West Chester, PA
Schools
TikTokers Make Fake Accounts Impersonating PA School Staff, District Says TikTokers Make Fake Accounts Impersonating PA School Staff, District Says
TikTokers Make Fake Accounts Impersonating PA School Staff, District Says Great Valley Middle School students made phony TikTok profiles impersonating their teachers, the school district said in a statement on Sunday, July 7.  "I reiterate my disappointment and sadness that our students’ behavior has caused such duress for our staff," wrote Superintendent Daniel F. Goffredo.  "Seeing GVSD in such a prominent place in the news for behavior like this is also disheartening," he said, referring to a New York Times article on the incident.  The Times report claimed the students posted "disparaging, lewd, racist and homophobic videos" across 22 accounts…

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by Mac Bullock
Mahopac, NY
Schools
New Superintendent Takes Command At One Of Hudson Valley's Largest School Districts New Superintendent Takes Command At One Of Hudson Valley's Largest School Districts
New Superintendent Takes Command At One Of Hudson Valley's Largest School Districts An educator with decades of experience is following in the footsteps of her father and stepping up to lead a large Hudson Valley school district.  On Monday, July 1, Erin Meehan-Fairben officially began her position as superintendent of Putnam County's Carmel Central School District, to which she holds deeply personal ties.  A native of the area, Fairben was born in Putnam County Hospital and was raised within the Carmel community until she was around 5 years old. As a child, she used to play on the steps of Carmel's one-room schoolhouse as her father, Richard R. Meehan,…

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by Ben Crnic
Albany, NY
Schools
Kindergarten Teacher, Mom Of 2 From Capital Region Gets 'Fairy Tale Ending' Before Cancer Death Kindergarten Teacher, Mom Of 2 From Capital Region Gets 'Fairy Tale Ending' Before Cancer Death
Kindergarten Teacher, Mom Of 2 From Capital Region Gets 'Fairy Tale Ending' Before Cancer Death On the last night of her life, Sara Maldonado’s neighbors surprised her family by lining their driveway and sidewalk with dozens of candlelit luminarias. It was a fitting sendoff for the beloved kindergarten teacher, wife, mother of two, and Disney fanatic who died Wednesday, June 26, at the age of 34 following a two-year battle with breast cancer, according to her obituary. “They did something for our family that will never be forgotten. It’s the fairy tale ending she would want,” her brother, Ben Olsen, said on Facebook. “‘Tangled’ is her most favorite movie and they gave her a fairy tale…

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by Michael Mashburn
Newark, NJ
Schools
Columbia HS Principal Reinstated After Charges Dropped Columbia HS Principal Reinstated After Charges Dropped
Columbia HS Principal Reinstated After Charges Dropped Frank Sanchez has been reinstated as principal at Columbia High School after a grand jury declined to indict him on charges of child endangerment. Sanchez was reinstated at a South Orange-Maplewood School District Board of Education meeting on Thursday, June 27, on a 6-1 vote, with two board members abstaining. The charges against Sanchez stem from an incident involving a student in January at the school in the district, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said. The simple assault charges were referred to Maplewood Municipal Court, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said. Sanchez w…

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by Sam Barron
Wyckoff-Franklin Lakes, NJ
Schools
BOE Rescinds Contract Of Newly-Hired Ramapo-Indian Hills Super Days Before Start Date BOE Rescinds Contract Of Newly-Hired Ramapo-Indian Hills Super Days Before Start Date
BOE Rescinds Contract Of Newly-Hired Ramapo-Indian Hills Super Days Before Start Date Ramapo-lndian Hills Regional High School has rescinded the contract of its brand-new superintendent just days before he was set to officially take office. In its Thursday, June 27 meeting, the district's Board of Education voted 5-0-3 to rescind the contract of Dr. Ronnie Tarchichi, which would have gone into effect on July 1. On May 28, the Board voted 9-0 in favor of approving Tarchichi's contract. ALSO SEE: Ramapo-Indian Hills' New Superintendent Comes With 2 Doctorates, Plans For Vocational Programs RIH BOE President Kim Ansh was not immediately available to comment…

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by Cecilia Levine
Towson, MD
Schools
High School Teacher, Coach In Maryland Accused Of Sexually Abusing Minor, Police Say High School Teacher, Coach In Maryland Accused Of Sexually Abusing Minor, Police Say
High School Teacher, Coach In Maryland Accused Of Sexually Abusing Minor, Police Say A 38-year-old teacher in Maryland has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a minor, police announced on Sunday. On Friday, Carlos Arroyo was arrested by detectives with the Baltimore County Crimes Against Children Unit following allegations of sexual misconduct involving a juvenile, according to authorities. Arroyo is a teacher at Randallstown High School, police noted. Randallstown High School Google Maps street view He has been charged with two felonies, which include sexual abuse of a minor and third-degree sexual offense, as well as two misdemeanor offenses. …

