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Schools
Student Turned Politician: 18-Year-Old Elected To NY School Board Student Turned Politician: 18-Year-Old Elected To NY School Board
Student Turned Politician: 18-Year-Old Elected To NY School Board A New York high school senior is going from the classroom to the boardroom - the school boardroom that is. Long Island’s Quinn Bedell, an 18-year-old senior at West Islip High School, was elected to the West Islip Board of Education as a write-in candidate in the election held Tuesday, May 16. “I would like to thank the West Islip community for choosing me to be a trustee on the Board of Education. I am truly honored,” Bedell wrote on Facebook Wednesday, May 17. “I could not have done this without the overwhelming support of this community. I am forever grateful to every one of you and I …

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
New Superintendent To Take Command At District In Northern Westchester New Superintendent To Take Command At District In Northern Westchester
New Superintendent To Take Command At District In Northern Westchester After an extensive search, a school district in Northern Westchester has named its next superintendent.  Duncan Wilson has been selected as the new Superintendent of the North Salem Central School District and will take over the position on Saturday, July 1, district officials announced.  Wilson will take over the position from Ken Freeston, who will be retiring at the end of the school year.  Wilson comes to North Salem from the Ardsley Union Free School District, where he was assistant superintendent. Prior to that, he was director of instruction and human resources a…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
This Westchester School District Ranks In Top 15 In America, New Report Says This Westchester School District Ranks In Top 15 In America, New Report Says
This Westchester School District 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 Hudson Valley To Retire: Decision Made With 'Very Heavy Heart' School Superintendent In Hudson Valley To Retire: Decision Made With 'Very Heavy Heart'
School Superintendent In Hudson Valley To Retire: 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
New Assistant Superintendent Of HR Named By Hudson Valley School District New Assistant Superintendent Of HR Named By Hudson Valley School District
New Assistant Superintendent Of HR Named By Hudson Valley School District A school district in the Hudson Valley has selected its next assistant superintendent of human resources.  The Mahopac Central School District in Putnam County has picked Jennifer Pontillo to serve as Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, officials announced on Friday, April 28.  Pontillo, who is currently the principal of the district's Lakeview Elementary, has worked in Mahopac since 1994, beginning as a first-grade teacher.  She then became the principal of Lakeview Elementary in 2000 and has remained in the pos…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
BOCES Names New Superintendent For Northern Westchester, Putnam BOCES Names New Superintendent For Northern Westchester, Putnam
Boces Names New Superintendent For Northern Westchester, Putnam The Board of the Putnam and Northern Westchester BOCES has named its next superintendent as the current one plans to retire.  Neil Boyle, who previously served as the organization's Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, will serve as the next District Superintendent and Chief Executive Officer of PNW BOCES, officials announced on Thursday, April 27.  Boyle will succeed James Ryan, who is retiring from the position this year.  Already having a long history with BOCES and other school districts in the area, Boyle has previously served as the coordinator …

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Support Pours In For Teens Severely Injured After School Bus, Car Crash In Northern Westchester Support Pours In For Teens Severely Injured After School Bus, Car Crash In Northern Westchester
Support Pours In For Teens Severely Injured After School Bus, Car Crash In Northern Westchester 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
Chappaqua CSD Didn't Properly Monitor, Account For Fixed Assets, State Comptroller Says Chappaqua CSD Didn't Properly Monitor, Account For Fixed Assets, State Comptroller Says
Chappaqua CSD Didn't Properly Monitor, Account For Fixed Assets, State Comptroller Says 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 Westchester Over Alleged Criminal Behavior Police Charge Teacher In Westchester Over Alleged Criminal Behavior
Police Charge Teacher In Westchester 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 Hudson Valley Swastikas Found At High School In Hudson Valley
Swastikas Found At High School In Hudson Valley 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
Swatting Call Targets HS In Hudson Valley: Extra Patrols Dispatched In Response, Police Say Swatting Call Targets HS In Hudson Valley: Extra Patrols Dispatched In Response, Police Say
Swatting Call Targets HS In Hudson Valley: Extra Patrols Dispatched In Response, Police Say Police are dispatching extra patrols to schools in the Hudson Valley after one received a threatening swatting call, they say.  Related Story - School Swatting Incidents Occurring Across NY, State Police Say The extra patrols are being sent to schools throughout Putnam County after Putnam Valley High School received a threat on Thursday morning, March 30, according to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.  The high school went into lockdown as a result of the call, Putnam Valley Superintendent Jeremy Luft said.  The lockdown was then lifted after sheriff's deputies clear…

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by Ben Crnic