April Board of Education Meeting 4-30-26

001I pledge allegiance to the flag of  the United States of America and to   the republic for which it stands, one nation  under God, indivisible, liberty and justice   for all. Thank you very much for joining us  this evening, one of our fun evenings of the   year where we will get to tenure for all your  relatives and friends that you're here for.   But let's start with today is International  Jazz Day. So we want to rec recognize Mr.   Michael Blutman in our music department who  leads the high school jazz band which has which has soared in popularity and which travels  around the state to play some really swinging   performances. Today for you students is also  honesty day which reminds us not to lie, cheat   or steal and to tell the truth and nothing but the  truth. So we

002want to recognize Mr. Brian Cummings,   our high school co-principal, who last year  established the high school academic integrity   committee to remind students on the importance  of this quality. You can clap. You can clap. And then finally, for our students, it's a very  important day as it as it is National Bubble   Tea Day, otherwise known as Boba Day. And our PTA  units can attest to the fact that Jericho students   cannot get enough boba. this sugary milk-based  drink filled with tapioca pearls which has been   providing a boon to our fundraising efforts in  the school. So, thank you to whoever created boba. One quick item, next Thursday night, we have  orientation for incoming kindergarteners as   we look forward to welcoming the next class  of Jericho scholars and athletes. And now we   will move on to the next class

003of superstar  educators. So I would like to turn it over to   Dr. Kravis to lead us in recognizing some  people who have already made an impact on   our district and who we hope will be here  for a long time. Thank you Mr. Pearlman. On day 303, my first tenure party, if you  will, to celebrate a great achievement. Uh   teaching is a is a skill and it's an art and  it's a love and it's a passion that everyone   in this room who is an educator I thank  you for your hard work because you spend   time with the most precious thing in Jericho  which is the children. So without further ado   I invite Mr. Greg Sloan to start as  we will go through the list and each   one will announce their person and their  teacher or educator

004in their department. [applause] I'd like to invite Jenna Delmore  down to the stage. [applause] All right. It's truly my honor to recommend uh  or to uh recognize Jenna Delmore for tenure as   school counselor here at Jericho High School.  Uh, from the moment Jenna joined our team,   she has demonstrated an unwavering commitment  to our students and families. Her work reflects   thoughtful planning, a deep understanding of  student needs, and an ability to anticipate   support before it's even asked for. What stands  out most is the way Jenna connects with people.   She uh students and parents describe her  as someone who listens, who advocates,   and makes them feel supported during their  most stressful moments. One parent shared,   "Her commitment, empathy, and dedication go  well beyond what is expected. She deserves to be   recognized for the impact she makes every

005day. She  helped shape the culture of our school in a way   that ensures that students feel a true sense of  belonging, reminding us that connection and care   are just as important as any outcome. And perhaps  most powerfully, a student shared, "Miss Dela   Moore always encouraged me to pursue my goals.  Whether it was helping with course planning,   calming my nerves, or just listening, her steady  presence makes a difference in students lives."   On a personal note, Jen is one of the kindest,  most genuine people with whom I've ever worked.   And we are truly fortunate to have her as a  tenure member of our counseling department.   And I'm grateful for the impact that she  has already had and that I know she will   continue to have on her students and our  community. Congratulations. [applause] I'm not sure I

006recall who is  following me, but whoever's next,   come on up. [laughter] Dr. Jenna Astro, please. [applause] So words will always fall short of  describing this larger than-l life   human. But if everyone could help me  call Andrew or Logan up [applause] on the internet. Yeah. [laughter] So here is a tribute to you. So, I asked all  of your colleagues and some students to give   me some quotes and AI and I um turned it into  a poem, an ode, a tribute to Andrew Logan. A   teacher tall in height and mind with a spirit  rare and uniquely kind. Through every vector,   law, and line, your student- centered heart does  shine. From Monday morning to weekend start,   you lead with humor and you lead with heart.  A superhuman drive, is what his student said,   that never ends on whom

007our department's morale  depends. A generous peer and a soul so kind,   the finest colleague one can ever find.  More than the physics that you teach,   it's every single student that you reach.  Congratulations on your tenure. We're   so lucky you're here, bringing Jericho even  more joy and brilliance each year. [applause] Dr. Eric Sunberg, [applause] would uh Marcy Ko please come up? We typically receive [clears throat] hundreds  of applications for secondary social studies   positions and even for dualcertified social  studies and spe special education roles. We   have many strong candidates so we can be  selective. Many candidates can do the job   as it's traditionally defined but we look for  something more what we often call value added. So   both social studies teachers that I'm introducing  this evening have given us that. First, it's a   pleasure to introduce Marcy

008KBO. She brings a  strong academic foundation with degrees from Penn   State and New York University. She holds multiple  certifications and came to Jericho with experience   teaching both English language arts and social  studies, which is a real asset in our middle   school co-eing model. Marcy creates an environment  where rigorous historical thinking and independent   reading and writing is accessible to all students.  One thing that stands out is the way Marcy   continues to invest in her own growth. She seeks  out meaningful professional learning, applies that   in ways that deepen her instruction, and expand  opportunities for her students. Last summer,   she participated, for example, in a facing history  and ourselves course on making the Holocaust and   human rights relevant for today's students. Her  work has been recognized beyond our district.   The New York State School Boards Association in  their

009publication recently highlighted Marcy's   work in helping students engage in inquiry  and connect the past to their own communities.   As a fellow NYU grad, I will risk saying  that she brings a cool signature style. Um,   despite what you see, Marcy tends to wear black.  Um, her aesthetic is intentional and confident and   just a little bit edge, which I think reflects the  conviction she brings to her classroom. I should   also note her tenacity. We first interviewed  Marcy in 2009 when she worked for us as   a permanent substitute teacher. She reached  the demo stage. Then she went back to school,   got her special education certificate. We kept in  touch and when we hired her back three years ago,   she's even more prepared and that persistence  defines her work with her students as well. Among   many contributions, Marcy has

010coached National  History Day students to the national level,   serves as a Milin Foundation artifact ambassador.  Taken together, these contributions reflect the   teacher who is deeply engaged engaged in her  profession, fully committed to her students.   Marcy does not simply fit into Jericho. She  helps make Jericho better and cooler. Uh   we're fortunate to have you and congratulations.  [applause] really glad you're here. [cheering] Thank you. Thank you. Watch yourself.  Now, could Alexa Corbin please come up? [applause] Like Marcy, Alexa is a dualcertified teacher and  she has made a significant impact at the high   school. Alexa works closely with English language  learners, skillfully balancing social studies   content with language development. She advocates  for her students and consistently communicates   with their families. She can teach anyone,  but her superpower is encouraging, engaging,   and holding to account those students who might 

011not always feel comfortable in the high stakes,   high stress environment of Jericho High School. No  one can be truly successful if they don't believe   in themselves. And Alexa believes in her students  and helps them see their own potential often   before they can see it themselves. She developed  our project citizen course, re-engaging seniors   who might not see the relevance of social studies  through authentic civic learning. In that course,   she is also piloting the New York State Seal of  Civic Readiness, helping define what meaningful   civic preparation looks like and helping Jericho  prepare for coming changes in New York State   graduation requirements. Under Alex's leadership,  our mock trial team, for the first time,   won the NASA county championship. She's the  junior class advisor [cheering] [applause] and is bringing back the junior banquet. Good luck with that. [sighs and

012gasps]  Um, she collaborates with colleagues,   contributes as an athletic coach, strengthens  the high school culture in a dozen ways,   including creating and managing the  annual student teacher tennis tournament.   These contributions reflect a teacher who is  likely to continue growing and contributing.   And that's what we want. There's no harder job  than teaching your five. But we want teachers like   Miss Ko and Miss Corbin who go well beyond that  long after they have tenure. So congratulations. [cheering and applause] It's Joanna Clutter. Joanna already has tenure. Uh but but please join  me. Uh and Stephanie, can you please join us, too? How about that transition? That was a good  one. Right. [laughter] So, we are very excited   uh for Stephanie to be up here with us today and  Dr. Sunberg and I were just speaking this week   and

013we said, "Well, what should we highlight  about Stephanie when we think of her tenure   appointment?" And immediately for Dr. Sunberg, he  thought about how as soon as she came to Jericho,   she hit the ground running. She brought all of  the district initiatives forward while at the   same time really supporting all of her colleagues  and making them feel that they could have their   needs met in the library. We talked about her  vibrant learning space, her techsavvy, and   the way she champions diversity through the very  books that she displays. That's what came to mind,   especially for Dr. Sunberg. For me, I remembered  her Nancy Drew Halloween costume. It was so good.   It was a spoton Nancy Drew costume, and it made me  think and of a quote by Gloria Steinman that said,   "I was rescued by librarians."

