BOE Meeting - June 14, 2022

001of the Board of Education. I'd like to call this meeting to order at 7.09 p.m. on June 14th. At this time, I would like to invite Mr. DiMatteo to introduce Antonio La Rosa, who will be leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance this evening. Good evening, everyone. Antonio La Rosa is a sixth grade student in Ms. Kerner's class at Rameh Avenue. Antonio's favorite subjects include mathematics and social studies. Outside of school, he loves hanging out with his friends, playing football and baseball. Antonio comes from a very large family, and he is excited to be at the junior-senior high school with his older brothers, Nico and Gianni, in the fall. Why don't you come on up, buddy? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it

002stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Nice job. Now I'd like to turn the meeting over to Mrs. Ruiz for recognition, recognitions and presentations. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much for coming out. Retirements are always very bittersweet. It can. In contrast to last month's 10 year celebrations where we celebrated beginnings, tonight we will celebrate an ending and say goodbye to a number of our most beloved and successful colleagues who will be irreplaceable. Tonight we will honor social studies teacher, Ms. Dorian Ansell, English teacher, Ms. Catherine Curcio, World Language Teacher, Mr. Frank Kittida and World Language Teacher, Senora Rodriguez. In addition, we will be honoring Secretary Tony Keene and Carol Hernandez. And yes, Carol will be so missed that we need to honor her twice. Oh, okay. Guys,

003I apologize. I missed this one. Tonight, we're honored to share with you a special performance by two of our students, Clara Cutie and Julia Walsh, who have been secretly rehearsing to honor tonight's retirees. A special thanks to Ms. Silver and our students for their tireless work in putting this together. Performing for good from the hit Broadway musical, Wicked, Please enjoy this beautiful duet about the impact one person can have on the life of another. Let people come into our lives for a reason. Bringing something we must learn and we are there. To those who help us, most to grow if we let them. And we help them in return. I believe that's true. But I know I'm who I am today. Because I knew you. Like a comet pulled from the moon. As it passes

004us on. Like a stream that meets a boulder. Halfway through the winter. If I could change for the better. Because I knew you and shit for good. We will never meet again in this lifetime. So let me say before we part. So much of me is made of what I've learned from you. You'll be with me like a handprint on my AR stories. I know you have rewritten mine by being mine. By a wind off the cyber. In a distant world, the better. But because I knew you. Because I knew you. I have been changed for good. And just to clear the air. I ask forgiveness for the things I've done you. We know there's blame. Thank you so much, ladies. That was absolutely beautiful. Let's give them another round of applause. How beautiful. How

005amazingly beautiful. So talented. Thank you so much. And thank you, Mr. McNally. And I will continue with my remarks. As I was saying, Carol, we have to honor you twice. So Carol will be honored tonight to receive her award. And last but not least, teacher aide Linda Donovan is with us tonight, who will also be retiring. As I usually do. In total, these amazing individuals served our community for 154 years collectively. So that's pretty amazing. Congratulations to you all. I will now turn over the podium to Mr. Schaefer, who will speak on behalf of our teacher retirees from the Junior Senior High School. Good evening. It's my pleasure to be here tonight to speak about four members of the East Rockaway Junior Senior High School teaching staff that have collectively given... nearly 100 of those

006154 years of service to our students and community. Their lasting impact on all of us will not soon be replicated. Doreen Ansell began her career at East Rockaway High School in the fall of 1998. From the very start, Doreen's love for history and the teaching of social studies was evident to our students and colleagues. In her time at ERHS, she has taught just about every high school course, including advanced placement United States history and advanced placement government and politics. No matter the class, Doreen's content, knowledge, and passion is second to none. Any conversation that you have with Doreen feels like you are talking to a historian. As a former social studies teacher myself, it is always amazing to see such in-depth conversations in our classroom around historical events and historical figures and to see students

007crafting opinions about these topics. One of the first times I visited Doreen's classroom, students in her economics class had just completed a project around a dream vacation with an unlimited budget. But in a very current and topical fashion, she asked them to rework their entire itinerary on a slim budget. Students had to determine what their priorities were and how they would account for these priorities in a scaled-down version of their trip. Students were at first pretty mad about the proposition, but quickly they realized the challenge and the task and got right to work and had a lot of fun doing it. And her thirst for knowledge has never ended. She never misses an opportunity to attend the Long Island Council for Social Studies yearly conferences. She's had many conversations with me about this actual conference.

008She's expressed how rewarding the experience is, how much she is able to bring back to her classroom, and how she's able to share her newfound knowledge with her department colleagues. She also shared that it was a great opportunity to form relationships with her fellow social studies teachers. Her role as a member of this department cannot be overstated. She is a trained mentor, serving in this capacity both formally and informally, and has helped several of our current department members ease into their roles when they were first hired. But we know her connections with our staff will not end upon her retirement. We also know that her life isn't going to be any less busy. She's awaiting the arrival of her new grandchild, and we know that she will find time to garden, cook, and so much

009more. We wish Doreen all the best in retirement. Congratulations. Doreen couldn't be here tonight, but we will accept her award on her behalf, and we'll present it to her when she returns to school. Okay. Next up, we have Kathy Curcio. Kathy Curcio began her career at East Rockaway High School in the fall of 1991. I first met Kathy as part of my interview process a little more than four years ago. As I watched her teach, her passion for teaching, specifically literature, came through right from the start. Little did I know that her passion would come through in just about everything she does. She is the thinking maps queen and consistently uses maps to encourage her students to think outside the box. I dare anyone to say that they've walked into Kathy's room and didn't see

010student-created maps on all four walls. But the maps are not just decoration. They often stem from the reading of complex texts or research and are the precursor for important class discussions or major pieces of writing. And her commitment to thinking maps has not waned even this year as she approached retirement. Since I've known Kathy, she's shown a remarkable ability to adapt. She took to a slew of new technology during the pandemic, always taking advantage of training sessions, always wanting to learn more. She has shown a great deal of flexibility and compassion for her students, especially those seniors that she's gotten the extra mile for to help them cross the finish line and graduate. Kathy has also cornered the market on the no subject line emails. Every administrator in the building has received his or her

011fair share of them from Kathy. I think I actually got one yesterday. You never quite know when you're going to get one or what the message will be about. But they almost always contain an idea aimed at helping our students or supporting her colleagues. The first such email I received was a little more than a week after I began as principal. Kathy pitched an idea for a CANstruction team. Did we miss the picture yet? If you're unfamiliar with Canstruction, well, then you're unfamiliar with Kathy, and I will leave it to Kathy to share all of the details of Canstruction. Our email had about 18 reasons why this would be beneficial for our students and our school. Every one of them was on point, and I really had no choice but to say yes. And the

012rest is history. Our Canstruction team has gone on to win at least one award every year that it has competed. I was fortunate enough to attend this year's awards ceremony, thanks to Kathy, and to see the excitement in Kathy around what our students accomplished was amazing. Not to mention, she was like a celebrity in that room. So it should go as no surprise that Kathy will be a member of the Canstruction Board of Directors next year. In total, Kathy's retirement leaves a huge hole in the English department. but we know that retirement is just the beginning as she continues her work with Canstruction, her volunteer work advocating for dogs, and of course, her never-ending love for reading, and so I'm told, General Hospital. Congratulations. Next, Frank Katsita. Frank Katsita began his career at East Rockaway

013High School in the fall of 1992. and has instilled a love for the Italian language in his students from the very beginning. Just this week, I observed four of Mr. Kittida's students, who are among the first ever at East Rockaway High School to earn the seal of bioliteracy on their diplomas. Not speaking any Italian myself, I was able to follow his students' presentations as they spoke passionately about topics of their own choosing. You could see that students were not only speaking in Italian, but they were thinking in Italian. They used this opportunity to share their opinions on topics that mattered to them, and they made every one of the judges care about the topic as well. This is no doubt thanks to Mr. Ketida's expert skill in teaching a new language. When you walk into

014Mr. Ketida's classroom, you are amazed by how much time students spend speaking in the target language. The first time I visited his classroom, students were seated in a circle in the middle of the classroom. They were discussing a novel in Italian. Quite frankly, I had no clue what was going on, but every one of his students did. To see the way in which his students were able to reference the text when asked questions and to participate in discussion was absolutely amazing. But learning in Frank's class goes beyond learning to speak Italian. Students are immersed in a study of culture, both Italian and their own. Another time I visited Frank's class, a simple question from a textbook morphed into a whole class discussion about each individual student's traditions at home. It was clear that this was

015a classroom environment where students felt comfortable and safe to share personal stories with their peers. Frank's influence goes even further. He is a role model for all of his students. He teaches them grit and perseverance, that they should never give up no matter how difficult the challenge in front of them is. He incorporates ethics and appropriate decision making into his classroom. He has a constant positive can-do attitude and is always smiling. He has helped our district procure the Italian American Committee on Education grant each year. In fact, through this grant, Frank took 80 of his students to the Metropolitan Opera House to see La Traviata in January of 2020, before everything shut down. The timing was impeccable on that. He is a regular in the saxophone section of our Jazzman. And by the way, Mr.

016Seglio says you are still expected to practice on Tuesday mornings. He also is known for coordinating a yearly pie sale during Thanksgiving as a fundraiser. Fortunately for Frank's students, this isn't really goodbye. Frank is so committed to our Italian program that he will be with us for the next few years as he sees all of his Italian students through their course of study. We will still wish him well and all the best in his semi-retirement. Congratulations. Finally, from the high school, we have Rebecca Rodriguez. Rebecca Rodriguez began her career at East Rockaway High School in the fall of 2006. She is affectionately known as Nina by her students and I probably said it wrong. I took French, sorry. And was named the 2021 Long Island Herald Teacher of the Year. That's all of Long Island.