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by Zak Failla
Fairfax, VA
Schools
Special Education Teacher Accused Of Assaulting Multiple Students In Virginia: Police Special Education Teacher Accused Of Assaulting Multiple Students In Virginia: Police
Special Education Teacher Accused Of Assaulting Multiple Students In Virginia: Police A special education teacher in Virginia has been arrested and charged for allegedly assaulting multiple students, police say. Elizabeth Yoshimi Nagagata, 62, a teacher at White Oaks Elementary School in Fairfax County, is facing charges after investigators received a referral in April regarding an educator who was caught assaulting a student at school. According to investigators from the Fairfax County Police Department, the investigation found that between September 2023 and April 2024, Nagagata allegedly assaulted three students on separate occasions. The nature of the assaults were not …

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by Zak Failla
Brentwood, NY
Schools
Ex-Long Island Teacher Accused Of Sexually Abusing Students Photographed Third Victim, DA Says Ex-Long Island Teacher Accused Of Sexually Abusing Students Photographed Third Victim, DA Says
Ex-Long Island Teacher Accused Of Sexually Abusing Students Photographed Third Victim, DA Says A retired elementary school teacher on Long Island charged with sexually abusing two of his students is now accused of harming a third student. Thomas Bernagozzi, age 75, of Babylon, was arrested on sex crimes charges in December 2023 after an investigation by Suffolk County Police found that he sexually abused two male students between the 1980s and early 2000s while teaching third grade in the Bay Shore School District. At the time of the alleged abuse, the boys were third-grade students at Gardiner Manor Elementary School and Mary G. Clarkson Elementary School.  Bernagozzi taught a…

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by Michael Mashburn
Armonk, NY
Schools
2023 Valedictorian, Salutatorian Announced By Byram Hills High School 2023 Valedictorian, Salutatorian Announced By Byram Hills High School
2023 Valedictorian, Salutatorian Announced By Byram Hills High School Two high-achieving seniors at a Northern Westchester high school are being recognized for landing at the top of their class.  In an announcement on Wednesday, June 12, Byram Hills High School revealed its valedictorian and salutatorian for the class of 2024 are Grace Lin and Daniel Ndocaj, respectively.  The school's administration and faculty celebrated both students' accomplishments. "The achievement is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and excellence throughout their four years at BHHS," said Principal Christopher Walsh, who revealed the top-ranked stu…

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by Ben Crnic
Lewisboro, NY
Schools
New Superintendent Named At Katonah-Lewisboro School District New Superintendent Named At Katonah-Lewisboro School District
New Superintendent Named At Katonah-Lewisboro School District A Northern Westchester superintendent will soon transition to leading another nearby district in the county. In an announcement on Friday, June 14, the Katonah-Lewisboro School District revealed its next superintendent would be Raymond Blanch, who will be formally appointed in the role by the Board of Education on Thursday, June 20.  Blanch, who has served as superintendent of the Somers Central School District since July 2010, will officially begin in his new role on Monday, July 15.  Blanch's selection follows multiple rounds of interviews conducted by the school board in an ef…

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by Ben Crnic
Wyckoff-Franklin Lakes, NJ
Schools
UPDATE: 'Inappropriate Comment' Temporarily Halts Distribution Of NJ School Yearbook UPDATE: 'Inappropriate Comment' Temporarily Halts Distribution Of NJ School Yearbook
Update: 'Inappropriate Comment' Temporarily Halts Distribution Of NJ School Yearbook A graduating Ramapo Indian Hills High School student intended "no harm or offense" with an "inappropriate comment" in the senior yearbook, the district's acting chief said Thursday night. According to parents, a graduating senior included an untoward reference to a Jewish Holocaust victim under his portrait photo. In response, Ramapo Indian Hills High School District Acting Supt. Dr. Melissa Quackenbush said officials were halting the distribution of the remaining yearbooks and were talking with the distributor about reprints. "Additionally, we are consulting with the Jewish Federatio…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Gaithersburg, MD
Schools
Teen Responsible For Bomb Threat That Forced Maryland High School Evacuation, Police Say Teen Responsible For Bomb Threat That Forced Maryland High School Evacuation, Police Say
Teen Responsible For Bomb Threat That Forced Maryland High School Evacuation, Police Say A teenager has been identified as the person who was responsible a bomb threat that forced an evacuation at a Montgomery County high school. Officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police were called to the Walt Whitman High School on Friday morning to investigate a reported threat. An alert was issued by the agency shortly before 11 a.m. on June 7 regarding a possible threat targeting the building, though it was also determined to be not valid and there was never any danger to the school. On Tuesday, June 11, investigators announced that they identified a 15-year-old as the…

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by Zak Failla