014It was librarians  who said to me, "Why not read the Hearty Boys   on top of Nancy Drew?" Gloria Simon said, "It's  true for me as it is for others that librarians   saved my life." So, I asked her colleagues and  her students, you know, or I shouldn't say I   asked them, they actually asked their students,  but I asked her colleagues to help me out and   share something about Stephanie. So, one teacher  shared that her student Matthew always felt lost   and behind in his class when reading. He only  read graphic novels and never understood what   his teacher meant when she said, "Make a movie  in your mind." That all changed when Mrs. King   became our librarian. She recommended the book  because of Mr. Turup and Matthew fell in love   with reading and gave Mrs. King all the

015credit.  Now, he happened to also give a quote. He said,   "The journey, this is his words, the journey of  finding the right book may be hard, but you can   always count on the best librarian ever, Mrs.  King." Now the it goes further. William said,   "You are a librarian of a lifetime." This said  by a 10-year-old. I mean, unbelievable. Zara   declared that, "Thank you for making projects  and assignments that are fun for us all." And   Laura proclaimed, "You make library amazing. There  are so many stories just waiting to be heard." So,   it may sound like hyperbole to say, "A librarian  saves lives, but when you interact with Mrs. King,   the sentiments ring true." I would say  Dr. Sunberg and I strongly agree have   tremendous pride and joy and recommend in  recommending you for tenure. Congratulations   Steph.

016That was so beautiful. [applause]  So glad you're here. Thank you so much. Are we taking pictures? Oh, sorry.  That's us, Miss Helen Cricsten. [laughter] Good evening everyone. Well, it is truly  a privilege to stand here tonight and   recognize a teacher who is truly a rock star.  Lakshmi Zawasttowski. [applause and cheering] [applause] Now, three, it was three years ago, Memorial  Day weekend, that I had a Zoom conversation   with Miss Zoist. And this was before she  formally applied to Jericho. and we had   a conversation about standardsbased  learning, understanding by design,   how to make mathematics meaningful and relevant  to students, you know, all of the things you would   normally talk about in a casual conversation.  And I remember ending that conversation thinking,   I have to have this person on our team. Now, at  the time, Miss Abastowski was

017already tenured   in in another district, and to make that move  really is taking a professional risk and one   that we are so incredibly fortunate  that that she did. Since joining us,   um, Miss Zawasttowski has made an extraordinary  impact. a New York State master teacher. She   brings a deep content knowledge plus a zest for  learning and her own continuous growth. She is   a collaborative force. She co-advises middle  school math counts. She has co- presented at a   middle level conference. She has just presented to  the middle school faculty last week, co-presented   um and she's also presented an inservice course.  Basically, she always says yes to to any new   challenge. And she doesn't just say yes, but  she says it with enthusiasm and confidence   and conviction. But beyond the accolades, what  truly sets Miss Zawastki apart is her

018spirit.   She elevates everybody around her. She is  thoughtful, innovative, and relentlessly focused   on what is best for students. So, she's not just  an outstanding teacher, she's a tremendous value   to our district, our colleagues, and most  importantly, our students. So, so Lakshmi,   congratulations. And just to be clear, we're so  glad you took this risk to come to Jericho, but   don't get any ideas. You're not going wandering  off any place else unless it's to Disney World.   Um, but we are not entertaining any of that. So,  we're in this for the long haul. Congratulations. [applause] Dr. Lionel Chan [applause] Uh, good evening. I'd like to invite uh  Erica Contreres to join me here. [applause] So, good evening. Miss Contreras has  taught various levels of Spanish for us and   uh she has successfully applied flipped learning  in her classroom.

019With respect to her classroom,   she actually uh has implemented a very  organized system where students use   technology purposefully. She's applied um in  addition to flipped learning uh good writing   skills for our students. And in terms  of her professional responsibilities,   Miss Contras has served as our co-advisor  for the Spanish Honor Society Club for the   past three years. Um, she's also somebody  who organizes field trips for her students   and we thank Miss Contra for her hard work and  her dedication to Jericho schools. [applause] [applause]   I'd like to invite uh Marian Hubard. So, uh Miss Hubard has uh joined us three years  ago and she is also somebody who creates a very   productive classroom environment. her do now  assignments are always some of the strongest that   we've seen for our students and she also applies  flip learning in

020her classroom. She also creates a   uh classroom environment that is very orderly and  in which students use technology purposefully.   Um Miss Egan is um Miss Hubard is known for her  using her pneummonic devices for helping teach for   helping students learn um various aspects of the  Spanish language. She uh is the other co-advisor   for the Spanish Honor Society Club for the past  three years and we thank her for her service   um to our students and to our Spanish  program and to Jericho schools. [applause] [cheering] [applause]   I'd like to invite uh Shuing  Han. [cheering] [applause] So, Miss Han uh joined us three years ago as well  and she is somebody who has taught all levels   of Chinese at Jericho High School from levels 2  through AP. um in her classroom students actually   discuss many complex issues and

021practice their  Chinese language um through these discussions.   Uh Miss Han has is also somebody who runs a  very orderly and efficient classroom. She uses   technology purposefully and one of the highlights  about her classroom is that she has a Mandarin   challenge where students are uh practice are  incentivized and uh practice their target language   uh throughout the year. So, Miss Han is also a  uh has also served for the past three years as   co-advisor to the Chinese honor society club at  Jericho High School. She's also organized the   dumpling festival for the past two years um for  Chinese New Year. And we thank Miss Han for her   hard work with uh our students and for dedication  to Jericho schools. [applause and cheering] You're welcome. Thank you. And now I'd like to  introduce David Alana. [applause] Good evening everyone.

022Can I ask Dr. Allison  Brush to come up here? [cheering] [applause] This is actually perfect. She's going  to support me during this speech.   Over the past four years, Dr. Brush has been  a dis a dedicated and compassionate member   of our community school. She's consistently  supporting students and parents and staffs   with professionalism and care, always keeping  student well-being at the center of her work.   Whether she's guiding students through challenging  related challenges related to cyber bullying and   safety or helping them build confidence and  resilience, her impact is both meaningful and   lasting. Dr. Brush is also a trusted resource  for families. She has provided professional   uh development for parents, helping them better  understand the support of their children during   the middle school years. In meeting, she brings  a calm, reassuring presence, which I'm trying to   take advantage now.

023She has a unique ability  to take complex technical information and   explain it in a clear, simple terms, ensuring  that everyone feels informed and included.   She is thoughtful in her approach and  always takes time to answer every question,   making sure no concerns go unheard. Dr.  Brush is truly becoming an integral part   of the Jericho community. She is a valued  partner to teachers and staff and a strong   advocate for students and parents. Her uh  congratulations Dr. Brush for your tenure. [applause] We love you. Thank you. Next up, can I have Miss Nicole  Mclofflin? [applause and cheering] It is a long walk. Should have been closer. Nicole  McGlaclin is a valued member of a very close and   supportive speech team. and we are truly excited  to celebrate this moment with her. Over the past   four years, she has

024made a meaningful impact on  our middle school students through her dedication,   creativity, and care. She has special ability  to make every lesson fun and engaging, helping   students feel motivated, confident as they learn.  Nicole is thoughtful and thorough with her work.   She conducts evaluations with great attention  to detail and presents clearly and effectively   in every meeting, ensuring that everyone  understands individual student needs. She   consistently meets students at their levels,  designing special uh personalized lessons,   making learning both accessible and enjoyable.  I've been part of those. Most importantly,   her students truly appreciate her.  They see her as a fun, supportive,   and somebody who listens. She creates a safe  space where students can feel comfortable,   take risks, and try their best. Nicole McLaughlin  is a wonderful addition to the Jericho Middle   School community. Her passion, professionalism,  and connection with

025students have her highly   deserving of this moment. Congratulations, Miss  McLaclin, on your tenure. [applause] [cheering] We're going to go to Dr. Kitz. And  that is all of our staff members   getting tenure. One more round of  applause for everyone. [applause] Congratulations to all those receiving tenure.  all your family members, all your friends,   and all your fellow teachers and administrators  who decided to come celebrate with you tonight.   As everyone knows, there's a big huge honking cake  outside. I was going to do the resolution. As soon   as we grant you tenure, effective those dates,  we invite you all to then depart. But we'd love   for you to stay certainly to hear our students  present some stuff, hear about our science thing.   But before we get to that, I'd like the board  whereas I need a motion. Whereas in