017And if ever there was a teacher that our students speak affectionately about, it is Rebecca. Every year, Rebecca is one of the teachers our graduates are most excited to see at Alumni Day. She's a teacher that 10 plus students want to shout out on Senior Day. Her extra help sessions are more than just support for learning the Spanish language. They're safe spaces for her students. Rebecca has an amazing ability to connect with her students, to make them feel comfortable around her and in her classroom, and to assure them that she is more than just their teacher. She is someone that they can confide in, and someone that will do anything in her power to help them, and her students will do the same for her. The first time I observed Rebecca, her students were engaged

018in a scavenger hunt. She sent them out around the building in pairs with a series of directions to reach a destination, and ironically, I think she did it today. When the students thought that they had reached the correct destination, they had to return to the classroom. Now I have to admit, as a brand new principal, not knowing the students in our class at the time, I was a little nervous about this. Actually, as I watched pair after pair leave the room, I was more than a little bit nervous. But every student came back, most within five minutes, and every one of them was excited to let Mrs. Rodriguez know where they ended up. They were just as excited to have succeeded in the task as they were to please their teacher. She is extremely passionate

019about the importance of students knowing another language. Early on in my first year, she pointed out, as she is so skilled at doing, that we did really have textbooks for many of our Spanish courses. So when I told her that we would find the money to buy all new textbooks and workbooks, she was thrilled. So much so that she spent most of her summer writing the scope and sequence for Spanish 1A through Spanish 3 on her own time at home during the summer. That just shows her dedication to not only our craft, but to our students and her colleagues. Those of you who know Rebecca know that this was an especially trying year for her. But through it all, she never stopped planning, she never stopped grading, she never stopped thinking of her students. She

020also never stopped being a mentor for her colleagues, always willing to support them and make them feel important and validated. So Rebecca, we hope that retirement gives you the opportunity to think about yourself and what it is that will make you happy in this next phase of your life. Congratulations. Thank you, everyone. Unfortunately, after all that I said, Carol, unfortunately, could not be here tonight. So let's give Carol Hernandez one round of applause. And Mr. Fisk, if you can please take Carol's award. Okay, next up, I'd like to invite Dr. MacArthur to the podium, who's going to speak on behalf of Ms. Toni Keene. The lifeline of the school flows from the main office. It is the only part of the school where students, teachers, staff, and parents seek information or solutions to their challenges.

021Sitting behind those desks requires exemplified professionalism, patience, diligence, and a sense of humor. It is a role that is not for the faint of heart. For the past 20 years, Tony Keene has brought these characteristics into the Reign Avenue's front office every day. Toni joined the East Rockaway community in 1999, first as a teacher aide in the computer lab. She then moved into a clerical substitute position, working in the offices of Mr. DiTomaso and Mr. Volpis, before making her home in the front office at Rehm Avenue School. Working alongside Tina Fazi for many years, Toni quickly proved to be efficient in handling budgeting and purchasing with care and precision, maintaining confidentiality in addressing the concerns of others, all while maintaining a friendly and professional disposition when interacting with others. Being the first face that students,

022teachers, staff, and parents would encounter, she is always respectful and attentive in understanding the needs of others. Toni has a strong rapport with teachers and staff, which helps her to ensure timely and adequate coverage for classroom supervision. Even when she is notified of an unexpected absence after she has prepared for coverages. She works with staff members to address the multitude of challenges that arise each and every day. The ability to multitask and be highly organized is essential in maintaining the daily operations of a school and even more important in times of crisis. Toni rose to the occasion in the wake of Hurricane Sandy as she assumed the mammoth task of inventorying lost items, replenishing items needed, managing the various budget codes, and handling incoming donations. Her strong organizational skills helped to ensure the school's needs

023were provisioned for during a challenging time. This came in handy years later when we transitioned to full remote learning during the 2020 school year. As we all had to do in the educational arena, Toni had to learn a new set of skills to maintain the same diligence and professionalism she is accustomed to providing. This required learning how to electronically scan, receive, and submit payroll for each staff member from home, track and account for orders delayed or delivered while we weren't in school, and the huge undertaking of handling reimbursements for field trips that weren't to be for each student. Her new work normal was anything but normal, yet she found a way. Although Toni maintains a professional decorum in all her interactions, she isn't all work and no fun. We can always count on her to

024dazzle us with her stylish winter boots and oh-so-cute sandals, filling us in on great restaurants we should try before we lament about weight and the latest fun happenings with her family. Family is truly at the center of Toni's life. As one gets to know Toni, you quickly learn her pride and joy are her husband, two daughters, her mother, and the newest love of her life, her grandson Jack, born one week ago today. Her decision to retire was motivated by her dedication to her family. One quiet morning before work, she walked into my office and said she wanted to talk. I thought it would be about food, dieting, or something to help us to try to sleep better. However, it was much more serious. With the anticipation of her first grandchild's birth, she had been thinking

025about how much she wanted to be fully available to help her daughter and son-in-law and decided this would be the best time to retire. I said okay before what she really said registered. As much as her leaving would change the warm and close-knit dynamics in our office, there is no better reason to bid farewell than for your family. After 20 years at RAINN, your infectious smile, laughter, kindness, and caring nature will truly be missed in our school community and especially in the main office. Although we won't see you every day, we look forward to hearing about baby Jack. and the restaurants and recipes we should try as you enjoy being Mimi in this new chapter of your life. Thank you, Tony, for all you've done to help RAIM run smoothly and be a welcoming school

026for all. Thank you, Dr. MacArthur, principal of RAIM Avenue School. Now I'd like to invite up Mrs. Kalia Kelly, principal of Center Avenue, who's going to speak on behalf of Linda Donovan, teacher aide. Good evening. Thank you for joining us as we celebrate and honor a distinguished colleague, Linda Donovan. Linda Donovan has been a teacher aide in our kindergarten, working specifically with Linda Grace. Yes, they both are named Linda, and it took me some time to realize that it was customary to call them by their first and last name in conversation. Linda is supported by her husband, Dennis, and three talented and successful children, Daniel, Grace, and Benjamin. Linda Donovan grew up in East Rockaway and believed in our school so much that she knew she wanted to help pave the educational journey of our

027youngest of learners and be part of how our children are supported. When I heard of her retirement, it took me by surprise because Linda has been a dedicated educator at Center Avenue for the last 11 years and it would be difficult to imagine Center Avenue without her. Linda began her career on an early intervention pre-K before joining the Center Avenue family. I reflected on our last two years together and it is important for everyone here to know that Linda is one of the most patient, loving, and supportive educators where her heart is the center of her being. Linda begins every day greeting all the students by name at the door with a smile. The remarkable part of this is that a majority of the students that have passed through our doors on a daily basis

028have been positively impacted by the kindness and compassion of Mrs. Donovan. One thing to note about Linda is that she is a magician. Linda's magical powers can comfort the most nervous child on their first days of school and can bring a smile to the face of a child who has trouble vocalizing their feelings. It is something about her voice that makes all the nervous energy of our kindergartners go away. I personally have seen this in action, and it truly is amazing. This magic manifests itself in so much of Linda's daily routines. Linda has been found to be the dragon during Women's New Year celebrations, leading the students around the school and gym with laughter and joy. Linda also... is a master organizer and ensures that all of her students are prepared for the day, making

029sure lunch tickets are filled out, papers are handed in, and the students are supported during classroom rotations. During lunch and recess, Linda is always found playing with the students on the kindergarten playground or organizing fun games. On indoor recess days, I always see Linda making crafts with the students or singing to brighten up the rainy and cold days. See, there is that magic again. To say that Linda goes above and beyond is an understatement. During Hurricane Sandy, Center Avenue housed students from across the district. During that difficult time, not even a super storm could bring Linda down. She ensured that each student was supported and cared for. She used her magic to create fun activities to warm up the bitterest of days. Her fortitude is also noted during the last two years of us being

030in a pandemic. We all know how the pandemic has impacted our community, but Linda Donovan ensured that no matter what, our students are going to smile. She dressed up like a pirate during Zooms, visited houses during the shutdown, celebrated and dressed up during 100-day celebrations, and always engaged with students every single day. Linda, as you make the turn and head towards the back nine, I am told that you will be spending time with your sister in Florida, traveling a ton by possibly driving across the United States, and most importantly, playing lots and lots and lots of golf. Linda, you will be missed terribly. By me, your Center Avenue family, and your students past and present, you truly are a Diamond Girl. And like you might have heard at your first concert, you sure do shine.

031Makes no difference where you are. Day or night, you're like a shining star. Congratulations, Linda. You deserve all the happiness and joy this chapter brings. Good evening, everyone. Before I speak about our retiring superintendent, Lisa Ruiz, I'd like to congratulate all the staff and families on their retirements. I'd like to personally thank you for your many years of service and dedication to our school community. Without question, you have made a major impact on the lives of many. It is my hope that you find just as much joy and happiness outside of the walls of East Rockaway and take on your future endeavors with that same excitement as you did your first day of teaching. I wish you nothing but the best and remember, you will always be part of the Rock family. Congratulations to all

032our retirees. So now it's time. I'd like to start our festivities in recognizing Superintendent Ruiz by calling up our Board of Education President, Mr. Peter McNally. I'm going to take this in a different direction. We had a little board statement prepared, but I don't think that will do Mrs. Ruiz justice, so I'd like to switch it around a little bit. Something my dad taught me, he said it all the time, he said, to get a true feeling of how someone feels, put yourself in their shoes. And as I'm sitting here tonight, I'm trying to put myself in Mrs. Ruiz's shoes because until I was on the school board, I didn't realize the dynamic between a school board and the superintendent. And Mrs. Ruiz, I don't know how many superintendents go from one school board, five

033members, to five different members in such a short time. And I know... Just seeing the dynamics, different expectations, people have different ideas, and it's not easy. And you're in meetings, and people are coming up with different ideas. So I want to put myself in your shoes and how difficult that can be and how Mrs. Ruiz has handled that with grace and has always put the students of East Rockaway first. you know, when we're in a meeting, whether we agree on things or disagree on things, that always shines through. And that's what you want in your leader. That's the most important thing is that the students shine through. The leader shines through for the students of the district. So what I would like to do, if any of, well, let me just go first by saying.

