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School District Names New Leader Amid Budget, Enrollment Challenges In Westchester School District Names New Leader Amid Budget, Enrollment Challenges In Westchester
School District Names New Leader Amid Budget, Enrollment Challenges In Westchester A Westchester County school district has selected a new leader to guide it through one of the most challenging periods in its recent history. In a unanimous vote on Wednesday, May 14, the Mount Vernon Board of Education appointed Dr. Demario A. Strickland as the district’s new Superintendent of Schools, effective Tuesday, July 1.  Dr. Strickland currently serves as interim superintendent for the Rochester City School District and brings nearly two decades of educational leadership experience to his new role in Westchester County, district officials said.  The appointment comes ju…

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by Ben Crnic
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He Flunked Out Of Rutgers In 1957; At 85, Aerospace Engineer Graduates As Oldest Student Ever He Flunked Out Of Rutgers In 1957; At 85, Aerospace Engineer Graduates As Oldest Student Ever
He Flunked Out Of Rutgers In 1957; At 85, Aerospace Engineer Graduates As Oldest Student Ever Tom Maniscalco was 18 when he first stepped onto the Rutgers campus in 1957. Nearly 70 years later, he’s graduating. At 85 years old. The Garfield resident will earn a master’s degree in engineering this week, becoming Rutgers’ oldest graduate in school history, the university said. “It’s a sense of accomplishment at my age,” Maniscalco said. Maniscalco originally enrolled at Rutgers to study mechanical engineering, but flunked out after one semester. He got an A in calculus and a B in physics, but failed engineering drawing. “Of all things, engineering drawing! And I became a design engi…

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
NY School Lacrosse Coach 'Sextorted' 13-Year-Old Boy, DOJ Says NY School Lacrosse Coach 'Sextorted' 13-Year-Old Boy, DOJ Says
NY School Lacrosse Coach 'Sextorted' 13-Year-Old Boy, DOJ Says A New York school lacrosse coach is accused of coercing a teen boy into sending him sexually explicit content using a fake identity online, federal prosecutors said. Joseph Garofalo, of Valley Stream, is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, according to a federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York on Friday, April 18. Garofalo, an assistant lacrosse coach at Valley Stream Central High School, was arrested following a months-long investigation by the FBI’s Long Island Child Exploitation Task Force. According to a criminal complaint, Garofalo posed as someon…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Swatting Threat Triggers Emergency Response At School In Hudson Valley Swatting Threat Triggers Emergency Response At School In Hudson Valley
Swatting Threat Triggers Emergency Response At School In Hudson Valley A false phone threat forced a lockdown at a Dutchess County boarding school, prompting a rapid response from police and school officials. The incident happened around 1:25 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, when the Trinity-Pawling School in Pawling received a threatening phone call shortly after being notified of a similar threat by the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office, Head of School William Taylor said.  Within minutes, the campus was placed under protective protocols, and all students, staff, faculty, and family members were secured safely, according to Taylor. Law enforcement from both th…

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by Ben Crnic
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Freshman Arsonist Set Numerous Fires At NY College Dorm While Classmates Slept, Police Say Freshman Arsonist Set Numerous Fires At NY College Dorm While Classmates Slept, Police Say
Freshman Arsonist Set Numerous Fires At NY College Dorm While Classmates Slept, Police Say A 19-year-old student is accused of intentionally setting numerous fires at a New York college dorm as his classmates slept. Joshua Thomas, of Saratoga County, was arraigned on arson charges in Albany County Court on Wednesday, May 7, a spokesperson for the DA’s office told Daily Voice. An investigation found that Thomas–a freshman at Siena College in Loudonville–poured rubbing alcohol on the ground and used a lighter to start a fire outside a dorm room in Hines Hall just after 3 a.m. on Friday, April 25, prosecutors said. At the time, two female students were asleep inside. Thomas then w…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
NY School District's Transgender Athlete Policy Sparks Federal Investigation NY School District's Transgender Athlete Policy Sparks Federal Investigation
NY School District's Transgender Athlete Policy Sparks Federal Investigation The Trump administration has opened an investigation into a public school district in upstate New York over its policy permitting transgender athletes. Rep. Elise Stefanik confirmed that the US Department of Education is investigating the Saratoga Springs City School District for alleged Title IX violations “after my strong public advocacy," in a post on X Tuesday, May 6. Stefanik linked to a New York Post article in which Education Secretary Linda McMahon confirmed that the administration was looking into whether the district discriminated against girls by allowing biological boys to play …