026accordance   with the provision of section 3012 of the  education laws last amended by chapter 7035   as amended by chapter 736 of the laws of 1974,  the following named teachers been approved for   probationary period as provided by said section  of law. And whereas said probationary period will   have expired on the date indicated. And whereas in  accordance with provisions of said section 3012 of   education law, the expiration of the probationary  period, the superintendent school shall make a   recommendation for appointment on tenure of those  persons who have been found competent, efficient,   and satisfactory. And whereas superintendent  having found the following to be competent,   efficient, and satisfactory, now recommends that  they be appointed on tenure. Now therefore, be it   resolved that the following are hereby appointed  on tenure in the areas and on the dates indicated.   I will simply

027very quickly read the names but not  the dates. Allison Brush, Erica Contrarus, Alexa   Corbin, Jenna Delamore, Andre, Andrew Allegan,  Miss Han, Marian Hubard, Stephanie King, Marcy Ko,   Nicole Mclofflin, Raja Lakshmi Zawatowski. Do I  have a motion? Thank you, Mrs. Citron. Do I have   a second? Mr. Jyn, all in favor? I vote. Once  again, congratulations. [applause] [cheering] No one's late. This is  outstanding. This is exciting. So, there's plenty of cake. You can stay.  There'll be cake when you leave. Thank you. [laughter] Okay, now we can get down to the real business.   Um, I would like to invite up Karina Jyn  of the sixth grade for the middle school   update. Or did Karina Oh, Karina is here. I  thought she ran out to get K. Hey, Karina. Good evening and welcome to the April 30th,   2026 board

028of education meeting. My  name is Karina Jin. Miss J. Miss Jin,   just wait. Let them circle out and close the door  so we can hear you properly. Sorry about that. Thank you, Mr. Cornblum. What is she here? I had no idea. I'm sorry,  Miss Jyn. Now we can all have please start   again. Thank you. Good evening and welcome  to the April 30th, 2026 board of education   meeting. My name is Karina Jin and I'm a sixth  grade student council representative. It is my   pleasure to be here this evening. I would  like to update you on what's happening in   the middle school. This month we have entered the  final quarter for the 2025 to 2026 school year,   if you can believe it. I wouldn't lie  to you, especially since the monthly   SEAL theme is honesty. Honesty is

029fairness  and straightforwardness of conduct. The New   York State uh English language arts assessment was  administered to all students last week on Tuesday,   April 21st and Wednesday, April 22nd. Thank  you Dr. Salsman, Mr. Gleason, Miss Belute,   and all of our English teachers for your hard  work and dedication. On Tuesday, May 5th,   and Wednesday, May 6th, middle school students in  math 8 will take the computer-based New York State   math assessments. Students enrolled in grade 8  science will have a science assessment on Tuesday,   May 12th, 2026. The report cards for the third  marking period was p was posted online Tuesday,   April 22nd. If you have any questions, please  contact your guidance counselor. On Wednesday,   April 15th, the peer leadership groups hosted our  annual cupcake wars. What a fun sugar-filled day.   Our theme, the cupcake chronicles. Tell us about 

030your favorite book. The proceeds will be going   to the YOLO Foundation. A big thank you to Mrs.  Bruand for organizing this great day. And thank   you to Dr. Brush and the counseling staff who  assisted with this tasty tree filled day. If you   have ever felt insecure or stressed in school, you  are not alone. That is one message students heard   loud and clear this past Tuesday, April 28th,  as students enjoy an assembly with motivational   speaker Jordan Toma, who is also an author of the  award-winning book, I'm Dust Kurov, an IEP. He   shared his personal experiences with ADHD and  learning differences, offering an empowering   message about resilience and self advocacy.  Thank you to SEPTA for sponsoring this great   experience. On April 23rd, the community service  club and student council hosted a bake sale in   memory of Melissa

031Zoxis. Proceeds are for the  Nate and Hank family fund. Have you ever wanted   to run up the 72 steps of the Philadelphia Museum  of Art Rocky Style? Well, our seventh graders had   that opportunity uh have as our seventh grade  classes has been visiting Philadelphia most   recently. How exciting. Independence Hall, Liberty  Bell, and the Constitution Center are some of the   highlights of this trip. Jericho Middle School  historians were quite successful at New York   history day last weekend in Anatonia. Jericho  dominated at the state level. We have 10 moving   forward students to the national level June 10  13th at University of Maryland. On a final note,   the eighth grade math research class attended the  Long Island Math Fair on Friday, April 24th, which   was held at the Hopster University. The student  presented research on topics of their

032choice. All   of our students are in the middle. so proud of all  the hard work that went into their accomplishments   and a big congratulations to all the tenure  recipients this evening. We're lucky to have   you as part of your Jer our Jericho family. Well,  that's over now. Have a great evening. [applause] Thank you to clearly the  most eloquent Jin. [laughter] We are now love to welcome out Mr. Dev Lani  and Miss Emma Zoo for our high school update. Good evening everyone. I'm Emma Zoo, student  council co-president. And I'm Dev Lacani, other   student council co-president. And we're excited to  share what's been happening happening this April.   Starting with the arts, congratulations to Grace  Zang in 9th grade and Emily Chen in 12th grade,   who have been chosen to represent Jericho in  the 2026 Hexure Museum's Long

033Island's Best   Young Art Exhibit. That's a long name. Grace  also took third place in the Congressional Art   Competition. In music, the High School orchestras  kicked off the spring concert with a thrilling   night of music featuring selections by Hungi  Nubold, who worked with us back in March.   The triam jazz combo and string quartet also  added their special touch with performances   at the alumni hall of fame ceremony. The music  department's Hershey Park trip was a home run   and definitely more fun than whatever I was  doing that week. Um, our band, orchestra,   and chorus all performed beautifully and had  lots of fun. And in Jericho's first, the chorus   sang the national anthem at a Harrisburg Senators  baseball game. Benji Shaw even threw out the first   pitch. And yes, it was a strike. Mr. Blutman and  the high school

034jazz band had a very impressive   spring jazz night this month and also performed at  the Muttontown club for the Jericho Cares event.   From the World Languages Department, students in  Miss Serani's Italian's class went outdoors this   month for a competitive game of botchi. It's an  Italian game somewhat similar to bowling and is   most popular in northwest Italy. In regions like  Pedmont and Lura, with the warmer weather upon us,   students got to explore this fun  aspect of Italian culture firsthand.   from the math department. On April 16th, the  Jericho chess team since the Nassau County Chess   Championship for the 12th consecutive year.  The next day, the 50 best mathletes in Nassau   County competed at the New York State Mathematics  League competition, and 22 of those 50 students   were Jericho High School mathletes. The Nassau  team came in second

035place in the state of New   York. Congratulations to our mathletes and their  adviserss, Dr. D. Marinez and Dr. Mara. [applause] On April 24th, Miss Medallion brought her research  students to the Long Island Math Fair at Hofster   University, where they took home 32 medals.  Also this month, four Jericho High School   students participated in a day-long hackathon  at the center of excellence in wireless and   information technology at Stony Brook University  and won first place. And our high school coding   club has reached the senior and intermediate  division finals of the American Computer Science   League. Thank you to Miss Diskin for advising our  coders from the English department. The senior Ara   Thiagi was named a winner in the first annual New  York State of Poetry contest. Arno was invited to   recite her poem at the Guggenheim Museum in  New

036York City on April 18th and her work was   published in the 2026 New York State Anthology  and is now on display in the high school library.   Sophomore Elelliana Jaw has also been selected as  the first place grand champion in the 40th annual   student poetry contest from the Walt Whitman  Birthplace Association. Congratulations to   Elelliana and her English teacher, Miss  Brown. Moving on to science technology.   You'll be hit hearing later tonight from  our Explore Vision regional finalist team   who recently won second place nationally  and is headed to Washington DC in June. Last weekend, our research program presented  25 projects at the WAC Lightning Invitational.   Jericho students placed first and second  in computer science, third in biochemistry,   chemistry, and earth and environmental science  with honorable mentions in biochemistry, medicine,   and health and engineering. The Mott Milliondoll  Challenge also

037announced its winners with Jericho   earning three national semi- finalist teams. On  Tuesday, our 10th grade students presented at the   South Asian Women's Alliance. And this morning,  Jericho hosted a nice competition. Yesterday,   our technology teachers, Mr. Paglier,  Mr. Cersio, Mr. Cooper, and Mr. Herbert,   along with student volunteers, hosted SEPTA  robotics night where students built, coded,   tested, and troubleshot their own robots. Cool  Beans even baked robot themed brownie pops for   everyone's afterwards. Thank you to Desiree and  the PPS office and the incredible SEPTA board for   making this event possible. A big congratulations  also to Michael Moscowv who was honored with the   Amazon Future Engineers Award. And last but not  least from athletics. As the spring season enters   its final weeks, our team continues to compete  at the highest level. A special spotlight on our   girls varsity lacrosse