034In getting to know Mrs. Ruiz the past three years, when Kristen O'Hagan and I first got elected to the school board, we had to do new school board member orientation. And Mrs. Ruiz came with us. So we got to spend two days with her at a new orientation for school board members. And we spent the whole day. We had lunch together. So we got a little. idea of what Mrs. Ruiz was all about. And she went out of her way to make us feel comfortable to, because, I mean, let's, you know, there was a lot of stuff said and new school board members and everything, but Mrs. Ruiz cut through all of that and she made us feel comfortable. taught us what is expected of a school board member and we went to the training

035together and So I can say three years later that I have The utmost respect for what you have done for this community for the past nine years leading this school district I know I saw firsthand how difficult your job is and just how much you care about the community, you care about the students. And I personally just want to thank you for everything you've done. And with that, I'd like to any, I know Keith is here and the school board members now. Keith, if you would like to get up and say a few things, I think that would. as the former board president. I don't mean to put you on the spot. Thank you, Mr. McNally. Thankfully, also, I had prepared comments that I planned to share during the end of the meeting. But I

036would like to say, Lisa, as I've thought about how I wanted to say thank you and quantify your impact on our schools. I thought it'd be best to state it in the context of how the lives of our children are better. You see, it's easy to take many of the things today for granted, to assume that our children have always had certain opportunities and protections, to think that improvements from two years ago, five years ago, nine years ago, have always been here for them. For example, our eighth graders have only known the East Rockaway schools during your leadership. Throughout elementary school, they benefited from full-time math and reading specialists, an enrichment STEM program for all third to sixth graders, and increased clubs. Likewise, our graduating seniors have only known the junior-senior high school during your

037leadership. They've benefited from new courses and teams, a comprehensive writing framework, and also additional clubs. as well as three times as many interested students can attend BOCES than before you arrived. Pretty soon, the spectacular sports complex, modern science and family and consumer science rooms will be added to that list as well. All of our children in grades K to 12 are safer with full-time security in our buildings and healthier with our Northwell Health partnership. When I joined the board during your second year, I asked at a work session, only partially in jest, if Mr. Robinson was printing money in the basement. My prior experience attending PTA and Budget Advisory Committee meetings prior to serving on the board had taught me that East Rockaway was too small and we couldn't afford these things that many of

038our larger, more affluent neighbors could. You never use that as an excuse. While still recovering from Superstorm Sandy and working within the governor's restrictive tax cap, you strategically and systematically implemented changes with the talent, skills, and dedication of your staff to make all of our schools better, more academically and fiscally sound, and safer both physically and emotionally for all of our children. You listened to families and you protected children. You were bold and you were brave. And for all of these reasons, I am grateful. And for so many more, I say thank you. Keith, do you want to come up for the picture? At this time, I'd like to introduce Mrs. Gail Byer to speak on behalf of the East Rockaway Teachers Association. Good evening. I'm honored to have the opportunity to share with you

039the impact Superintendent Ruiz has had on the school district in my role as president of the East Rockaway Teachers Association. I'd like to start my story in early March of 2020. Superintendent Ruiz and I were engaged in conversations, many, many conversations. Sometimes just the two of us and sometimes with my whole executive board and members of the administrative team to discuss hypothetical remote instruction. We built a plan together in the hopes we would never have to use it. The district had a staff development day scheduled for March 13th. Typically, we hold an ERTA general meeting before that superintendent conference day. I aligned my comments to my members that morning with what I knew the superintendent would be speaking about later, so that by the end of the day, our nervous staff had heard the same

040things twice. We were ready, we had a plan, and we would figure this out together. We did unfortunately wind up having to use our plan when things shut down that weekend, but we were working in partnership to ensure that things would go smoothly for the children of East Rockaway. That kind of partnership can be hard to come by in a labor management relationship, and we were able to achieve it during the crisis of the global pandemic. I'd like to share another story from that time. I've yet to meet another local leader who can say that their superintendent created a sign-up sheet for staff to have her come guest star in their classrooms for a period during the hardest year of teaching ever due to our hybrid model. Superintendent Ruiz willingly prioritized staff mental health and

041offered staff a break. She came into classrooms and read with students or led whatever activities were left, attempted the management of students at home on the computer as well as in school, and achieved great success in helping teachers know that she supported them. Thank you, Superintendent Ruiz, for all of your efforts in leading the East Rockaway Union Free School District during your time here, and many wishes for a long and healthy retirement on behalf of the East Rockaway Teachers Association. And now it is my pleasure to introduce Mr. Richard Schaefer, President of the ERAA. Thank you, Ms. Byer. Unfortunately for you, it's me again. On behalf of the East Rockaway Administrators Association, it is my sincere pleasure to be able to say a few words about the mark that Lisa has left on this district

042and our unit. To say that Lisa has put this district on a path to excellence is an understatement. She has a wealth of knowledge on all aspects of the inner workings of a district. Whether instruction, finance, school law and policy, it doesn't matter. Lisa knows the answer or knows exactly how to get the answer. This is incredibly reassuring to administrators when faced with making decisions on a daily basis. We were never on our own knowing that we could ask questions that would be answered. This is no small task as a superintendent considering all the members of our unit have less than six years of experience in their role and more than half of them less than three. Our caring and warm personality has created a welcoming environment for which we are all so appreciative. Every

043one of us has learned so much about leadership under her guidance and tutelage. She has helped us shape our priorities in our buildings and in our departments. And above all, she has kept us laser focused on doing what is best for the students of East Rockaway. Lisa also has had extremely high standards for each of us. Just ask any of us that has been through her interview process. She was always determined to make sure that every hire was right, and she always made sure to include as many stakeholders as possible in the process. Although I'm pretty sure that I was the only one lucky enough to actually have her come to my old school and talk to students, teachers, and parents of my old school. But I think she made the right choice. She made

044sure that all of us had an entry plan, which laid out everything she wanted us to do in our role, always reassuring us that she would be there to support us. Her support of our unit and the district was never more evident than during the pandemic, a time where every administrator basically worked around the clock. It was her leadership, knowledge, and determination that allowed our district to continue to succeed while others around us faltered. Her mantra of don't let the perfect get in the way of the good were words to live by and were critical in making it through the pandemic as a strong and cohesive team. But it was her commitment to our unit to make sure we didn't burn out, for which we are most grateful. She directed each of us at different

045times to stop working, even though she did not. She advocated for us to make sure we were compensated for the hours and days we worked above and beyond what would normally be expected. She was there for us no matter what time of the day. Lisa is extremely generous, never missing an opportunity to give gifts for just about any occasion. None of us could ever thank her enough for her incredible baking skills, which were always the highlight of our district meetings. But most importantly, she is generous of her time. She is never too busy to stop what she is doing to hear about students' accomplishments and experiences. She makes time to meet with families to listen to their concerns and to ensure that all voices are heard and that decisions made are reflective of multiple voices.

046She is giving towards anyone and everyone that she meets. Lisa, you have left a lasting imprint on the East Rockaway School District and will always be remembered for your commitment to excellence. As we know, you are a proud grandmother. We hope that you get to fully enjoy extra time with your family through retirement. And as you have always wished to others, may you enjoy retirement for as long as you enjoy your time in public education, helping students and staff achieve success. Congratulations. I now turn the podium over back to Mr. DiTomaso. Mr. Ruiz, we're not done. Almost there. We have a few more accolades to recognize you for. Mr. Ruiz has accomplished as a superintendent of schools many outstanding achievements. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank her for her leadership and for her

047friendship. Her empathetic ear and her wealth of knowledge and resources will surely be missed, most of all by me. I have learned an incredible amount from her and I want you all to know how much I appreciate everything she has done for me personally and professionally. Ms. Ruiz, thank you so much. Now with that being said, it's time to share some of Mrs. Ruiz's many accomplishments. She has been in education for more than four decades and has given her heart and soul to the district for the past nine years. She said she was proud of many accomplishments as most recently quoted in the East Rockaway Herald, in Lindbrook Herald, including increasing the percentage of students attending college, raising awareness about student mental health and social and emotional learning by added programming and partnership with Northwell

048Health Behavioral Clinic and increasing an availability of support services for students and professional development opportunities for staff. Ms. Ruiz is an expert in the area of professional development and has guided us with her knowledge through the numerous programs and consultants that she has directly impacted staff and the community in such a positive manner. Lisa was also proud of hiring a top notch administrative team and highly qualified teachers, many of whom who you heard from today. Lisa has helped increase advanced placement and dual enrollment, college course offerings, and brought upgrades and innovations to the district educational technology initiatives. She also helped to oversee passage of all budgets during her tenure, with three coming in under the tax cap. These are tremendous accomplishments. How about a nice round of applause for Ms. Ruiz? Now, these are no

049doubt tremendous accomplishments, as I said. that the entire school community has benefited from. However, nine years ago, Lisa had a strong vision and plan to improve our school community. Her plan was to improve in the areas of achievement, opportunity, connection, and innovation. This is what we had known as the strategic plan, which will forever be a major part of her legacy. Now, she will be the first to say that this plan was not created by her alone, but that it was a true team effort that included administrators, teachers, parents, and students. Although this may be true, it should be known that Lisa was the driving force behind this plan, which has become part of the framework for our schools to set goals and achieve milestones. Her leadership in this area set a course for excellence.

050If you ask her, she will be humble and quick to give credit to others. But I know, we all know that our governance laid the groundwork that initiated a five-year plan where teachers and students flourished. Her skillful leadership will leave an impressionable mark on the district for all to follow. In fact, she was so passionate about the strategic plan that she guided us through the development of our new plan. Thank you for your leadership in making the strategic plan a blueprint for all to follow. Thank you very much. It is my pleasure to continue the festivities with Mr. Healy. Okay, in keeping with tonight's unofficial Broadway theme, I'm going to paraphrase Lin-Manuel Miranda. The legacy of a gifted leader is planting seeds for a garden that you never get to see. Superintendent Ruiz has spent

051the last several years amidst some of the most challenging decision making that anyone who has ever held her position has endured, prioritizing the mental health of our students. This was long before the reports of a looming mental health crisis. Superintendent Ruiz understood before so many others the importance of mental health, and as a visionary leader, she began planning for what was yet to come. Spearheading the Northwell Health Partnership, she exponentially increased the level of support available to our students and the community as a whole. As a founding member of this initiative, Superintendent Ruiz ensured that students have access to ongoing care, that our community has the tools it needs to make informed decisions about their children's mental health, and that our staff has the resources to help our students at the time of their greatest

052need. Moreover, Superintendent Ruiz's unwavering support of the Source of Strength and RULER programs, both of which are in the early phases of implementation, demonstrate her commitment to this district long into the future. The pieces are in place to ensure that our kids learn not only the importance of empathy for others, but to be kind and forgiving to themselves. Thank you, Superintendent Ruiz, for all you've done to prioritize the mental wellness for our kids, our staff, and our community. And with that, I'm going to turn it over to Ms. Skrillo. Good evening. From the moment I joined the East Rockaway School District's administrative staff, it became clear that Superintendent Ruiz was an incredibly hardworking administrator driven to deliver the best education possible to our students. This became more apparent by her leadership role in both the

053Living with the Bay and the 2019 Bond projects. She understands and places a high level of importance on the impact that school facilities have on the overall learning experience of our students. Superintendent Ruiz is aware of the financial impact of large capital projects to our taxpayers. She was a fierce advocate for the district during the planning stages of the Living with the Bay project. She never wavered on what the district needed and fought for over five years for the funding to support the bulkhead. Her advocacy resulted in a significant savings to our community. Superintendent Ruiz was instrumental in planning and implementation of our 2019 bond projects. She was determined to ensure that the cost of any new bond project would not exceed the cost of the expiring 2005 bond. Throughout the entire project, she made

