Schools: Mask Rules; Northport Enrollment Decline

An official in the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday that when students are unmasked, schools should “implement physical distancing to the extent possible… but should not exclude students from in-person learning to keep a minimum distance requirement.”

Regulations issued by the state Department of Health do not require a six-foot physical distancing requirement, but  later said  that the distancing requirement under certain circumstances such as eating, drinking, singing or playing a wind instrument was in effect.

School districts questioned how to implement the spacing at lunch and keep all students in school.

Masks Up in School

The state Department of Health confirmed what Gov. Kathy Hochul said earlier in the week, that masks are required in schools. Specifically, the new rules read, “Any person over the age of 2 (including all students, personnel, teachers, administrators, contractors, and visitors) must wear masks at all times indoors in P-12 school buildings, regardless of vaccination status. People with medical or developmental conditions that prevent them from wearing a mask may be exempted from mask requirements, as documented by a medical provider.”

Huntington School Board to Meet

The Huntington school board meets Monday at 7 p.m. at Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School.

The agenda is available at https://go.boarddocs.com/ny/hufsd/Board.nsf/Public

The regular business meeting will be livestreamed on the HUFSD YouTube channel.

Driver’s Education

Half Hollow Hills students with a state learner’s permit or a junior license before Sept. 10 can apply for driver’s ed classes.
Hills East

Hills West

Northport Enrollment Decline

The Northport school board reviewed   data Thursday night on the decline in student enrollment. The board had voted in the spring to close two schools, Bellerose Avenue and Dickinson Avenue elementary, citing the declining enrollment and loss of revenue from the power plant in Northport. A chart displayed at the board meeting revealed a decline from 6,217 students in 2011-2012 to 4,655 for 2021-2022.

 

Harborfields’ Top Diver

Harborfields High School senior Alex Zhang was recently named an All-American in diving. He earned his third consecutive Suffolk County diving championship this past year, and led the Harborfields boys swim team to its highest finish in many years. Zhang recently committed to attend U.S Military Academy at West Point next year.

“Alex is a tremendous young man, a humble yet inspiring hard worker who has earned the respect of his team, peers and all staff at Harborfields over the course of his diving career,” said Robert Franco, the district’s director of health, physical education and athletics. “This is an amazing accomplishment that not many people achieve and we are all so proud of Alex. We know the hard work, commitment and dedication it takes to earn this accolade, but to accomplish it while excelling academically makes it all the more impressive.”

 

 

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