038team who has battling for  a top spot in their conference. In an incredible   one-week stress, senior Avery Danzig reached  her 100th career point and quickly followed   it up with her 100th career goal. On the boy  side, senior Max Spectre recorded his hundth   career point. And in that same game, junior goalie  Jonathan Pearlman tallied his 300th career state,   succeeding um his father, of course. Um [laughter]  um on the track, senior Kador Hassani etched his   name into the Jericho record book by breaking the  school record in the 110 meter high hurdles with   a time of 15.3 seconds, surpassing the previous  mark of 15.5 set by Charles Krueger in 2023.   We're incredibly proud of all our student  athletes and we look forward to celebrating   our spring seniors across all programs in the  weeks to come. Go Jay-Hawks. [applause]

039Yeah,   thank you. Thank you very much. And I'm  not just saying that. Thank you. Um,   next we have our PTA update. Joint Council  PTA update. Oh, Mr. Emanuel. Thank you. Good evening, Dr. Dr. Kravitz, members of the  board of education, central administration,   faculty, staff, and community members. My name is  Ailen Gingold. [laughter] Never gets old, right?   And I am the president of the Jericho Joint PTA  Council, and it is my pleasure to be here with you   this evening. This month, the Joint PTA Council  had the pleasure of hosting Mr. Brett Cornblum,   curriculum associate for health, physical  education, and athletics. Mr. Dr. Cornbloom   provided an update on participation numbers across  our athletic programs as well as team highlights   from the year. We also had a meaningful discussion  about the increased availability of AED machines   for our

040teams, an important enhancement  that we greatly appreciate. Looking ahead,   we are excited about the launch of a new and  improved athletic website and registration   portal next year. We thank Mr. Cornbloom for a  fantastic first year in Jericho and look forward   to continuing our strong partnership. On Tuesday,  April 13th, we hosted our second parent university   program of the year held over Zoom. The event  featured a panel of recent Jericho alumni who   shared their college experiences with our  parent and student community. Once again,   our alumni truly impressed, making the evening a  tremendous success. More than 100 attendees joined   to hear insights from our students. We would like  to extend our sincere thanks to Mr. Greg Sloan   organizing and hosting such a meaningful program.  The transition to college can feel overwhelming,   but hearing firsthand from our accomplished alumni 

041who are thriving beyond Jericho offers reassurance   and inspiration. We are proud of all they have  achieved and look forward to following their   continued success. All of our units were busy this  month. The Canyak PTA recently hosted a magic show   featuring Eric Wilzig as a giveback event in the  place of their traditional spring fling dance.   They are looking forward to their spring book  fair on April 29th and 30th. In addition,   the PTA raised over $2,000 through the Duct Tape  Sapienza fundraiser in support of Haley's Heart.   Upcoming events include career day on May  13th and Staff Appreciation Week from May   4th to May 11th. The Jeffrey Ratner Robert Seaman  PTA recently sponsored a presentation by the Long   Island Coalition Against Bullying for students  across all grades. The program focused on helping   students recognize the various forms of

042bullying  and equipping them with safe, assertive strategies   to respond. In April, the PTA also hosted its  first family school dance, which was a tremendous   success and brought the community together for  a fun and memorable evening. Looking ahead,   staff appreciation week will take place from  May 4th to May 8th, and the school community is   excited to celebrate and recognize the dedication  of its outstanding faculty and staff. The Jackson   PTA had another incredible turnout for its annual  multicultural night on March 27th. Continuing   their efforts to recognize and appreciate staff,  the PTA provided lunch on April 27th in honor of   Administrative Professionals Day. On April 28th,  they also distributed individual box cupcakes to   all bus drivers in celebration of school bus  driver appreciation day, showing gratitude for   the dedication and care each day. Finally, tickets  for the May

0436th Family Day at Adventureland are   currently on sale. The middle school PTSA hosted a  successful meeting with guest speakers Dr. Ostro,   Miss Creekstein, and Mr. Sloan regarding math  and science regents and transcripts. They also   ran successful snack sales for the general PT  PTSA and 8th grade. Their upcoming May meeting   uh will include Mr. Cornbloom. The high school  PTESA wants to congratulate all of the seniors on   their commit commitment day on Friday. They will  be hosting their last bake sale of the year to   celebrate everyone's decisions. In addition, the  PTSA is finalizing preparations for their support   of the first ever junior banquet by providing a  soda bar as requested based on student feedback.   After membership approval, they are planning a  special ice cream treat for the entire student   body to celebrate all their hard work. Finally, 

044the high school and CANIAC will be joining   together to run a gently used backpack donation  drive at the end of the year. SEPTA kicked off all   abilities month with its second annual movie night  featuring a screening of Tyson's Run, an inspiring   film about an autistic character who perseveres  to achieve his dream of running a marathon.   The evening included refreshments and raffles,  creating a fun and meaningful community event.   In addition, SEPTA hosted a highly successful  robotics program with more than 65 attendees   this month. Proceeds from All Abilities Month  events will support NSSA Nassau SuffK services   for autism. Donations will be accepted through  May 8th with collection boxes available in each   school building. Thank you and good night. Thank  you, Miss G. Mrs. Gingald and you are looking   fetching this evening and Dr. Sunberg would be the 

045expert here. T today's press is lazy and misguided   and doesn't put any work. So all of you over  the past week to two weeks who have seen these   ridiculous stories trying to attribute a scandal  with a PTA school out in Suffach County, which   unfortunately for us is named Jericho Elementary  School, but has absolutely nothing to do with us.   It was unfortunately picked up by one news source  and then it just turned into others. I want to   say I want to thank Miss Maggie Rose Molo and Dr.  Kravitz for working over the past week to try to   play whack-a-ole when someone would put this story  up with a picture of Kantia Elementary or the high   school or say ridiculous, oh, we tried to reach  out to the Jericho Union Free School District,   which they clearly didn't.

046Um, so for anyone who  still had any questions despite the hard works   of Miss Molo and Dr. Kravitz, that has nothing to  do with us. It is a school out in Suffach. It's a   horrible situation, but but our PTA is extremely  buttoned up in all respects, including the way   they manage their finances. So, I just wanted to  say that before we moved on. And now, should we do   the presation? We'll do the presentation. And now,  the Jericho Board of Education is proud to present   an inside look at our often imitated, but never  duplicated, award-winning high school science   research program. For that, it is my pleasure to  introduce our curriculum associate for science and   technology, killing it in her first exciting debut  year here in Jericho, Dr. Janna with two ends.   Ashro, thank you. That was

047quite the introduction.  So, thank you so much. Thank you to the board of   education. Thank you Dr. Kravitz and and central  office and the community um for having us come up   and and talk about the secret sauce that makes us  a hot bed for um science research here in Jericho. So, as you all probably personally know, a lot of  the people in the room have been involved in some   way, shape or form in science research. Um, in  so many ways, it consumes a lot of of our support   and our attention. So, excellence in science  research sh requires this shared vision and   this real community sense of of value and support.  And it starts with our students. our students work   intensely. Um the what they are required to do  and the work level and the intensity

048of of what   they're doing together is only matched by their  collaboration and their spirit and their ability   to lift each other up when they need it most  and their ability to give each other feedback.   And so I think that this kind of very special  environment and and I guess the secret sauce   really comes in the community that's built around  it. And I attribute that a lot to the teachers,   the three teachers that are going to be coming up  here and helping me present to you along with the   students and and the work that they do because  it is by design that this community is built   and it's a community of excellence and it's  this brilliant synergy between these brilliant   minds that see here today. So Samantha Sorsa buil  build builds the 10th grade programs and

049she has   a background in emergency medicine and toxicology  and she brings with her a passion for real handson   science research and our 10th graders get to build  their skills and they build their expertise. They   also build their habits of mind and their  dispositions for being science researchers   because it's hard and it's intense and it requires  perseverance. Lauren Cassulli is our brilliant,   masterful veteran. Um, and she provides this deep  and vast knowledge set. So, when students come in   and have these technically diverse projects, she's  able to give this targeted feedback that really   uplifts and helps students really fine-tune and  tweak both their data analysis as well as their   understanding of the topics. And then, Alexis  Vanderoot, who is our fearless lead research   teacher. Um [snorts] she is also a New York State  master teacher and she