054sure that the committee remained focused on the needs of the entire district while developing a plan that was fiscally responsible. The newly built impressive athletic complex, which is only a small portion of our capital improvements, will always be a symbol of her outstanding leadership and commitment to our community. We thank you for all that you have done to ensure our students are educated in a safe and warm environment. On a personal note, for the past six years, you have stood beside me as both, well, that's unusual for me, as both my supervisor and my friend. And for that, I will always be grateful. I wish you the best life as to offer in your retirement, and I will miss you. Excuse me. At this time, I'd like to invite Dr. Fisk. Director of Technology and

055Learning Analytics. Good evening. The superintendent of schools is a position of wide influence, but one that is narrowly understood. In the early 1800s, about a decade after the creation of public schools, superintendents were installed to alleviate our state boards. This shift also led to localized and improved leadership that served those students and their respective communities. Over the last 200 years, the roles and expectations of a school superintendent have changed dramatically. But one guiding principle still rings true to this day. Kids first. From all we've heard, it's clear that Superintendent Ruiz will leave behind a legacy of academic rigor, innovative and supportive facilities, whole child development, and data-informed decisions. Step foot into her office and among all the student created artwork, photos of smiling faces, scholarly books, and thank you notes, there's a sign with a

056familiar saying that sticks out, kids first. This serves as my constant reminder and should for all of us that we are here for our students from the moment they first enter kindergarten and now pre-K classrooms to the moment they cross the graduation stage and beyond. Superintendent Ruiz has left a lasting impact on East Rockaway, and I'm pleased to momentarily share this video showing a small glimpse of our enormous appreciation. And I just want to say also that this video, there's understandably such an outpouring of support from our community and beyond, so I wasn't able to capture everything in our video, but some letters behind me just to display, and of course we're going to present all of this to you as well. So stay tuned for just a moment. Hi Lisa, congratulations on your retirement

057and thank you for your years of dedication, support and guidance to the Fine and Performing Arts Department over the last few years. I'd also like to thank you for being a friend and I wish you nothing but the brightest and happiest of futures. Enjoy your family, enjoy your time, take many vacations and just kick back and relax. You deserve it. Over the past seven years I have worked under your leadership, you have been an incredible advocate for our students' mental health. Thank you for partnering with the Northwell Health Behavioral Health Center, for educating staff about adverse childhood experiences, and for leading the Restorative Practices Collegial Circle and the Mental Health Steering Committee. It has been an honor working with you and please know that your legacy will live on. Our shared passion for Red Nose

058Day has turned into an annual tradition which I will continue to carry on throughout my career. Congratulations! Ms. Ruiz, I cannot thank you enough for guiding our children through so much change with our four pillars of achievement, opportunity, connection, and innovation. You brought this community together with your many initiatives, most importantly, the strategic plan. Thank you for putting East Rockaway on the best course for all our students, a course of excellence. You've put in place an administrative team and faculty who embrace a growth mindset and will do your legacy very proud. Congratulations! Thank you! Congratulations! I'm going to miss you so much! We're so excited for you! You mobilized a diverse group of stakeholders to articulate our strategic plan, implemented it with the staff, and reported on yearly progress. You enthusiastically celebrated accomplishments while candidly

059acknowledging areas in need of attention. You held yourself accountable for its ideals and ambitions, and as a result, every aspect of our schools is better off. Opportunities for all students were increased in our classrooms and in our fields and courts. Your leadership will be missed. Thank you for setting us on a course for excellence. I wanted to just wish you just the most wonderful and blessed retirement. Congratulations on a job well done and a career that you truly have made a difference. I wish you all the best success in all of your future endeavors. It was such a pleasure working with you this year. Thank you. You did a great job. I hope you enjoy your retirement. Hey, Lisa. Congratulations on retirement. I just want to take the opportunity to thank you for all the

060support you've given me this year. I wish you a long, happy, and healthy retirement. Thank you again. Hi, Mrs. Ruiz. I wanted to take a moment and congratulate you on your retirement and to thank you for all the years of service you've given this community. Thank you on a personal note for all of the feedback and the support and the encouragement you've given me, you know, not just as an educator, but as a mother as well. I hope that retirement brings you plenty of time to rest, to relax, to read and do all the things that give you joy. Yeah, joy. So again, thank you and enjoy retirement. Personally, my family and I are forever grateful for all the opportunities and guidance that you've given me over the years. It's truly appreciated. Congratulations. Best of

061luck. Hi, it's Gail Byra, fourth grade teacher at Ring Avenue. We wanted to remember the time that Lisa came into our classroom and led the children as a guest reader one day, sitting in the rocking chair, gathering the children on the rug, and just thoroughly enjoying herself. Out of her office, away from the child. tribulations of superintendent work and it was really an exciting time for us. Thank you Lisa for that and all the efforts on behalf of the children. Congratulations Lisa. What an amazing two years it has been and I am so grateful to have walked this journey these last two years with you. So I've learned so much. And a lot of that has come from your guidance and your support these last two years. So I wish you nothing but the best

062on the next chapter of your life. Enjoy every single moment. You deserve it. And all the best always. Congratulations. Ms. Ruiz, congratulations on your retirement. Family, sharing your leadership, your knowledge, and your experience with all of us here at East Rock. Especially thank you for sharing your business. I don't know what I'm going to do without hearing about your successes. professional maker in the future. Again, congratulations and enjoy. Congratulations on your retirement. I hope you enjoy the extra time with your family. I've thoroughly enjoyed our conversations about the silly things our little ones say and milestones achieved. I so appreciate your genuine interest and support in the lives of your team outside of work. I recall seeing your email announcing your retirement and the emotion that came over. I still have so much to learn

063from you. You are a role model and a visionary. Your dedication to students is admirable. You will be missed. Best wishes. Congratulations on your retirement. We wanted to wish you the best of luck on the next stage of your life. We wanted to thank you so much for all your support throughout the years. Bye. Hi, Lisa. Congratulations on your retirement. Thank you for everything that you've done for East Rockaway. Thank you for all the support and the leadership that you've shown me. I've learned so much from you. And I wish you a long, happy, healthy retirement and all the best. Happy retirement, Lisa. From Shannon and Trish and the entire clerical unit, we hope all your mornings feel like Saturday mornings. Congratulations. Hey, one last thing. And I want everyone's eyes on me when I

064say this. Thank you so much for all you've done. Congrats! Good evening, everyone. This release, in the many years we've worked together, I have learned more than anything to make decisions that are in the best interest of our students and to be open to change and to have a true growth mindset. You have taught me much. In your next phase of your life, if you're ever available to be a fashion consultant or a party planner, I'll hire you in a minute. Be well. Hi Lisa, it's been a pleasure working with you for the past year. I hope you really enjoy your retirement. The time of handling work pressure and managing meetings is finally gone. We're going to miss you very much. Have a happy retirement. Que tengas un feliz retiro. At least as long as

065you've worked. Congratulations! Congratulations! Every time Superintendent Ruiz came to visit my kindergarteners, she always brought her happy smile and warm presents. My students loved having you there almost as much as I did. I appreciate everything you have done for me and wish you the best in your retirement. Congratulations. Congratulations on your retirement, Lisa. After many, many years of a wonderful career, I hope you enjoy this time with your family and do some of those things that you truly enjoy doing. Decorating, party playing, catering even if you'd like. Just enjoy and make the most of your time. Best wishes. Then one day I was driving my little boy to school and I saw this quote by Walt Whitman painted on the wall there. It said, be curious, not judgmental. I like that. Superintendent Ruiz, I want

066to congratulate you on your retirement and wish you nothing but happiness and the opportunity to enjoy the time with your family. Thank you for all that you have done for your time in the district. You have truly set us on a course for excellence. We are all going to miss you. Okay, we're almost done. Superintendent Ruiz, as you have clearly left your mark on our East Rockaway community, we could think of no better way to permanently honor and quite literally cement your legacy here. So with that point of education, we are honored to present you with these engraved bricks, front row center of our brand new athletic complex. So with all the speeches done, if everyone can join me up out of your seats for a thunderous round of applause for our valiant superintendent of

067schools, Lisa Ruiz. I just want to thank everybody so much. This was really overwhelming. And most of all, I thank you all for your patience sitting through that. I was so touched. by just by everything. And I'm really speechless, which is unusual for me, as you know. So thank you very much. Congratulations to my fellow retirees. I'm retiring with the best. I wish you all the things that you wish for me, only more and double. And may you have a long, as I always say, a long and healthy retirement. May you be retired at least as long as you've worked. For me, that'll be 44 years. I'll be 100. So thank you. Thank you so much. So we will continue on with our presentations. Again, thank you for your patience this evening. I would like

068to turn the podium over to Mr. Schaefer once again, who is going to speak on behalf of our valedictorian, Madeline Prucha. Sorry, it's me again. It is now my honor to speak about two exceptional members of the class of 2022, our valedictorian, Madeline Prucha, and our salutatorian, Jason Miller. Now, just to be clear, nothing that I could possibly say tonight could ever do justice to how successful these two students are. We do not nearly have enough time for me to share everything that they have accomplished over the past four years, but I will give it a try. By virtue of her, This is not a made up number. 106.64 weighted GPA. Madeline Prucha is the ERHS class of 2022 valedictorian and will be attending Emory University in the fall. Madeline is a diligent worker whose

069intellectual curiosity and insightfulness is second to none. I first heard Maddie's name start to be mentioned during her freshman year when she won the Andrew Stern Memorial Essay Contest for the second year in a row. Several staff members mentioned to me that they thought she was destined to be valedictorian. When I heard her essay, I began to understand. But it actually wasn't until I sat in her 10th grade English class early the following year that I fully realized Maddie's true ability. During a discussion of Mice and Men, her analysis of text and her ability to respond to and challenge the thinking of her peers was exceptional. She commanded the room and you could see that everyone took notice when she spoke. This year, as co-winner of our annual Poetry Madness competition, Maddie's work was so

070sophisticated that most of us needed definitions just to be able to understand her brilliance in writing. Her list of extracurricular activities is impressive. She was the president of Mock Trial, DECA, National Honor Society, and our school newspaper, The Gold. She was extensively involved in rock rivalry, a regular contributor to our morning announcements with our history, this day in history, fact, and captain of cheerleading, badminton, and quiz bowl teams. In February of last year, in the Model G20 Climate Summit, she participated in the Model G20 Climate Summit with the goal to create climate policy for specific countries. In this program, she worked with students from all over the world, and of course, Maddie's team earned the most outstanding delegation. Her list of awards is as extensive as her participation in extracurriculars, and she has taken just

