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New York State Department of Education

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NYU Finance Director Embezzled $3.5M To Fund Her Lavish Lifestyle, DA Says NYU Finance Director Embezzled $3.5M To Fund Her Lavish Lifestyle, DA Says
NYU Finance Director Embezzled $3.5M To Fund Her Lavish Lifestyle, DA Says A former director at New York University is being accused of embezzling millions in state funding and using much of the money to fund a lavish lifestyle at her home in Connecticut home, according to authorities. The six-year fraud by Fairfield County resident Cindy Tappe, age 57, of Westport, related to two NYU programs, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced this week. Tappe used her position as the director of finance and administration for NYU’s Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and Transformation of Schools to diver…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Ex-Police Officer In Westchester Accused Of Stealing More Than $157K From State Ex-Police Officer In Westchester Accused Of Stealing More Than $157K From State
Ex-Police Officer In Westchester Accused Of Stealing More Than $157K From State A retired Westchester County police officer and a former BOCES criminal justice instructor has been charged with allegedly swindling the state and local retirement system out of more than $157,000. Anthony Sciacca, age 67, of Poughkeepsie, was charged Thursday, July 14, by state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Ulster County District Attorney David J. Clegg, and the state police. After retiring from the Westchester Police Department in 2005, Sciacca became an instructor at Ulster County BOCES teaching criminal justice and earning a salary of over $70,000, DiNapoli said. As a state retiree u…

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
NY History Regents Canceled Due To Content That Could Cause Trauma After Buffalo Shooting NY History Regents Canceled Due To Content That Could Cause Trauma After Buffalo Shooting
NY History Regents Canceled Due To Content That Could Cause Trauma After Buffalo Shooting A new Regents exam for US history and government has been canceled over concerns that it could further traumatize students in the wake of the Buffalo mass shooting. In a letter to colleagues sent Tuesday, May 24, New York State Department of Education Commissioner Betty Rosa said the department had worked with state educators to review content from the June Regents Exams following the May 14 attack. “During that review, our experts determined that there is content on the new Regents Examination in United States History and Government (Framework) that has the potential to compound student t…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
COVID-19: Uncertainty Abounds After NY Supreme Court Strikes Down Mask Mandate COVID-19: Uncertainty Abounds After NY Supreme Court Strikes Down Mask Mandate
Covid-19: Uncertainty Abounds After NY Supreme Court Strikes Down Mask Mandate A Supreme Court justice on Long Island struck down the statewide mask mandate in New York, causing mass confusion and prompting a fight from Gov. Kathy Hochul and her administration. In Nassau County, Justice Thomas Rademaker ruled that Hochul’s office had overstepped its authority with its December mask mandate that was issued through then-acting Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett. Instead, the judge said that it was not up to the Department of Health to approve the mandate, it instead should go through the Legislature, where it is potentially less likely to pass. Rademaker said that the…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Blind Brook Hopes To Bring Back Students To School State Ordered It Close Blind Brook Hopes To Bring Back Students To School State Ordered It Close
Blind Brook Hopes To Bring Back Students To School State Ordered It Close A Westchester school district is working around the clock to get students back in the classroom after being forced by the state to transition to its remote learning model due to certain safety concerns amid a massive renovation project. The Blind Brook School District in Rye Brook was forced to temporarily close the Ridge Street Elementary School by the state Department of Education, much to the disappointment of parents, students, and staff. Students were welcomed back into the building earlier this month as the building was under a massive renovation project, but it was promptly shut dow…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
COVID-19: State's Reversal On Face Coverings At Schools Creates Last-Minute Mask Confusion COVID-19: State's Reversal On Face Coverings At Schools Creates Last-Minute Mask Confusion
Covid-19: State's Reversal On Face Coverings At Schools Creates Last-Minute Mask Confusion New Yorkers are anxiously awaiting word from the CDC after the state was forced to reverse its stance on face coverings in schools for students. Late on Sunday night, June 6, state education officials said that masks will still be required during indoor classes, despite an announcement last week from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Health Commissioner Howard Zucker proclaiming that they will no longer be required. Earlier story - COVID-19: New York Loosening Mask Restrictions On Schools On Friday, June 4, Zucker said that masks will be “strongly encouraged” for unvaccinated people, but not requ…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
COVID-19: Cuomo Gives New Update As Uncertainty Surrounds Decision On Schools COVID-19: Cuomo Gives New Update As Uncertainty Surrounds Decision On Schools
Covid-19: Cuomo Gives New Update As Uncertainty Surrounds Decision On Schools It remains unclear when, how, or if schools will be opening their doors to welcome students into the classrooms in the fall due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a COVID-19 briefing in Manhattan on Monday, July 6 that no decision on the reopening of schools has been announced, and that students will not return to the classroom “until we know it’s safe.” Cuomo did not specify his definition of what “safe” entailed for students or faculty members. “We have 700 school districts in the state, and we’ve told all 700 that they must come up with…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
10 Westchester Schools Among 370 In State Needing Improvement, State Education Department Says 10 Westchester Schools Among 370 In State Needing Improvement, State Education Department Says
10 Westchester Schools Among 370 In State Needing Improvement, State Education Department Says The New York State Department of Education has identified 10 Westchester schools that are in need of improvement. This week, the Department of Education announced a new list of 370 schools that need improvement, including some in the Elmsford, Mount Vernon, Peekskill and Yonkers school districts. State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia identified 106 school districts as “target districts,” 245 schools for comprehensive support and Improvement and 125 schools for “Targeted Support and Improvement.” Those in the latter two groups require districts and schools to create improvement p…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Westchester HS Alum Wins Top Prize For Creating Brain Computer Interface Westchester HS Alum Wins Top Prize For Creating Brain Computer Interface
Westchester HS Alum Wins Top Prize For Creating Brain Computer Interface Since taking his academic talents from Westchester to the University of Buffalo, a recent high school graduate is making a name for himself as an up-and-comer in the tech field. William Phillips, a 2017 graduate of Mount Vernon High School, recently took top honors in his category as a Computer Science and Engineering student at the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) Research Poster Symposium. During a near nine-week boot camp, Phillips - an incoming sophomore and computer science major at the University of Buffalo - completed an extensive research program under the tut…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Hudson Valley Has One Of State's Three 'Essential Elements Schools' Hudson Valley Has One Of State's Three 'Essential Elements Schools'
Hudson Valley Has One Of State's Three 'Essential Elements Schools' Fieldstone Middle School in Thiells has been recognized by the state Education Department as an "Essential Elements School." Also making a longer list of "exemplary schools to watch," were South Orangetown Middle School in Blauvelt and Van Wyck Junior High in Wappingers Central School District. In collaboration with its New York Essential Elements to Watch partners, the state recognized three new schools as 2018 Essential Elements: Schools to Watch (EE-STW), according to Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. The designation is awarded to exceptional middle level schools that mee…

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by Jon Craig
Schools
Upstate Teacher Accused Of Having Inappropriate Relationships With Students Upstate Teacher Accused Of Having Inappropriate Relationships With Students
Upstate Teacher Accused Of Having Inappropriate Relationships With Students An upstate high school teacher resigned her position amid allegations that she had inappropriate relationships with two students, according to school officials. A teacher in a temporary assignment at the Irondequoit High School in the West Irondequoit Central School District resigned this week, school officials reported on Friday, after an investigation led to evidence that she “engaged in inappropriate relationships with two students.” The teacher - whose name has not been publically disclosed - was immediately released from employment, and district officials said they will file any necess…

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by Zak Failla