050has a lot of experience in   research and she's a leader in the community.  People turn to her with questions. They turn to   her for support. She actually leads different um  communities around research and not just serving   on the boards. People call her, they ask her  to come for panel discussions on what it takes   to build a research community like she has. And  what she's done is she's created this hot bed of   of innovation and creativity because students  aren't just working on one project. She's also   brought in a diverse set of opportunities  for students to work on that have them kind   of juggling different experiences whether it's  fun environmental challenges, coding challenges,   AI challenges that they're able to do individually  or in teams and this has also uplifted the program   tremendously and with that she brings

051a joy and  a celebratory environment that is just contagious   and so it makes research not only just really  intense and really competitive but also really   fun. Um, so our three-year pipeline starts in 10th  grade where they build the foundation. 11th grade,   they're kind of like executing it. And  you're going to hear a little bit more in   detail about that. And then in 12th grade,  a lot of their time is spent fine-tuning,   um, doing a lot of tweaking of their experimental  methodology, their data, their analysis,   their posters, and they're presenting a lot, and  they're getting tremendous feedback on that and   improving those presentations and publications.  None of this would exist without you all and   the community that surrounds it. So just today we  hosted a huge science symposium in our fieldhouse.   So thank you to Brett

052and his team because on  a rainy day they gave up the fieldhouse and   um we really leaned on our security. We leaned on  buildings and grounds. We leaned our our custodial   support and we have this huge team of teachers  also within our department. So a lot of the judges   came from our department. They came to judge  as well and they came to support. It's a huge   family. Whenever we're in this process, we have  math teachers serving on different committees. And   every single time a student wins an award or has  a novel idea, we have a novel purchase to make or   a novel, you know, microbe that we need to buy.  And so we really lean on our clerical support.   We lean on our business office. And it's a whole  team. And when there's more work

053because of this,   instead of looking at it as a negative, it's  something we all take great pride in. And so that   idea that it's shared is something that's really  special and unique. We share in in the excitement   and and we share. And so when this additional  work is added, it's met with graciousness and   it's meant with positivity and we keep calling  and and the response is always yes. How can we   support student learning? So to talk a little  bit more about the specifics of each grade level   and to hear our wonderful students present,  I'm going to turn it over to Miss Samantha. [applause] Thank you. Um, so I'm going to start by talking  about our 10th grade research program and how   it fits um into the three-year arc that  students take. One of the most

054important   areas that we spend time on early in the year  is helping students to figure out areas that   they are passionate about. uh they explore  different fields, they read current research,   and it's that sense of direction that really  sets the foundation for everything that follows   um in the the rest of the year and in the program.  From there, we start to build the transferable   skills that they'll need to really turn their  interest into meaningful work. Students learn how   to read and make sense of scientific literature,  not just to understand it, but to question it and   learn from it. They work with data, analyzing  it, communicating, identifying patterns. Um,   and [snorts] this ability to interpret data is a  transferable skill that they'll use in any field   that they go into. Um, even if they don't  become

055scientists in the future. This year,   all of our 10th graders and last year um competed  in the American Statistical Association data   visualization poster competitions. We're very  proud of their hard work. At the same time,   we focus heavily on communication. Students learn  how to write their ideas, present information   clearly to professionals in their field, and  they have opportunities to share their work   in authentic settings. This was the first year  that every single 10th grade researcher was able   to present at a competition, um, which is an  incredible feat and on Tuesday of this week,   we went to Sawa 10. By the end of sophomore year,  uh, students are not just learning about research,   they're starting to step into it. So most  of our students have begun to connect with   mentors and are preparing to work in labs

056over  the summer and others start to venture off into   developing independent often computational  projects with some turning in the fall to   carry out workbench research. So 10th grade is  really about setting the stage for success and   teaching them the skills that they need  to be successful in 11th and 12th grade.   this week. Tomorrow this week, tomorrow  introduce our Yeah. So, yeah. Tomorrow is Yeah. So, yeah, we're definitely  like we definitely interesting. Perfect. So, we're gonna [laughter] introduce our  Hydro AI team. So this is not the Explorer Vision   team. Um some of the students are also on our  national winning Explorer Vision team as well. Um   so it's easy to confuse because [laughter] there's  so much happening but this is a different project,   a different um competition and beautiful work  down here. Yep. All right. Hello

057everyone. So   I'm Jay. We have Rayanch here, Ryan, Ian,  and we're sophomores here in the Jericho   Science Research Program. So our project is  Hydrowend AI and it focuses on a geospatial   analysis of offshore wind farms and utilizes  a novel machine learning model that we created   throughout the entire year. And so as you can  see we developed a model of a wind turbine and   so it utilizes a novel design especially with  the use of linear actuators. So actually our   entire windmo can actually go up and down.  This way it can actually optimize how well   how much wind the the wind turbine can get.  And speaking more about what Ranch said,   we developed a machine learning model that  essentially finds the best points along the coast   of the United States to place our novel windmill.  And we

058then put this ML model into an application   that we published on the app store for companies  and stakeholders to utilize in their studies. So, we are grateful for the science research  program for allowing us to participate in so   many different competitions throughout this entire  year and we couldn't have done it without them,   especially the amount of money and resources  that they poured into helping support our entire   project. Yeah. So, even for this project, we've  been to about three competitions with this. We've   received, you know, $1,000 from our own winnings  and support from the department. So like this and   all of our other projects are definitely not  possible without our support and funding here   at the uh at the Jericho Science Research Program.  So we're incredibly grateful for that. And really   just touching on how important

059the program is.  I remember when I was a freshman uh walking into   that Jericho Science Research room for the first  time. Um I needed Miss Vander to print one of   these posters on one of her amazing poster printer  machines. And um she was like sure. And then,   you know, a little bit later, she looked at me  and she was like, "You're taking Jericho science   research next year, right?" And I was like, "No,  I'm taking band actually." And she stared at me   for a good few seconds and then sat me down and  I I think I missed like the half like half of   the next period. And she uh convinced me over and  over again. And um I have to say that thank you   so much for that because this is definitely one  of the best

060decisions I've made this year. And on   behalf of us and the rest of the department, thank  you guys so much for all the support. [applause] Funny. [laughter] Thank you. Um, I just  want to point out here that this project   completely student driven. They developed their  own algorithm. They found their data sets. They   3D printed all of these materials themselves.  They engineered it. They wired it and it is such   a start to finish homegrown project that in 10th  grade, you know, start in the research program.   This is just one of the many things that in 10th  grade, yes, they're learning the skills, but we   also try to get them into these competitions  where they're able to execute these things   within 10th grade before they start their own  individual project. Thank you so much, gentlemen. [applause] So

061my name is Alexis Vanderoot. It's very nice  to meet you if we haven't met before. I am the   lead research teacher and this is Lori and Tuli.  And we have to stand here together and really,   you know, we co-e 11 and 12. We are always two  bodies in the room. So we do want to talk to you   about what goes on there. And even 10th grade  is even a co-taught program where there are   two teachers in the room who can support all the  diverse projects that are going on. After they   um students finish in 10th grade, they identify  a topic they're interested in. And this is where   things get very interesting because every student  has a different project and a different topic and   a different idea and a different mentor which  means the diversification and

062the what is it   differentiation that goes on in that classroom  because every kid is on a different pathway that   is the beauty of 11th grade. They all go as Alexis  would say there's a lot of punches thrown so you   got to roll with the punches. That's what you do.  that that is exactly what happens. So every you   know if you talk to the students who are in 11th  grade we operate on cycles. Every two weeks the   students get a personalized assignment that is  delivered into their Google drive and they work   on something individual tailored and it is taught  like a special education classroom where you have   small group pull out where you know maybe the  whole class is learning something one day the   next day we have you know Laurian will take  a group of

063students who need to learn how to   you know present a funnel we call it where you  are you know presenting an idea. I might take a   different small group of students to do a poster  lesson. And the amount of support that we can   give students when we're co-taught is there's no  other program that operates like this. And we're   very thankful for the amount of support that we  get and the ability to co-e because there's no   other. This is incredible. I never experienced  anything like it in my 31 years. Yeah. And I've   been in other districts. It's very special  what goes on here and I like I said I'm very   thankful and grateful. We wanted to ask Walter  to come up and give us a little explanation. Oh,   so that is actually when we talk about

064the  different, you know, competitions they can   enter. But on the other side is the different  research pathways that we talk about and   the the diversification and who has different  assignments. We asked Walter to come up because   Walter is one of our ISF finalists this year.  He's traveling to Phoenix, Arizona. He is one Yep. He is one of five students from Jericho High  School who is traveling to Phoenix, Arizona.   And one of our junior students, he wants to just  take a minute and explain his experience with   Jericho Science Research and his projects before  he goes to Arizona. So, Walter, it's all you. Hi,   my name is Walter. [laughter] So my project is  titled printing the future of flights added to   manufacturing of carbon fiber and coming out  to hyper reinforced poly ether edit composits   using selective

065letter centering and essentially  for my project I developed a novel 3D printed   material that extremely lightweight and strong  and it's both it's also biocompatible thermally   resistant and chemical resistant and it's one of  the strongest 3D printed material on the market   and and it's also um similar price to existing uh  material aterials and so using this material we   can it can be used to reduce weight on airplanes,  rockets um cars and different applications and so   um I want to um thank all my three teachers  for their support. Tell us tell us about your   experience. Okay, so my project started back in uh  Cyrus 10 which is uh what M Sport taught us. Um,   so I've so what inspired me to do this project is  cuz I always liked airplanes since I was a kid and   I

066al always wanted to work something related to  airplanes and that's what brought me to come up   with this project and I think the amazing part of  this program is everybody's working on different   um research. We have people working on cancers.  We have people working on allergies and [laughter]   and computer science. And I think that's the  best part of this program. Thank you. [applause] 12. All right. So, by the time students leave  11th grade, we um are gearing up for Regeneron   STS season. So, senior year is the year where you  are allowed to submit to Regeneron STS and you   have to be a senior. You have to have completed  independent work. And our goal that what we call   the rising senior summer, Regeneron opens their  application on June 3rd. So, it's happening very   soon. It's coming.