071about every AP and college-level course that we offer. But don't just take my word for it, as Madeline's qualities go far beyond academics and extracurricular activities. According to one of our teachers, one of the greatest gifts of my teaching career has been to encounter a student whose inner qualities as a human being have matched his or her high achievements in academics. Based on my experience and observations as a teacher, I am proud to say that Madeline Prutra is one of these students. Says another of her teachers, Madeline is an excellent student and arguably the best I have ever had the privilege of teaching. She's an example to her peers for how to be a model student and an example to teachers as well for her work ethic and dedication. And finally, as a leader, she

072is collaborative, cooperative, and a great listener. Her approach to working in groups is always warm and inviting. She encourages others, makes them feel comfortable, and helps classmates at their own pace. I believe that Madeline's ability to work with others and lead from a place of kindness and collaboration will allow her to accomplish great things in any setting. There really is no end to how long I could speak about Maddie, so I will conclude by saying that we are so proud of what you have accomplished and the impact that you have had on our school. We wish you all the best at Emory, and we look forward to hearing about your next great steps. Congratulations. Next, by virtue of his 105.82 weighted GPA, Jason Miller is the class of 2022 salutatorian and will be attending Tufts

073University in the fall. Unfortunately, Jason could not be here with us tonight. He's actually right now being recognized at an athletics awards ceremony at the Crest Hollow Country Club. But such are the problems you face when you are just that successful during your time in high school. Jason has an insatiable thirst for knowledge, which is evident both in the classroom and in his extracurricular involvement. He's extremely conscientious about his schoolwork, but has the ability to ensure that he never gets too stressed out. He too has enrolled in the most rigorous courses that we offer at East Rockaway High School. He is and always has been well-liked by his peers and staff and is a confident leader in all that he does. Jason's passion for everything that he does comes through in every conversation that I've

074ever had with him. Whether it was sharing his acceptance to college or just talking about video games with friends, a conversation with Jason is an experience. His time serving on our student cabinet was eye-opening for me. His insight into how our school operates and his ideas for improvement were always articulated well and spot on. Jason has been a participant in the East Rockaway Band Program since fourth grade. He is an excellent percussionist and drummer and has been an asset to our marching, jazz, and concert bands and our musical productions. Jason's participation in extracurricular activities is truly impressive. He has been involved in Canstruction, Key Club, Quiz Bowl, National Honor Society, and he is the president of the Tri-M Honor Society. He is also a member of our track and field team, recently making it to

075the New York State qualifiers for Discus. And of course, Jason's teachers helped paint the full picture of just how impressive he is as a student and as a person. One of his teachers noted, although passionate about many issues he faces in society, his discussion points are always logical and well thought out, and his words measure to ensure that he never crosses the line into a personal attack. Many adults today should take cues about the maturity and respect from this sensible man. He was so focused and dedicated that his classmates often chose him to be the leader of their discussion groups. Another stated, his work ethic is unparalleled, as he does whatever necessary to take responsibility for his own learning. He is one of the most meticulous, conscientious, dedicated students that I've ever taught. He is

076not only dedicated to his academics, but to his peers as well. During class, I would often find Jason helping a classmate figure out what he or she does not understand. He has a natural ability to offer alternate explanations or methods for solving problems. Jason has truly left his mark on East Rockaway High School. His talents, his dedication, and his smile will be missed by all. Congratulations and best of luck at Tufts. We congratulate Jason and congratulate him on an award that he's probably currently accepting right now. Okay, sorry. Thank you, Mr. Schaffer. And again, thank you for your patience. So now it's my turn to speak on behalf of our Board of Education Trustee, Kristen O'Hagan, who is stepping down. Unfortunately, Mrs. O'Hagan couldn't be here tonight because she is attending the Nassau County Girls

077Softball All-Star Game to cheer her daughter Riley on. But I would like to say a few words on her behalf. I would like to thank Mrs. O'Hagan for her board service these past three years. As you're aware, Mrs. O'Hagan will be stepping down at the end of June. It has been a pleasure working with Kristen these past three years. She took a role as trustee, vice president, and president with great sincerity, working hard to ensure that she was well prepared and informed for every meeting. She's always meticulous in her note-taking, her memory, and her organizational skills are most impressive. Most noticeable... I'm sorry, most notable was Mrs. O'Hagan's role as trustee on the policy subcommittee. The work of developing and revising policy is not an easy task to undertake. However, she accepted this role eagerly

078and made sure she did her homework to be prepared for every meeting. She quickly grasped the importance of this work and understood the frequent nuances in the law, New York state regulations, and significance of language. Kristin's skills as a high school English teacher certainly came in handy as we analyzed and dissected complex language that is often found in school district policies. So to Mrs. O'Hagan, thank you for your leadership. I salute you for serving as both president and vice president during your tenure on the board and setting an example for those who will follow in your footsteps. You are intelligent, hardworking, and committed member of the East Rockaway community. You have dedicated many hours in meetings, reading, updates laboring over difficult decisions and overseeing budget votes to support the children of our community i wish

079you continued opportunities to serve this community because i'm sure you have more to give please join me in thanking kristin o'hagan for her service i believe We'll turn the microphone now over to Mr. DiTomaso, who is going to lead our PTA in our PTA installation ceremony. And I thank you for your patience. Before we get, could we just have a quick picture with all the retirees, if you're still here? Our photographer has asked for that. So I'm sorry, but please come down very quickly. Or I'll come up. It is my pleasure to introduce our athletic director, Mr. Gary Gregory. And this will be before we get to our PTA awards to recognize some of our student athletes. So without further ado, please give it up for Mr. Gregory. Good evening, folks. Athletics for most of

080our students is the most important and the most fun part of the day. However, athletics is the extension of the school day. And without our public schools, we would not have the athletics. So whenever a student enrolls in an athletics program, they earn that title student athlete. With that said, these students certainly met that and more. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association, which we are a member of. They have two programs. One is a scholar-athlete team, which the top 75% of our students, if they have a 90 or above, they earn that award for that team and the school gets a certificate. Similarly, if any of the varsity students earn a 90 or above, they actually earn that title of scholar-athlete. All of these students were recognized last night at our awards

081ceremony. And if you weren't there, I do have your awards in my office, so come pick them up. With that being said, if we still have our student athletes here at the end, please come on up for a photo op. We'll start off with our boys spring track and field team with an average of 90.90. Scholar athletes include Nicholas Guarino, Connor Kelly, Kevin and Kieran Lynch, Jason Miller, Matthew Polakov, Zane Tariq, and Brandon Velasquez. Boys spring track. Girls' Spring Track, which earned our highest average, was 94.80. Scholar athletes include Kylie Curtis, Grace DeValley, Mackenzie Gallagher, Brianna Halstead, Karis Kelly, Kaitlyn Coolins, Erin Lynch, Myra Motherway, Emily Perez, Gabriela and Isabella Schaefer, and Haley Velasquez. That was Girls' Spring Track. Girls badminton, which actually had 41 student athletes larger than our boys varsity football team, had

082a score of 91.19. Scholar athletes include Clara Cutie, Julia Argo, Isabella Anderson, Jasmine Boyd, Kirsten Carmen, Adriana DiMatteo. Moving on, baseball. We had two students that earned scholar athletes, Luke Arcieri and Matthew Lacey. Girls softball scholar athlete team with a 92.65. And these athletes include Mimi Bilodello, Stephanie and Teresa Lynch, Riley O'Hagan, Julia Passanissi, Adriana Ramirez, Julia Walsh, and Grace Wooding. Our combined team, Malvern East Rockaway with girls varsity lacrosse earned a 94.35. And we had Emma Poland. And for our boys team, we had Aiden Green and Robert Stolbitz that earned those honors. Last but certainly not least, our unified basketball program earned a 91.06. And we had three scholar athletes there, Anthony Polizzi, Timothy Pullen, and Karis Kelly. So if we do have any of those student athletes here and they would like to

083come up for a photo op, please do so now. Claire, are you the only one that stayed? Claire, come on up. Thank you, Claire. And a last couple of recognitions. Nassau County, the Coaches Association, they select certain players for their sport for certain awards. For baseball, for all league, we have Patrick McLaughlin. Girls softball earned four awards. All county was Adriana Ramirez. Two all-county honorable mentions were Riley O'Hagan, Nini Bilardello, and all-conference was Amanda Lawyer. Boys track was a little bit different. That is earned strictly by ability. And coming in third place in all of Nassau County for Class C was Jason Miller, earning all-division. Where he's at the award ceremony right now getting that award boys across we had three players Receiving awards all County was aiding green all County honorable mention Joseph Lazaro

084all conference Liam O'Neill and Special shout out to our girls varsity softball team for winning the Nassau County Championships and the small school championship and last but not least he was recognized last night Coach Joseph Loris earned his 400th career varsity softball win during the season this year. So that is our report for our spring season. Thank you, Mr. Gregory. It is my pleasure to continue one of our many meaningful traditions, the PTA induction ceremony. Please join me in recognizing and acknowledging a very exclusive group of people. In a few minutes, we will honor and pay tribute to some of our PTA volunteers. To those who are being inducted this evening, let me offer you my heartfelt appreciation for all you have done and will do for our children. Thank you for helping to make

085this district one, which is dedicated to providing the best education possible for our children. To the PTA members, the idea of giving back to the community far outweighs any challenges or obstacles you may face. You are afforded the opportunity of making a difference in someone's life, whether it be a student, staff, or community member. In my opinion, there is no greater gift you can give. For those of you who may not be aware of the overall purpose of the PTA, it's to make every child's potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. On a local level, our PTAs not only support the work of the state PTA, but provide valuable programs and experiences for our students. They will give generously of their time and their funds to support

086scholarships, school activities, and classroom projects. They provide assembly programs to educate our children. They act as a liaison between the schools and the community. And they are active in school and community activities and are tireless advocates for all of us. I think you would agree that it is a very impressive list of endeavors. As has become the tradition in East Rockway, we will conduct the PTA installation ceremony for each building and slate our offices for the 2020-21 school year. So without further ado. Tonight's officers of the Center Avenue, Rame Avenue, and East Rockway High School PTAs will be installing and using themes of flowers. Flowers, in addition to being fragrant and beautiful, are often special messages and meanings. The flowers you will see tonight, both human and botanical, were selected because they are best suited

087to the job in our PTA. So before we get started and before we call them up on stage for their moment, could we have a nice round of applause for all our PTA members here tonight. So members, when I call your name, please come to the stage, receive your flowers, and then stay on stage for a picture at the end. Joanne Harvey, Alberta Ippolito, first VP Cultural Arts. The meaning of this yellow carnation is state of being intensely interested, which means you are going to be working hard in keeping our students interested in school with many programs. Come on up, come on up. We need you on stage. Take your moment of fame. Heather Massa, Alicia Farrancroog, Heather Conklin. Second VP, Fundraising, Ways and Means. And Katie Spiegel, third VP, Ways and Means. The meaning

088of the tiger lily is wealth. You will be working on raising money for the PTA. We could clap for that. Lindsay Joyce. Nicole Lynch, Linda Carmen, VP Membership, Membership Chair. The meaning of a sunflower is pride. A membership chairperson, you are going to show everyone their pride by getting everyone to join our PTA. That's a big task. Melissa Vettieri, Stephanie Nostramo, and Wendy Serchia, Recording Secretary. The message in the yellow rose is welcome back. As Recording Secretary, you will always be there to welcome us back and let us know of what happened in the past meetings with your minutes. Melissa Vettieri, Jean Marie Margolis, and Wendy Sertria. The meeting of the Daisy, I will share your sentiment. As Corresponding Secretary, you will be making sure we know when meetings are and sharing sentiments of others.

