but which in the region rank among the top in the country? The U.S. News & World Report released its 2022 list of the best high schools in the country after evaluating nearly 18,000 schools at all levels. According to the organization - which touts itself as “the global authority in education rankings” - high schools were judged on these weighted factors: College readiness (30 percent); Reading and math proficiency (20 percent); Reading and math performance (20 percent); Underserved student performance (10 perc…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Assistant School Superintendent Accepts Post At New District In Region Assistant School Superintendent Accepts Post At New District In Region
Assistant School Superintendent Accepts Post At New District In Region There will be more upheaval among the administration of a Northern Westchester school district after a veteran educator announced she would be heading to a different part of the county. Cynthia Hawthorne, who has been an assistant superintendent in the Bedford Central School District since 2019, has been named as the new Assistant Superintendent for Business of the Peekskill Central School District by the Board of Education. She will replace outgoing assistant superintendent Robin Zimmerman, who previously announced her retirement from the post. Hawthorne’s appointment takes effect officia…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Parents Attack BOE In Region For Lewd Images Of Special-Ed Students Parents Attack BOE In Region For Lewd Images Of Special-Ed Students
Parents Attack BOE In Region For Lewd Images Of Special-Ed Students Parents of special-education students in a Northern Westchester School District took a local Board of Education to task after new details emerged about the circulation of lewd photos and videos of their children on social media. Earlier this month, news broke out of the Bedford Central School District regarding depictions of special-needs students after photos were allegedly taken inside one of the boys' bathrooms at Fox Lane High School in Bedford. Original story - Students At Northern Westchester HS Face Disciplinary Action After ‘Disturbing Incident’ Once news of the photos and vid…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Construction Starts On School In Region Named For Supreme Court Justice Construction Starts On School In Region Named For Supreme Court Justice
Construction Starts On School In Region Named For Supreme Court Justice Officials have broken ground at a new Westchester school named for a groundbreaking Supreme Court justice. In Yonkers, construction has begun on a new school named in honor of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a Bronx native who is the first Latina to sit on the bench. Upwards of 700 pre-K through eighth-grade students are expected to attend the school on McLean Avenue once it is completed, one of three new schools planned for the city in the coming years. A rendering of the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School in YonkersYonkers Public Schools Construction is expected to be co…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
HS Students In Region Face Disciplinary Action For ‘Disturbing Incident' HS Students In Region Face Disciplinary Action For ‘Disturbing Incident'
HS Students In Region Face Disciplinary Action For ‘Disturbing Incident' Students at a Northern Westchester high school are facing disciplinary actions for their roles in a “very disturbing incident,” officials said. Bedford Central School District Superintendent Joel Adelberg and Fox Lane High School Principal Brett Miller issued an alert to parents advising them of the incident - details of which have not been disclosed by the district - regarding an issue involving a privacy violation. The issue is reportedly being investigated by the Bedford Police Department. “We acknowledge how disturbing this is,” the letter from the school administrators wrote. “The fam…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Hudson Valley School District Names New Interim Superintendent Hudson Valley School District Names New Interim Superintendent
Hudson Valley School District Names New Interim Superintendent A veteran educator has been named as the new head of one of Westchester’s most prestigious school districts. In Scarsdale, the Board of Education announced that a familiar face in Dr. Drew Patrick is set to serve as the interim superintendent of schools as they look for a permanent candidate to fill the position vacated by outgoing administrator Thomas Hagerman. Earlier story - Longtime Schools Superintendent In Westchester To Resign “After identifying the Board’s criteria and priorities for an interim superintendent and soliciting community feedback, the Board worked to identify and vet a…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Data Of Nearly One Million NY Students Compromised In Hack Of Online Grading System Data Of Nearly One Million NY Students Compromised In Hack Of Online Grading System
Data Of Nearly One Million NY Students Compromised In Hack Of Online Grading System The personal data of nearly a million New York students has been compromised by hackers attempting to alter grades, investigators announced. In January, Illuminate Education, a taxpayer-funded software company that tracks grades and attendance for the New York City Department of Education, was targeted, resulting in the data of approximately 820,000 students being made available. Specifically, officials said that the hackers gained access to students’ names, birthdays, ethnicities, English-speaking, special-education, teacher schedules, and free-lunch statuses, though information including …

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by Zak Failla
Schools
School District In Region Taps Interim Superintendent To Permanent Post School District In Region Taps Interim Superintendent To Permanent Post
School District In Region Taps Interim Superintendent To Permanent Post A familiar face is set to officially take over at the helm of a school district serving communities in both Northern Westchester and Putnam counties. In Shrub Oak, the Lakeland Central School District Board of Education unanimously approved to permanently install Dr. Karen Gagliardi as the schools superintendent, effective immediately. Gagliardi, a former Assistant Superintendent for Instruction in Lakeland had been serving as interim superintendent since October 2021. “My experience serving the district over the last six months has greatly reaffirmed my commitment to serving in this role,…

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by Zak Failla