067Prepare yourself. Um so on June  3rd they open that application and we work with   the students over that summer so that they are  not only taking their project to the next level   adding as many different layers as possible.  We start you know sophomore year maybe very   basic like Walter said he started in 10th grade  junior year he's adding a new layer. You're going   to hear from Ariana very soon who had multiple  multiple layers. And our goal in that, you know,   rising senior summer going into 12th grade is to  help them prepare the most competitive project   and the most competitive application. So that's,  you know, STS season that is submitted in early   November. And I'm sure you know, you you've  seen all the success that we had. The amount   of work that goes into that. It

068is sometimes  referred to as the Junior Nobel Prize. Yes,   it go. It's a beastly application. It  is we like you said it opens in June and   uh we have to start right away and it also I feel  like puts the college application to shame. It is   it is a very very intensive process and Ariana you  could explain a little bit about that process what   went on your your senior project but that is what  is happening during senior year during that time   you know we really have all of these projects that  are reaching completion we're looking to publish   we're looking to you know get these students into  symposium we're looking to find places for them to   share the research because at that point you know  why wouldn't we have publications and journals   we have students presenting

069at international  symposium we had Henry Zing who was invited was   it Lapia Lapia to present his research uh we try  to bring our students everywhere to share their   love for what they've done so Ariana it's all you  come on down Vidant was also supposed to join us   but last last minute he was not able to he is  another one of our seniors Ariana and Vidant   are both going to the international science  and engineering fair this year as well in X.   Thanks. [applause] So, hi, my name is Ariana Ador  and I'm a current senior at Jericho High School   and I started Jericho science research in 10th  grade and my project revolves around restoring   the gut lining integrity in food allergies and I  look at a dual therapeutic mechanism um to fully   restore gut barrier lining in

070the condition.  So like Walter said, I also started developing   my research in 10th grade with Miss Forza. And I  developed all those research basics and learned to   kind of see myself as a scientist and see myself  going forward as someone in the research field   in 11th and 12th grade. And moving on into 11th  grade, I decided to hone in onto my food allergy   interests. I actually have food allergies  myself, so it is very personal to me. Um,   so I ended up taking that further into 11th grade  and went into a lab. um the summer between my 10th   and 11th grade and I conducted wet lab research in  Boston and I developed my junior project on that   mechanism and I looked at one therapeutic pathway  for my junior project and I went to composition   through it.

071Um and then in my senior project  uh between the summers of 11th and 12th grade   I actually continued to deeper that same topic and  look at a secondary therapeutic pathway that could   also contribute to gut lining integrity damage.  So in my senior year um I again like goo and   um Miss Fza and Miculi said I went to prepare  for the Regeneron STS submission and I think this   is where I'm going to talk a little bit about um  kind of the community that comes with being in the   science research program. So throughout my three  years a part of this program I wouldn't consider   Jericho Science Research as just a program. It's  more so a community. It's a community of teachers.   It's a community of students. this community of  admin that all look to help and nurture

072students   to not only become um scientists in the future but  also help them grow as individuals as well. So I   feel like one big night that really stood out to  me was STS submission night. Um and again STS is   a culmination of more than two years of work for  some students. And it honestly it entails creating   a research paper. It entails this intensive  application with so many different parts to   it. so many different um aspects to write and it  takes so much effort and dedication and rounds of   peer review and regular review with teachers um  to fully um analyze and submit your final work.   And on STS submission night in the beginning  of November um all the all the senior students   gather in the science research room to finally  submit that big application. And one

073thing that   stood out to me was that Gut and all of these  three mentioned that we all had to stay until   8 PM that night until every single person in  the program pressed submit. And I feel like   that is such the sparkle and magic that comes  with being in the science research program and   that collaborative energy that it brings and being  with these teachers and the rest of the students. [applause] To add on that, I think Miss  Chisulli said it best that the rising tide   lifts all boats. And on submission night, we do  not leave until the last person submits. We stay   to support each other. And you know, we had 10  Regeneron finalists as scholars this year. And   I will say that our first submitter was Vidant.  And he's up here right now. And

074Vidant submitted,   our last submitter, also a top 300 scholar. But  I will tell you right now that if it was not for   Vidant, that last student who submitted  would not have made it because Vidant   was there packaging his PDFs, renaming  them, exporting them, compressing them,   and it shows you just the power of the community  that goes on here. It's not a cutthroat program.   There's so much joy and celebration of each  other's success. And I'm so proud and honored   to be part of this. So, thank you and thank all  of you because this is such a special place. So I just summarized some of our highest awards  and when you look at this level of achievement   you can definitely say that Jericho schools  is a hotbed for engineering in this country   and and it's a national

075these are nationally  acclaimed awards that are rare to see and and   it's a very special thing to even experience it  regardless and it's the learning of the science   and it's the focus on the science and creating the  scientists here in Jericho that really creates a   special program. So, next up and the ways we're  kind of looking to improve and extend the program,   we're very explicitly um targeting 11th graders to  work on more specific AI and data set based work   um with technology so that they can analyze  their data more effectively as well as work   on visualizations and and look at those things  in order to uplift their work in their projects.   We're also needing to meet an increased  demand based on the increased population   of students by increasing the allocation  of FTEES for the program.

076And that just I think I wrote down the last part. I can't  remember off the top of my head. Oh, the most   important part on June 1st. We cannot express to  you the amazing work that each and every student   has done in this program. But the symposium which  is on June 1st at 6 p.m. um all of our students   will be honored and all the awards that they've  won and all of the experiences that they've had   will be given the honor and space that they truly  deserve. And so, please join us here June 1st at   6 PM. So, thank you all for being um sharing in  this work and and being visionaries for what our   kids are capable of here in Jericho schools.  And so, thank you and a big happy birthday to   Laurian [laughter]

077today. Um so, thank you so much  for allowing us to share this great work with you. Thank you very much to all of our administrators,   faculty, and of course the students who  helped contribute to that presentation. Oh, we have to do Yes. Superintendent report.  Just a very short report. [clears throat] Uh just   as far as enrollment goes, this we have now 3,183  students as opposed to last year we had 3,324. And   for a public service announcement, I will ask for  anyone who is listening out there. Uh we did get   contacted recently by our neighbors on Cedar Swamp  Road. If you are a student and you are parking   on Cedar Swamp Road, please remember to read the  signs. Do not park where it says do not park. Um,   these neighbors of ours when we try to

078be  hospitable to everyone are concerned that   they you are blocking their views when they exit  their driveways. So, please take note. Thank you. And you might get a ticket. We want to be like the  residents of Buffalo and be good neighbors. So,   let's do it. And go Bills. I'm just  joking. Bills lose. Jets win. Anyway,   um yes, we're going off topic, Miss uh please. It's been an hour, everybody. Come  on, get it all out. We got another 40 minutes   to go. Get it all out now. Opportunity for  the public. Should there be any last check,   Knicks are up by 53 points in the third quarter. Aren't you glad you're here, Mr. check  as opposed to that sounds like a boring   game. Opportunity for the public to be heard. If  you'd like to make a comment

079or ask a question,   please approach the microphone. Tell us your  name and if you're representing a specific group,   your affiliation. If you'd like your statement to  be included in our board minutes, you must hand a   written copy of your remarks to our district clerk  victim manual before leaving tonight. As always,   public discussion on matters relating to staff  and students during which their reputation,   privacy, or right to due process or those  of others could in some way be violated is   prohibited. Everyone seems to be sitting.  We are going to close opportunity for the   public to be heard though we'd love to hear from  you. Moving to our agenda, approval of minutes. Sorry. Be resolved. The board of education  make any necessary corrections and move the   approval of the minutes of the regular  meetings dated March 26,

080April 16th and   April 22nd and the Bosey's budget meeting on  April 28th. Do I have a motion? Thank you,   Mr. Rondo. Second. Thank you, Mr. Jin. All  in favor? Thank you. Be resolved. The board   of education approves tableabling the second  reading of the following policies. Series 1000,   series 2000, series 3000 except for policy 3421,  which is the title 9 policy, the series 4,000,   as well as the series 5000. Do I have a motion?  Thank you, Mr. M. Vart. Thank you for the second,   Mr. Jyn. All in favor of tableabling all  those policies for the site. Thank you. That was wrong. That's why what's  on the agenda is wrong. No,   but there we're not tableing. We're doing  those. Oh, we I I said just so we're clear.   1,000 2,000 3,000 except for 3421 4,000 and  5,000.