089Dana Kalman, Susie Trevia, and Samantha Yagnesis. These green leaves are symbolic of the treasury you will be supervised. Be sure the money is used wisely and for the PTA purposes. Dawn Falby, Holly Diamond, Amy Kelly. A Chinese symbol for many children. Glidorias are perfect for you because you are and take care of many children. Kathleen Acuti, junior high school representative, second vice president. The meaning of this flower is cheerfulness and optimism. May you remain happy and positive in your new endeavor. Jen Hickam, Regina Buckman, Amber Tobia, Victoria Gallagher, and Amy Kelly, president, co-presidents. And this bouquet is each of the flowers that I have given to each of the offices. As co-presidents, Center Avenue, Rehm Avenue, and East Rockaway High School PTAs will enjoy the beauty of working with you and this board and will

090need a little bit of each of these characteristics to pull off a great year for the 2022-23 school year. There is a Chinese proverb that says, all flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds of today. Strong, healthy, and well-educated children carry forward our heritage. We present all of these flowers as symbols of faithfulness, loyalty, and harmony. Your clear judgment and sincerity will enable Center Avenue, Rehm Avenue, and East Rockaway High School PTAs to grow, spread, and sow itself anew. Will each of you separately, in a united effort, work toward the fulfillment of PTA objectives in the service of children and youth? You respond, I will. I present to you next year's officers of Center Avenue, Rehm Avenue, and East Rockaway PTAs. Okay, one more part. You can stand, one more part, one more part. I

091have two questions, two questions. To the new officers, there is a definite challenge that confronts each of you. Do you accept this challenge and the responsibility it involves? I will. Will you be loyal to each other, tolerant of opinions and suggestions, and set an example of dignity and self-control in the performance of your duties? Okay, last sentence. I now declare your duly installed offices of Center Avenue, Rame Avenue, and East Rockway PTAs. May you find great joy in helping to make this a better world for our children and youth. Thank you. Okay, everyone, that concludes our presentations, and now we'll proceed with our Board of Education meeting. Oh, let's do this really quickly. Nice short meeting. Okay, next we're going to do public comments on agenda items. If you're viewing the live stream of tonight's

092meeting and you have questions regarding items on the agenda or other school-related items, you can email them to boardofeducation at ersd.org. This email will be monitored throughout the evening. Please be sure to include your full name and address. I also want to remind you that most concerns are appropriately addressed with your child's teacher and or building principal. Other general district questions should be directed to Mrs. Ruiz. Matters involving curriculum and instruction should be addressed to Mr. DiTomaso and matters involving budget and facilities should be directed to Ms. Skrio. If you need technological assistance or have issues with any device, please reach out to Mr. Fisk. Anyone who is attending in person, if you would like to make any comments on agenda items, please complete a comment card. At this time, are there any comments regarding

093tonight's agenda items? All right. Alright now approval of minutes. Are there any questions from board members regarding the minutes from last month's meeting? Okay. Can I have a motion to approve the minutes? Second? Okay. All in favor? Opposed? Abstained? So moved. Okay. Number five. Acknowledgement of monthly reports and correspondence. Okay. Alright. Let me see. Correspondence. We did have some correspondence. Okay. We received an email from a community member apologizing for his outburst and behavior during the public comment period of last meeting. We received an email from a concerned parent regarding building safety. We received an invitation from the East Rockaway Teachers Association to attend the district retirement celebration. We received an email from a community member regarding the district live stream as well as commending Superintendent Ruiz on her years of service to the district.

094We received an email and two videos from a community member sharing her appreciation for the inclusivity this district has and continues to show for her son, who is a 16-year-old life skills student. He was asked to be a part of the middle school lacrosse team this year, and he has thrived under the leadership of Coach Fred and Coach Tom, and he has felt included and supported by his fellow teammates. This was truly heartwarming, and we thank you so much for sharing this with us. Yes, and we actually have a video of this moment. Let's go Jack! Can we maybe come back to the video? Can I just do something real quick? Yeah, no problem. And then we also had an email regarding school safety and because we were discussing school safety at the last work

095session, so we had an email about that. Okay, I'm going to turn it over to Mrs. Ruiz. Okay. Mr. Fisk, just let us know when you're ready and I will pause. Okay. Thank you, Mr. McNally. We'd like to recommend that the board accept the following. Let's go, Jack. Jack. Maybe we'll come back to this. I'm sorry. We have one more link to it, Mr. Fisk. So Mr. DiMatteo is going to forward that to your email. Maybe that would be possible. But we'll continue on. Let us know when you're ready. Recommending that the board accept the following resignations. William Gibbons, social studies and English chairperson, effective June 30th, 2022. Ronmel Ocampo, permanent substitute teacher, effective May 12th, 2022. Also recommending that the board correct the language and personnel item 6AI to read the... I'm recommending that

096the board approve the appointment of Brandon Tompkins to the position of permanent substitute teacher effective March 23rd, 2022 through June 30th, 2022 at the per diem salary established by the East Rockaway Board of Education. So recommending that the board approve the continuation of the intermittent FMLA leave of absence of Rebecca Pagan Rodriguez from her world language teacher position to be effective through June 3rd, 2022. So recommending the board approve the request of Scott Gerken for an FMLA leave of absence from his science teacher position for personal medical reasons effective May 13th through June 24th, 2022. Recommending that the board approve the following concert supervisor assignments effective May 17th, 2022. And that is for Elizabeth David, Serena Zingale, Marianne McDonald, and Hedwig Renee Macchio. Also recommending the board approve the appointment of Gabriela Tursios to the

097position of permanent substitute teacher effective June 15th, 2022. Recommending the board approve the appointment of Martin Jakubowski to the position of short-term substitute teacher effective June 1st, 2022 through June 24th, 2022. And the board approved the four-year probationary appointment of East Rockaway Junior Senior High School alum, Rebecca Mantle to the position of school counselor, tenure area school counselor effective August 25th, 2022. Also recommending the board approve the following part-time appointments for the Summer Enrichment Program, effective June 15th through August 11th, 2022. And those appointments are Joseph Polite, Program Coordinator, and Michelle Healy, Assistant Coordinator. Also recommending the board approve the appointment of James Haberkorn to the position of Security Aid for the Summer Enrichment Program at Center Avenue, effective July 11th through August 11th, 2022. And that the board approve the appointment of Brian Varcheski

098to the position of security aid for the East Rockaway Extended School Year Summer Program and East Rockaway Junior Senior High School Summer Program at Rame Avenue School, effective July 5th through August 18th, 2022. and that the board approve the following special education summer school teacher aid appointments effective July 5th through August 12th, 2022. Jennifer Gentile, Janice Dolce, Judy Farrancrook, Ashley Tavarimina, and Serena Zingale. Also recommending the board approve the following special education summer school appointments effective July 5th through August 12th, 2022. Tanya Cusimano and Kathleen Crowley. recommending the board approve the appointment of Josette Bernberg to the position of part-time English teacher, effective September 1st, 2022 through June 30th, 2022, at the prorated MA Step 1 annual salary. And the board also approved the 2022-2023 fall sports coaching schedule dated June 14th, 2022. And also

099recommending that the board approve the following temporary assignments at the salary approved by the East Rockaway Board of Education on the non-contractual salary schedule for substitute workers, that is Serena Zingale's substitute teacher aid. Are there any questions from the board regarding the recommendations made by the superintendent? Can I have a motion to approve it? So moved. Second? Okay. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Abstained? So moved. Okay, number seven, other items. I'm going to go through this as quickly as possible. Okay, 7A, approve the following resolution, whereas no district resident resides within the area in question, which as Afra said, is outside the district, and whereas application of the point scoring system contained part... Within part 191 of the regulations of the Commissioner of Transportation results in a point score of 10 for the area in

100question, which does not meet the threshold score of 12 required in order to designate a child safety zone. And whereas the consultant also investigated the point scores of two alternate routes of reasonable distance between homes in the district and St. Agnes Cathedral Elementary School located in the neighboring Rockville Center Union Free School District and determined that both such alternate routes have respectively point scores of nine and nine, which do not meet the threshold score of 12 required to establish a CSZ and are each lower than that of the route, which includes the area in question. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the petition seeking the establishment of a CSZ at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Sunrise Highway be, and the same is hereby denied, as the area in question does not meet the requisite

101point score under applicable regulation, and be it further resolved that the petition seeking the establishment of a CSZ at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Sunrise Highway be, and the same is hereby denied, and As at least two alternative routes of similar distance exist, which have point scores which are less than the required minimum of 12, and be it further resolved that the petition seeking the establishment of a CSZ at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Sunrise Highway be, and the same is hereby denied, as no residents of the district reside within the area in question, which is not located within the geographic boundaries of the district. B, approve the following resolution. Be it resolved that the Board of Education of the East Rockaway Union Free School District hereby approves the terms of the Memorandum

102of Agreement dated May 25th, 2022 between the district and the East Rockaway Administrators Association regarding the terms and conditions of employment for the district's administrators unit members for the period July 1, 2022 through June 30th, 2023. Be it further resolved that the assistant superintendent for finance and operations is authorized to execute the resulting collective bargaining agreement on behalf of the East Rockaway Board of Education. C, approve the following resolution. Change order number one for East Rockaway Junior Senior High School Technology Building, whereas the East Rockaway Union Free School District retained REL Electric Corp for electrical upgrades pursuant to a contract awarded on or about August 2nd, 2021, and whereas the district's architect has recommended modifications to the existing contract as follows. Add $33,685.31 for additional electrical upgrades. Now, therefore, be it resolved that upon the