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Phone Ban: NY To Become Largest State With Bell-To-Bell Restrictions On Student Smartphones Phone Ban: NY To Become Largest State With Bell-To-Bell Restrictions On Student Smartphones
Phone Ban: NY To Become Largest State With Bell-To-Bell Restrictions On Student Smartphones New York classrooms are dialing down distractions. Come this fall, all K-12 public schools in New York will implement bell-to-bell bans on student cell phone use, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office announced Tuesday, May 6. The sweeping new policy, part of the state’s 2026 budget agreement, prohibits students from using internet-enabled personal devices anywhere on school grounds from the first bell to the last—including during lunch and study hall periods. “New York was the first state to target addictive social media feeds — and now we’re the largest state to restrict smartphones in schools thr…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Millions To Have Paychecks Garnished As Federal Student Loan Collections Restart Millions To Have Paychecks Garnished As Federal Student Loan Collections Restart
Millions To Have Paychecks Garnished As Federal Student Loan Collections Restart Millions of Americans may soon have their wages garnished as the Trump administration resumes student loan collections paused since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. About 5.3 million borrowers are set to receive wage garnishment notices in the summer of 2025, according to the Department of Education. The federal government officially restarted student loan debt collections on Monday, May 5. Nearly 195,000 borrowers began receiving 30-day warning letters from the Treasury Department. Their Social Security or other federal benefits will be seized through the Treasury Offset …

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by Chris Spiker
Schools
HV Math Teacher Busted With Child Porn Following Cybertip, Police Say (UPDATE) HV Math Teacher Busted With Child Porn Following Cybertip, Police Say (UPDATE)
HV Math Teacher Busted With Child Porn Following Cybertip, Police Say (Update) Police identified a Hudson Valley teacher who was arrested on charges related to child pornography. Sullivan County resident Christopher Dedonato, 26, of Liberty, was taken into custody Monday, May 5, following an investigation by New York State Police. Dedonato has worked as a math teacher at Liberty High School since 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to that, he worked as a substitute teacher for both the Liberty Central and Beacon City school districts. New York State Police opened an investigation after receiving a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploit…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Possibly Tampered-With, Smoking Chromebook Prompts Early Dismissal At HS In Hudson Valley Possibly Tampered-With, Smoking Chromebook Prompts Early Dismissal At HS In Hudson Valley
Possibly Tampered-With, Smoking Chromebook Prompts Early Dismissal At HS In Hudson Valley A high school in Dutchess County was forced to dismiss students early after a student-issued Chromebook began smoking inside a classroom, school officials said.  The incident happened around 8:50 a.m. Monday, May 5, at Roy C. Ketcham High School in Wappingers Falls, according to Superintendent Dr. Dwight Bonk of the Wappingers Central School District. The smoke from the device triggered a fire alarm, prompting emergency responders to arrive at the school. Although the fire was quickly contained, school leaders said the lingering smoke and odor made it necessary to dismiss students for …

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Record Student Loan Borrowers Face Default As Collections Resume, Grads Enter Weak Job Market Record Student Loan Borrowers Face Default As Collections Resume, Grads Enter Weak Job Market
Record Student Loan Borrowers Face Default As Collections Resume, Grads Enter Weak Job Market A record number of federal student loan borrowers are seriously delinquent as debt collections resume after a five-year pause, while new college graduates face tough employment prospects. The Education Department restarted collecting defaulted federal student loan debt on Monday, May 5. Collections were paused at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The move threatens to seize tax refunds and garnish paychecks from millions of Americans in default on their loans. The Education Department said about 42.7 million people owe more than $1.6 trillion in student loan d…

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by Chris Spiker
Schools
School District Reverses Ending DEI Policy After Legal Review In Hudson Valley (UPDATE) School District Reverses Ending DEI Policy After Legal Review In Hudson Valley (UPDATE)
School District Reverses Ending DEI Policy After Legal Review In Hudson Valley (Update) A Putnam County school district that temporarily suspended its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy under the threat of losing critical federal funding now says it plans to fully reinstate the policy at its next board meeting.  In a letter sent to families on Thursday, May 1, the Haldane Central School District confirmed that its Board of Education intends to restore the DEI policy in its entirety during a scheduled public meeting on Tuesday, May 6.  The reversal follows the Board's vote on Tuesday, April 22 to temporarily suspend the DEI policy. That decision was made on…

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by Ben Crnic