081What's on the agenda is incorrect. We have that. Everybody clear? Everybody's  following. Why? What's funny? Did I do something   funny? Am I funny? Do I make do I entertain you?  [laughter] Do I am? New business. Recommended   motion be resolved. The board of education  accept the first reading of the following   policies. Policy 6,110 through policy 6570 plus  policy 3421. Do I have a motion? Thank you,   Mr. Jin. Second. Thank you, Dr. Balachander. We  are open for discussion. As anyone might recall,   we did most of the 6000 policies a couple of weeks  ago, I think it was when when Miss Vega was with   us. We do need to go back and revisit 6121, 6180,  6410, 6550, and 3421. Um, as board members know,   we have in front of us a revised draft of 3421,  which is Title

0829 and sex discrimination policy,   as well as policy 6121. um which is  our sexual harassment policy. Yes,   we glove it so nice we did it twice. So um  this Miss Vega represents Ingramman Smith's   best efforts at making two policies that  don't conflict, cover all the necessary   things and full of all the necessary legal ease  disclaimers and everything else that we need. There were a couple things in here in  bold with brackets around them like the   first page of the Title N policy. Are  those decisions that we need to make? Okay. So, nothing to do. Excellent. Microphone. Microphone. Number What number  is that? Is the title N? Thank you. So for   3421 the title 9 policy the current structure  of the grievance policy is that there will be   an investigator a decision maker who is the 

083superintendent and the appeal would be the   board. There are different ways to structure  that. You could have an assistant principal   be the investigator the building principal be  the decision maker and then the superintendent   be the appeal. Um, so it's really that's that  is something that you could ultimately decide   however whatever works best for the district.  Does management have a recommendation or   preference? What is general what would if we if  you pulled all your clients what's the majority   do? Probably what's currently here which is the  superintendent and then it goes to the board. Does   it say superintendent or designate uh the other  policies? No, it would be the superintendent. You have that training? Yes. Do we need to get  that training? If you're part of the process,   then yes. So, the board would  need to get

084the training. Yes. So,   can someone make arrangements for us to get that? Perfect. Anything else about this that we need  to be aware of, Miss Vega? We've all read it and   as you said, it's your best or Ingramman's best  efforts at best practices. Yes. I just I have a   couple little things. Go ahead. Um just the style  doesn't conform to the rest like it says school   district instead of district. I know we said we  would talk about that stuff later but no it's   just like that's when I guess between Dave and  Steve when they we can make it all conform and   also like where it says um on school grounds  school activities like in other other policies   talk about all the places where the policy exists.  So shouldn't should that be consistent with this   other

085policies like this applies when you're  on a trip when you're you know I don't have I'm   trying to find where the language so the this  would apply for any program any school grounds   um right so that shows up in other place other  policies to that concept of okay I can take a   look at the others and just utilize that same  language in terms of the applicability and then   for I mean can I are we going this line by line  or should I have something at the end? Okay. So,   and then um for the um the remedies I for  um for volunteers it says you might lose   your ability to volunteer but I wonder if we  would say lose your denial of future access.   Are you in the title n or the sexual harassment?  Sexual harassment.

086Okay. Um let me find the page. Sorry, I didn't write down what page  my comment was on. I'll find a sec. Post remedial action. Is that what um Well, like different people had different  Okay. Penalties may range from a warning up   to an including loss of volunteer assignment.  Yeah. So then for it says for other people it   says loss of future access to the grounds.  I mean maybe for volunteers we should they   should have that same Oh yeah. What page  is that? That's P. You're right. Page 12.   It says other individuals penalty may may range  from a warning up to including denial of future   access to school property. So this for volunteers  it just says in up to loss of volunteer assignment   if someone's doing this stuff. I mean we might  not want them on

087property. So you're proposing   uh adding to that as well uh including  denial of future access to school property. Page 12. Here it says other individuals.  It's page 12 right before it says   false complaints. Other under  other individuals above it. Did you have others? Nope. Nope. Mr. Jin,  Mr. Martino, Dr. Balachander. Good. Let's   move on to 6180 staff student relations. I know  some people we were just making sure Miss Vega,   you went back and just confirmed there's  nothing we could do stronger here,   correct? This is sort of as  good as it gets. Take your time. So, we did talk about coming up with language  regarding what that uh definition means,   the frequent personal communications, right? and  perhaps uh drafting a carveout for anything that   has to do with student uh health well-being. So,  I did draft

088some language and I can circulate this   as well. You want to just read it to us? It sounds  like you got it thought out, Miss Vart. I think   this was one of your sticking points. So, let us  know if it sounds good to you. Just the [laughter] laughing. Um so I would the language I came up with would  be um that frequent personal communications with   a student unrelated to coursework or official  school matters means any form in which personal   communication may occur including but not  limited to voice or textbased communicative   uh communication via phone, email, instant  messaging, text messaging or through social   networking websites. This definition  does not include communications that are   reasonably necessary and appropriate to support a  student's health, safety, or well-being, provided   that such communications are consistent with the  employees professional role

089and responsibilities. Dr. B, good. Anyone? Everyone's good. We're good  with it. Thank you very much, Miss Vega. 60 Oh,   sorry. Go ahead. On the one, two, three,  four. On the fifth paragraph, it says   um any student who believes he or she has  been subject to inappropriate staff behavior   as well as students, school employees or third  parties who have knowledge or witness possible   occurrence must report the incident. How is that  enforceable? Like a third party, I guess you the   only people you could really enforce that on  is school employees, right? Like is there a How how do we in tell a third party  they must report the incident? Well,   I mean any student employee you're requiring  them to report that to someone to make   sure that I mean it does sense, but I just  don't know

090how it works, how it would work. I mean, ultimately in practice, if you were to  determine that someone knew about something and   didn't report it, it would be sub if it was a  student, it would be subject to discipline under   that or No, I think she gets the students and the  employees. She's just worried the third parties   like I I guess are we just putting it in here  even though we have no real recourse? It would   be a violation of your policy. But in terms of  recourse, if it is a third party, what you going   to do? And students would be could be disciplined  for not reporting under this because it says must You want to change it to  should? I don't know. I mean,   I I I just don't know what's the right way

091to I don't think if a student's got enough issues  going on that if if they think they know something   to say you must report it, we're going to  punish them. We're not going to pun I mean,   they're just not reasonably. They're not  going to be punished. are expected to are expected to at least gives us an out. Yeah, sure. We'll go with that. It's only the first  read. So, the employees must, but students and   third parties are expected to. I think the school  employees should be a must. As you say, Mr. Citron Okay. Are we good? We are moving to 6410. This was the staff accessible use policy. And  I believe in here we had 6410. And this was we   had a bunch of confusion over what staff  can do and can't do and what

092they can use   and can't use. And we wanted to make it so  that they could do what they needed to do   but wouldn't be doing what we don't want them  doing during school hours. And quite frankly,   my memory is failing me right now. But  who is doing the next step on this? I don't know if it was Steve or that they were  going to remove this or whatever. You know,   that stuff was the little stuff. But  I thought we had an issue here about   um I apologize. Just I had it in my head  three days ago and it's lost. From my notes,   it says there was a concern regarding  Instagram and if a teacher creates a page,   who owns it, who maintains it, and to remove the  MySpace. Thank you. Your notes are doing better  

093than my memory tonight. Dr. Kravitz, [clears  throat] what's your view on this? Any district   uh Instagram page we should have access  to. um or if you want to create a in that   policy somehow making sure that it's either  reviewed by a designate um so that there's   always oversight of what's being posted. But  I have a I have a qu the question is is how   do you force the teacher to hand over ownership  in case of their departure from the district? So now you have multiple sites. Correct.  So not even ours. So if it if it wasn't if   it's in the policy. Yeah. Then no matter what  they have to comply, but if they don't comply,   then what what's the recourse? Well, if either the  district has access to it, then the district can   make the