103recommendation of the superintendent of schools, the Board of Education hereby accepts and approves change order number one to the contract with REL Electric Corp, resulting in a total increase. of the contract price by the amount of $33,685.31 and be it further resolved that the Board of Education hereby authorizes the Board President and the Superintendent to execute change order number one on behalf of the Board. D, approve the following resolution. resolve that the following budget of the necessary claims and expenditures in East Rockaway Union Free School District number 19 in the town of Hempstead for the school year 2022-2023 amounting to $42,633,723 be and the same is hereby accepted. resolved that the sum of $32,166,055, the amount which must be raised by taxation for East Rockaway Union Free School District of the Town of Hempstead, Nassau

104County, New York, for the year 2022-2023, be levied upon the taxable property of the said school district, as said property has been certified by the assessor for the school year 2022-2023. resolve that the district clerk of this school district is hereby authorized and directed pursuant to section 6-20.0 and amendments thereto of the Nassau County Administrative Code to file a certified copy of these resolutions with the Nassau County Legislature and the Department of Assessment, Mineola, New York, on or before August 15th, 2022. E, approve the following resolution. Whereas the East Rockaway Union Free School District advertised for requests for proposals published in Newsday on May 12th, 2022 for athletic trainer services for the 2022-2023 school year opened at the district office on May 26th, 2022 at 1 p.m. and has determined upon the recommendation of the

105assistant superintendent for finance and operations that Ivy Rehab Physical Therapy is the lowest responsible bidder meeting the bid specifications. Therefore, be it resolved that the Board of Education accepts this bid and awards the contract for athletic trainer services for the 2022-2023 school year. To the lowest responsible bidder meeting the bid specifications and authorizes the president of the Board of Education to execute a contract with Ivy Rehab Physical Therapy on behalf of the East Rockaway Board of Education. F, approve the following resolution. Be it resolved that pursuant to Education Law 2034-6B, after six months have passed since the May 17, 2022 election. Without any proceeding, the Board of Education hereby authorizes the district clerk to unseal and open the ballot box and to destroy all of the ballots cast, spoiled and unused in the May 17th,

1062022 annual district budget vote and Board of Education election no earlier than November 18th, 2022. G, approve the following resolution. Resolved, Board of Education of the East Rockaway Union Free School District hereby reaffirms the authorization for the following reserve accounts as prescribed under general municipal law and or education law. One, capital reserve for building improvements and repairs. Two, capital reserve for technology. Two, capital reserve for building improvements and repairs. Three. unemployment insurance reserve, employee benefits accrued liability reserve, reserve for employee retirement system, and reserve for teacher retirement system. Be it further resolved that the Board of Education of the East Rockaway Union Free School District authorized the assistant superintendent for finance and operations to fund the reserves for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 2021 and assign amounts from the unappropriated fund balance as follows.

107Transfer to capital fund for technology two, amount not to exceed $200,000. Transfer to capital reserve for building improvements and repairs three. Can I have a... A motion to amend Resolution G to fix the date that June 30th, 2021 is June 30th, 2022. Can I have a motion? Second? Second. Okay. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Abstained. So moved. Okay. Capital reserve for building improvements and repairs, $2 million. Amount not to exceed $2 million. Reserve for teacher retirement system. amount not to exceed $329,821, and reserve for employee retirement system, amount not to exceed $364,058. H, approve the services agreement reinstatement for continuation of 403B, 457B, administration services. by US Omni and TSACG Compliance Services for the 2022-2023 year and authorized the President of the Board of Education to execute the agreement on behalf of the East Rockaway

108Board of Education. I approve the Owner-Architect Agreement Continuation Letter between the East Rockaway Union Free School District and JAG Architect for the 2022-2023 school year and authorize the assistant superintendent for finance and operations to execute the letter of agreement on behalf of the East Rockaway Board of Education. Jay, approve the 2021-22 consultant contract between the East Rockaway School District and Rodney Brown to facilitate a community committee building bridges to understanding with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion for the period of June 1st, 2022. Okay, through June 30th, 2022, and authorize the superintendent of schools to execute the contract on behalf of the East Rockaway Board of Education. K, approve the Twilight Alternative High School Program Contract 22-23 with Nassau BOCES for East Rockaway students for the period September 15, 2022 through on or about

109June 30, 2023, and authorize the President of the Board of Education to execute the contract on behalf of the East Rockaway Board of Education. L, approve the awards of the bid dated May 24th, 2022 for transportation services for summer 2022 transportation services to the following companies and authorize the superintendent and board of education to execute the contract on behalf of the board of education. One, BOCES. two, First Student Incorporated, and three, We Transport Incorporated. M, approve the 2022 through 2025 Instructional Technology Plan to outline short and long-term technology goals over the next three school years. N, for the purposes of participating in cooperating bids for air filters, HVAC blinds, shades, and for all of... Everything down... Below that, I think you all have a copy of it. Whereas the Board of Education of all of

110the school districts listed. Desire to participate in cooperative bids during the 2022-2023 school year is authorized by General Municipal Law 119-0, and whereas the Board of Education, through its Director of Finance and Operations, or designee, has assumed responsibility for drafting specifications, advertising for bids, accepting and opening bids, tabulating bids, and reporting the results for each of the respective bids to the participating... boards of education. Now therefore be it resolved that the assistant superintendent for finance and operations or designee on behalf of the board of education of the East Rockaway school district be and hereby is authorized to participate in cooperative bidding conducted in conjunction with the boards of education of the aforementioned school districts for the bids noted above. Any award of contract pursuant to these cooperative bids will be made by the respective board

111of education in cooperation with the participating districts. O, accept the following grants. And we have five grants listed. ARP idea part B, section 11, federal funding grant award for the funding dates July 1, 2021 through September 30, 2023 with an approved budget total of $62,667. Two ARP idea. Part B, Section 619, Federal Funding Grant Award for the funding dates of July 1, 2021 through September 30, 2023, with an approved budget total of $6,873. Title III-A, Immigrant Education Federal Funding Grant Award for the funding dates of September 1, 2021 through August 31, 2022, with an approved budget total of $31,235. From the Center Avenue PTA, a curriculum enhancement grant in the sum of $80. From the Center Avenue PTA, a curriculum enhancement grant in the sum of $236.98. P, approve the following donations from the East

112Rockaway Teachers Association. Three little free libraries valued at approximately $2,142. and six cents. Can I have a motion to approve agenda item seven? So moved. Second? Any opposed? Abstained? So moved. Number eight, approval of CSE and CPSE recommendations. Are there any questions? Okay. Can I have a motion to approve? Second? Any opposed? Abstained? So moved. 9. Budget transfers. I'm sorry. I'm going a little quick. Okay. Budget transfers. Upon the recommendation of the superintendent, the Board of Education approves the following budget transfers. Transaction number 1, 22-025. Transaction number 22-026. Transaction number 22-027. And transaction number 22. 028. Can I have a motion to approve the minute? I'm sorry. Can I have a motion to approve budget transfers? So moved. So moved by Mr. Kilgus. Second? Second by Mr. DiMatteo. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Abstained? So

113moved. I want to apologize to everyone. I was going very quickly on that. Sorry about that. Okay, let's see. Okay, policy, that's me. I promise I'll do this quick too. Okay, the policy committee met on May 5th and reviewed five policies that will be up for adoption tonight. Policies up for adoption are policy 1400, public complaints. We have updated this policy to remove a section on complaints about certain federally funded programs. An updated version is now covered as a new policy 1405. and 1405 complaints about certain federally funded programs. We have developed this new policy to address complaints about certain federally funded programs. Districts are required to disseminate these procedures for filing complaints with the State Education Department. Policy 2160, school district officer and employee code of ethics. We have revised this policy to reflect

114other instances where it is permissible to disclose information from executive session as delineated by commissioner's decisions. Policy 2330, executive sessions. We have revised this policy to reflect other instances where it is permissible to disclose information from executive session as delineated by commissioner's decisions. and policy 4810, teaching about controversial issues. Revisions have been made to this policy to emphasize the benefits and purpose of engaging in rigorous conversation about controversial topics related to the approved curriculum in a safe, supportive, inclusive, and structured environment. The next meeting of the policy committee is to be determined. We will continue to review the 12 policies listed on tonight's agenda. Thank you. Oh, that's right. Okay. Yes. Yes. At the work session, we moved the 2160 school district officer and employee code of ethics because we wanted to discuss that further,

115review it further. And the agenda is correct. Yes, the agenda is correct. The agenda correctly reflects. Yes. Okay. Now I'm going to turn it over to Mrs. Ruiz. All right. Can I have a motion to adopt the policies? So moved by Mr. Volpes. Second. Second. Mr. Kilgus, all in favor? Aye. Opposed? Abstained? So moved. Now I'd like to turn it over to Mrs. Ruiz. That was related to... Let's go, Jack! Jack! It's right there! I want to apologize to everyone. After that long meeting, I think I went a little too quickly there. I was trying to, you know, speed it along. I apologize. So moving on. Okay. Mrs. Ruiz, superintendent's report. Thank you, Mr. McNally. So in the interest of time, I'm just going to post my report. However, there are two very quick items

116that I would like to mention. One is on safety and security. Many of you may have noticed that we've revised our procedures for arriving on campus during the school day. In the wake of the latest tragic school shooting, the district, once again in partnership with our valuable security consultants, Altares, met to review the incident for opportunities for improvement in our own procedures. The very best means to protect our campus and our students and our staff is to ensure that people who do not belong on campus do not have access to our campus to arrive and to approach the building. And so with that in mind, we have restricted access to the high school campus during the school day. We will also be extending the hours. for the outside security guard. Right now he leaves at

117three o'clock, but we felt it prudent to extend that due to all the afterschool activities and athletics in order to continue to secure our campus. We also have added a second security guard so that that. Security guard who is asking and checking IDs when you are approaching the campus can be there at all times, even when they take their breaks right now. We have our guards and security aides covering one another, which does leave the outside uncovered for a short time. So I would just... Like to mention you will be seeing a second security guard on the outside at all times. We will continue to review these procedures given the unfortunate and horrific events so that we may ensure that our procedures are evidence-based and follow the best practices that have been identified in the

118field. Unfortunately These incidents are just horrible, but things happen and mistakes are made and our security consultants and our administrative team see it as an opportunity to make sure that those... mistakes are not repeated here. God forbid we would have some type of an incident, which of course we always hope we will not. And we are always complimented by Altairis and our security consultants with regard to how advanced our administrators and our campus and our procedures are. In addition, however, locked doors are one of the best preventive measures. The data shows that during these horrific events, when doors are locked, it does limit access, and unfortunately, the perpetrator will go to a different door that may be unlocked. So we are again... reinforcing that measure with our faculty to make sure that the doors are

119locked or in locked positions so that during a lockdown or an emergency the doors can immediately be closed because it is considered one of the safest means. Just the second item is our strategic plan. We have a final draft of our new strategic plan in place. I would like to thank our committee members and I'm going to announce their names who served to help draft this important blueprint for the school district for the next five years. And Mr. DiTomaso, who is actively involved in the achievement subcommittee will have the pleasure of sharing our new plan with the community in September. And I would like to take a moment to just announce the names. Clara Cutie, student, Gail Byra, Jana Bonacorsi, Trish Daly-Lowe, James E. Tommaso, Maureen Doyle, Dawn Falby, Ryan Fisk, Michelle Gamache, Robin Galoon,

120Gary Gregory, Lisa Gungor, Vincent Healy, Lori Ismurli, Andrew Kell, Amy Kelly, Kalia Kelly, Robert Kennedy, Bradley Krause, student Jordan Liu, Anne-Marie Lynch, Nicole Lynch, Sean Lynch, Jean Maxwell, Aisha McArthur, Kristen O'Hagan, Randy O'Moore, Sharon Purcell, Kelly Perdomo, Richard Schaefer, Jackie Scrio, Xavier Thompson. Student? No? No? okay okay uh dominic vulpes bashan jones student anthony ragone and marian cooney so thank you to everyone and please let's give them a round of applause for giving up so much of their time and i think you will be very proud of the product that was produced and will be shared in the fall so thank you to everyone for that and the rest of my report will be posted online All right. Thank you, Mr. Ruiz. Number 12, good and welfare. Condolences to Rebecca Pagan Rodriguez and family on

121the passing of her mother, Concepcion Rodriguez. Congratulations to Tony Keene and family on the arrival of her grandson, Jack Garron, on June 7, 2022. Number 13, public comments. Okay, public comments. We have four tonight. Trustee Mike Motherway. Trustee Elect, sorry. Some people like myself have to work at night and some people like myself have to work two jobs. Board meeting replays are a great resource to stay connected. Although this doesn't fit the criteria of what this can watch as an involved parent, I encourage other parents to do so. Although I depend on my secondary income, when I decided to get involved in the community by running for the board, I would get out to our town, knock on doors, and speak to stakeholders about their homes. of those 800 people only three stood up to

122volunteer their time to get involved in the district and none of them were named to march if i remember correctly joe kelley is from dan diego but somehow they are accused meanwhile all are involved in the community and we're the only ones willing to volunteer their time and insults insulting them and giving them a hard time because they don't look like during the week the kennedy's night there were two questions both by the same person that all three candidates felt were completely inappropriate and barely think about these questions mind all questions that night were anonymous we had no way of knowing who asked inappropriate but after we found out the last board meeting not surprisingly these questions were both by Mrs. Devon when the inappropriate questions were discarded Mrs. Devon got up and walked out

123the proceedings this behavior is nothing new to us if you've watched the four meetings that I had this year all the four meetings that I had were known as a common theme that being the vice of comment or insult to me by both Devon under a full scope of virtue If showing up to board meetings is embarrassing to people you don't even know, it's your way of being involved and you're absolutely right. I want to know partly if I may, I want to understand why that's been prohibited by New York State. The New York State Assembly Bill 8857 states that people of the City of New York, Senate and Senate, Assembly do enact the policy. No teacher or administrator shall require any force of the policy. One race is inherently racist. Being an individual by

124virtue of their race is inherently racist before a president, whether it's a student or a professor. C. An individual's moral character is determined by their race. D. An individual, by virtue of their race, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past. These are my words. These are the words of the New York State Senate. But it sounds a lot like fancy jargon, but why shame you today as me. I would ask you a question if you gave my opinion of why I don't agree with it. The idea of a vote. Anyone who feels differently, I can tell you by all means that the next election runs to the board. And when you're asked about security, you can explain to everyone why you think it's so beneficial. And we're on that platform. And see how much

125support you got. Dineen, Salufo? Everybody, I have three questions. First, about the medical 504. How would the students and their accommodations identify? I can have Mr. Healy call you back tomorrow in response to your question. Okay. So after I get the response, but my question being, from what I'm understanding, monitors and... and teachers do not know if their new students have medical accommodations. I'm just wondering if you could maybe change that policy so this baby could have students wandering in the halls with medical accommodations, that they are able to do their job and make sure that right things. My next question is that with one book, initiative choice, every glowing star is being... Told you me for six to twelve three summer meetings. I'm just wondering if any Administration has heard the book. I will

126have mr. D. Tommaso follow up with you tomorrow with regard to your question. Okay? It's a great week, but I think a six seven-to-eighth reader is waiting on to be meeting about rape murder and things that go along with that book. It was a 14 year old who reviewed the book. It's of a very depressing nature. We true a book. We not recommend to anyone younger than 14. Sexual assault, assault and very boring. I would ask if you have not read it to please and adjust the ages or at least parental warning. Mrs. Morelli, you're tired from teaching tech class. You have not yet hired a new tech teacher. You have an on-teacher teaching on tech classes. I'm not so sure if that's the best way to go. And are we going to hire a

127tech teacher? We keep saying we are teaching all students, college-bound and career-bound. Why is tech not considered as important? Frank, pass it to me. absolutely so in the service of graduation and retirement. I want to thank all the teachers that are retired. I especially want to thank all the teachers that are still here that are teaching our students, teaching our children, testing their ability and making them adults. I want to especially thank you. Sports, Mr. Gregory and all your fine coaches out there, especially this place that I've been in, they will tell them to do the best of their abilities for anything. Thank the school board. They don't get paid for what they do. The school board, again, does it for volunteer and leave your family to go. events to go to fundraisers you don't

128get the facts you don't want to sit up there and make the decisions to prove the budgets you can sit the back you can sit behind fake social media names and complain the tenure of social justice board but people stick up here and make the decisions should afford all of you every single time thank you congratulations uh kristen acterra it's to a significant life to moment in our district so this evening She came onto our district in a time when we were in CANDY and the board mandated that point because of the emergency meeting earlier. All of our students had been impacted by that event, either by sharing their questions at Center Avenue, moving and leaving their place at Rain Avenue, or actually leaving the district for months at a time. The board tasked her

129with the unimaginable idea that we were resilient in that effort and that we would forward from that. her opportunity development. We see that this evening by co-representation of the PTA. The PTA is really an unsung of the work of the mayor for everything. They take time from their families, as we all do when we come out to state our fears, to share our victories. This hotbed of activity that happens in the auditorium is fielded every single day by the volunteers of RPCA. So I want to acknowledge their work tonight on a day where they have to come out with it and be installed and work with it. And I want to thank you to the police for really embracing the fact for years. And that little tiny change, the addition of the flower ceremony, it

130shows how she cares about everything you do. Okay, board member comments, anyone? Yeah, I'll start. I'd just like to congratulate and wish all the retirees best of luck. I heard a lot of good things tonight about Florida and golfing, so I'm very jealous about all that. Especially Superintendent Ruiz, the two years I've spent working with you, gained a ton of respect. You're a great leader. You work for our district, so just enjoy your time with your family. And also thank you to the PTA. We're volunteers. You guys are volunteers. You help the children, and thank you guys. That's it. Have a great summer, everyone. Yes, I do. Superintendent Ruiz, thank you for working on me, and moving forward, enjoying your baking with my favorite blueberry pies. Most importantly, be concerned with kids. One story I'd

131like to share with everybody is we recently had a child who has her name named. An unfortunate situation. And I went down to the court and proved that, taking time out of the day, the superintendent police, and making sure that the case came up and making sure that the child had support down there. And there were no public forums like this yet. It was a regular courthouse. And that's the day that, for many years, I knew she was in first. And I'd like to tell that story because not too many people do this. The person out in the audience, on Memorial Day, I saw her in action. Ms. Hath, Van Chell, Producer Gaffley, you were unbelievable. Knowing that a fire department services our students, and I knew that many years as the athletic director, so

132when I saw how you commanded everybody that day, quickly that person was taken to safety. And then again, here tonight, coming out to do service. We need that kind of knowledge for that. because this is what this community is made up. It's made up people who come out and support the short and sweet. I'd like to congratulate you on your retirement, on yourself relaxing. I want to point out the video that was played. What that embodied and what the email was, the email probably should have been read. The young man that was playing lacrosse up there in the video is an inspiration to all of us if we had the chance to get to know the young man and know a little bit about him and his family. what that video did was it embodied

133exactly what east rockaway school district and our town is all about we talk about inclusivity we talk about bringing people together we talk about uniting this young man when when i when we received that email it literally brightened up my that is the type of thing we should be focusing on as we move forward not things that are going to divide not things that happened 10 years ago or 20 years ago or anything else It's about moving forward together as a community, and that's going to be our focus. As we continue to move forward, I also want to congratulate Mr. On your new appointment and and joining the team and. You know, we're all very excited to see what you bring to the table and. You know, it literally is all about moving together as

134a community. So I challenge all of you. Those of you that may or may not like this, or those of you that want to see results, we can do it together. Thank you. Mrs. Ruiz, I'm so jealous. I wish I could retire. Mr. DiTomaso, congratulations. I don't know how long it's been, about two months, and seeing the two of them work together in this transition has been inspirational. They've been working so closely together. We've all seen it, and it's really nice to see because they both care so much about this district, and that's great. And I would really like to thank Kristen O'Hagan. Kristen and I decided to do this journey together. Probably I would not have done it if Kristen didn't do it. And I'm so happy for her that she said, I have

135so many family things to do. And she made the decision to step away. And I'm so happy for her for that. And I'm so thankful for her time for the last three years. And her, I don't think any of us know anyone who's as organized as Kristen, right? Yeah, you proved that tonight. So moved. All right, I'm going to end it. Oh, man. All right, this concludes tonight's Board of Education meeting at 9.56 p.m. Can I have a motion to adjourn the meeting? Second. Second. All in favor? Opposed? I'm staying so moving. She is so moving. I was going so fast. I thought we could... Yeah, I put some of the... There was one mistake.