094determination if there is a termination  or separation to remove the page completely. No,   but what if they want to keep the page? the  page has historical value for the school.   How and that if it's in the policy that anything  created um with the district's resources   um or yes in the name of the district yes  it would have to be to or handed over to   the districts to district ownership um before  that the departure of that individual from   from the school if they were to be terminated or  they resigned or or retired or whatever it may   I mean in in the context of how is  this something that occurs currently   that some teachers have? Yes. Instagram  pages. Yes. Or other social media or so. Right. So it's usually an Instagram page is  usually created on with

095using a personal email   that's and then they use it with you know under  the guise of Jericho school forward slash whatever   it is slash you know miss Vegas you know ele you  know fourth grade fourth grade class or whatever   it is. So, you can require that any of the any  social media page that's created for the district   or a particular class or club uh be affiliated  with the district's email address email. So,   so that would be that would be a good solution.  So, it couldn't be created with their personal   email. It would have to be used email. Does is  there any blocks from a technology standpoint that   a a district email can be used for Instagram? Like  anything with a firewall that would prevent that?   No, we're good. So, you could use any mail.  Okay.

096Okay. Yeah. So, I think that would be   a good solution. Not, you know, if you needed  to grab it for for any reason in policy. Yeah. We are as efficient as a science researcher. Um,  final one for this evening, 6550, blood donations,   which for anyone who doesn't know,  I believe M. Schmidt is not here,   but I believe it's May 20th this year,  the Jericho blood drive. Mr. Kirby will   be leading us off promptly at 8:00 a.m. I  expect everyone else to be there. I will   not be there till the afternoon. But 6550 I  think we just had an issue of it's a leave   leaves of absence policy but the second page  bottom has the blood donations and we had to   figure out what we were doing here. Did our  superintendent come up with a recommendation?

09755 6550 the section on blood donation. Oh yeah,   it's at the bottom of page two. The issue did the  issue is which no it's we have to choose one. Oh,   it's simply we have to say what do  we want to do because just here it's   like it's just pot luck and people will get  away with whatever people do various things. I think we just were saying what do  we want to do and no one knew and as   a lawyer Miss Vegas said whatever you want  to do is fine with me and there was really   no recommendation because the language was  fine or you could leave both options here   and then it could be on a case-by case  basis you could make that determination.   Sounds good. Not that important. That's good.  Everyone's going to be there

098May 20th. That's   when they're giving their blood. They just need  half an hour. Go downstairs. Again, unless you're   Mr. Kirby who needs an hour for platelets. Thank  you, Mr. Kirby. You are a great American. Um,   that is it. So, uh, with that, can we get a  vote on accepting policy 6110 through? Well,   no, we're accepting the first read. Oh, I thought  we tabled. Oh, we did. And then we table. Yes. So,   I need a vote then on accepting policy 6110  through 6570 plus policy 3421. All in favor as amended. Mr. Emanuel, we are good there. Um, we shall now  move on to schedules. Can I get a motion for the   board to accept schedule business affair little I1  treasures report through? Doesn't have a number,   but it's superintendent one office designation  of textbook and pull

099out. We already did the   10 p without Well, we could always  do it again. We love them so much.   uh pulling out I believe it's schedule J um tenure  of the 11 employees that we mentioned earlier.   Can I get a motion? Thank you, Miss Vartoff.  Second. Thank you, Mr. Jin. Any discussion the J the tenure one that we already  did earlier? Can you just briefly Oh,   sorry. When you're done with your notes, just quickly explain the textbook central  contract. I know it takes three sentences. So we use textbook central to organize um for  all of the private schools that participate in   textbook central uh an efficient way to get the uh  textbooks to the private school students in again   in the schools that uh participate in the textbook  central program which is many of them

100and it does   provide efficiency on the district side where  we don't have to research uh search for books   and purchase them on our own. Thank you. And the  insurance claim that is we are getting $91,000   for the Yes. Okay. Perfect. And who knows who's  best to give three sentences on our EMT course.   It seems here we've gotten through the hard  work of state representative Jake Bloomrants.   $20,000 to the district for some EMT equipment  which is going to be used in our new EMT course   according to our package. What is this equipment  and is this course starting in the fall? Who   is teaching this course? I know we've talked  about it briefly in the past. Do we know yet? Sorry. Two two sections and who's teaching  it? Samantha Sportza. Perfect. Thank you   very much. State Representative

101Bloom and  Crans for arranging that money for us. Um,   two more questions. Insurance, Mr. Emanuel. Here  we talk about people benefits and Gerber life for   student accident insurance and catastrophic  the lower price on the catastrophic. It said   must write base with cat. So it wasn't a real  second bid. What who writes the cat? So we   would have to do Gerber doing both the pu wait  pupil uh benefits provides the um that other   than catastrophic provides all of the student  accident insurance. um you know student accident   with athletics or anything like that and the  premiums did go up pretty significantly because   we did have a lot of claims. Right. But with the  with the CAT, why couldn't we take the lower the   lower bidder? It said your note in there said  must write base with CAT.

102Must write B. Oh, so   um they they were tied together. the catastrophic  and the pupil benefits. You had to take them as   a package. Got it. And they're okay. Um,  sorry, I did have two more in there. The I   know this is in there all the time. The regular  substitute leave replacement, leave of absence,   a process for filling those positions. I see  a bunch of them are filled on a usual occasion   by former teachers here who've either retired  or left. Is there a is there a formal process   that we go through with interviews and stuff or  is it more who you pointing to? Oh, sorry, Mr. Sorry about that. Every hiring process has a  formality. So, there would be interviews. So,   for leave replacements, we would post  it. We would see the applicant pool.   uh

103based on that applicant pool, if there is  a retiree that can serve a certain function   um and they rise to the top of that application  process, then they're the ones selected. We   typically have a lot of people applying for  those or those are I believe replacements can   often be very difficult to fill. They're midyear.  They're sometimes in highly technical areas. The   ability to find a licensed science teacher in the  middle of the school year is often very difficult.   And then when you further complicate it with uh  a certain aspect of science, you know, someone in   uh for a bio leave needs to be licensed in bio.  Sometimes we also have someone who needs to have   dual certification for special education. So  sometimes a a retiree uh provides the perfect   solution to fill that. And so

104all those leave  replacements, we have to advertise those in a   regular sort of opening. It have to versus good  practice to may be different. We do we post we we   we post and we've typically been posting in Olas  which is no that's fine. So so what forget about   have to we post all those positions somewhere  before we fill that's question. Um last thing   if anyone sees Dr. Kravitz has a book sitting  next to him the say I say which is being added   for AP seminar and unfortunately Dr. Hartnet,  our superstar, not that the others are bad,   our superstar English seminar teacher. My question  for him is, this seems like an outstanding book   for critical thinking and writing. Why  have we not been using it up until now? A little. I read the reviews. They uh

105the  say I say they say I say it's, you know,   it doesn't matter. Everybody seems to love it.  Great for critical thinking, great for writing,   great for making arguments. So, we should have  had it a long time ago. Anyway, that being said,   perhaps he will join us. He's off at a conference  somewhere getting even better than he already is.   Um, we look forward to seeing all of you at next  week's May 7th meeting. Seems like we're together   every week and we really appreciate seeing you.  Um, after which we'll have a 4-day break and   we'll see you again on May 11th for more policy,  which we probably won't see you for. Anything from Thank you so much. All in favor of approving 61.  I'm sorry. Schedules. [ __ ] Um, the schedules   we talked about schedule business affairs

106little  I1 treasures report through superintendent office   designate of textbook. All in favor? 50. Thank  you very much. Any members have anything to add   before? Yes. Excuse me. Um, is all business on  the agenda for tonight's meeting is complete.   Do I have a motion to adjurnn? Thank you, Mr.  Citron. For the second Yes. Yeah, we need to   do it. Do I have a motion to go into executive  session, discuss a personnel matter? Thank you,   Mrs. Martin. Second. Thank you, Mrs. Citron.  Um, we will be returning here to close out the   meeting. We will not be discussing anything  in public. We will not be taking any votes. As long as Miss Vegas says we can close in  the other room. No action will be taken.   We will close it out when we open the door  to the

107boardroom in the executive offices.   You are please wait. There is still cake  outside. There's probably cookies in the   office if you really want to wait.  Otherwise, we look forward to seeing   you on the 11th. Do I have a a vote? All in  favor of going to executive 5. Thank you.