Have a COVID-19 schools complaint? Here's a place to air it

This week's top stories

1. New teachers union website details COVID-19 criticisms

As COVID-19 rates continue to rise statewide, unionized teachers and their leaders have started reporting their coronavirus-related health and safety concerns on a website launched this week by the New York State United Teachers union. The website, NYSUTCovidTracker.org, alleges dozens of safety violations on Long Island and across the state, including faulty ventilation systems and staffers working without masks. As of Wednesday, the website has more than 95 school locations statewide, including several districts on the Island, where health and safety concerns are reported. Some local districts identified include Eastport-South Manor, Freeport, Hempstead and Smithtown.

Administrators in local districts denied allegations of hazards, saying they worked closely with health officials to comply with state and local safety standards. In announcing the new reporting system, state union president Andy Pallotta voiced hope the initiative would "elevate the voices of those who otherwise may go unheard." Officials added that union members posting on the site would remain anonymous, to prevent potential reprisals. There is also a place on the site for parents/community members to post anonymously.

In Albany, a representative of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, Greg Berck, questioned the new reporting system's reliance on anonymous sources, saying it could "be manipulated to spread false information and needlessly scare people." Recently, several districts have brought more students back to school full-time, causing teachers to question whether 6-foot social distance is being properly maintained in classrooms.

Linda Wygonik, president of Eastport-South Manor's teacher union, said she worries about the safety of some students who now sit in classes facing each other, even with the added protection of plastic shields. "We absolutely want to see our students in school," said Wygonik, who teaches special-education classes. "But we want our students and faculty safe."

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2. Stop-arm cameras coming to Suffolk school buses, officials say

About 6,000 school buses in Suffolk County soon will be equipped with stop-arm cameras to catch and ticket motorists who illegally pass stopped buses, county officials announced Tuesday. The program is expected to start in January.

• Suffolk has signed a contract with Virginia-based BusPatrol America to help deter motorists from illegally passing stopped buses to keep kids safe, the county said.
• "This new technology will ensure that our students will be further protected against dangerous driving when they are boarding a bus to go to school," County Executive Steve Bellone said in a statement.
• The Suffolk Legislature unanimously approved creating such a program last year after Longwood and Bay Shore school district officials testified that cars illegally passed their district buses more than 80 times a day, putting students at risk. The Nassau County Legislature also approved a similar program, and the county is in the process of selecting a vendor.

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3. January's Regents exams canceled, education officials say

State Regents exams originally scheduled for Jan. 26 through Jan. 29 have been canceled due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, top education officials said last week.

• The announcement marks the third time in eight months the state has scrubbed Regents exams since the health crisis erupted. State officials said a decision will be made later in the academic year on whether to go ahead with a scheduled June round.
• The state's interim education commissioner, Betty A. Rosa, in deciding the three-hour tests would be scratched again, cited unevenness of local school schedules during the pandemic as a major factor.
• "The decision was to me a no-brainer," said Roger Tilles of Manhasset, who represents Long Island on the state's policymaking Board of Regents.

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4. For SUNY students, no spring break in '21, among other changes

Spring break 2021 at Stony Brook University and all SUNY campuses is the latest casualty of the coronavirus. A plan announced Monday pushes the system's in-person start date for the spring semester to Feb. 1, requires mandatory testing for returning students, and cancels the annual college respite.

• SUNY's coronavirus plan for the spring also includes a precautionary seven-day quarantine for students before their return, and mandatory mask-wearing "at all times," even with social distancing guidelines and protocols in place.
• The 64-campus system has a "What Students Should Know" guideline package available on its website for students and their families to help prepare for the spring semester changes. That information includes how many courses will be online, hybrid or in-person, SUNY said.
• SUNY Old Westbury is considering whether to seek an exemption from the system's spring break rule "to schedule a week of enrichment activities like tutoring, advisement and career planning services," said spokesman Michael Kinane.

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Resources for you

• Looking for educational games and videos featuring characters from shows such as "Curious George" and "Wild Kratts"? Visit pbskids.org.
• A full day of hybrid learning might call for some educational breaks. For videos, playful learning activities and ways to help families stay physically and mentally healthy featuring characters such as Elmo and the Cookie Monster, visit sesamestreet.org.

Your questions answered

Have questions? Send them to ednews@newsday.com. Newsday’s education reporting team will pick one to answer in this space each week.

How many positive COVID-19 cases have Long Island schools had?

Long Island public and private schools have reported, as of Wednesday, 1,532 coronavirus positives since Sept. 8, up 77 cases from a day earlier, according to the state’s COVID-19 Report Card. Of those, 1,136 were students and 396 were teachers and staff. The statewide tally as of Wednesday was 5,209 students and 2,639 teachers and staff members for a total of 7,848 who tested positive.

To find this information, updated daily on the state's COVID-19 dashboard, just go to schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov, and click on "Positive school tests by region." Scroll down to "Long Island" to find the latest data.

Round of applause

Dylan Hoffman, a first-grader at Saltzman East Memorial Elementary School in Farmingdale, was recently inspired by his younger brother's treatment at an area hospital. He decided to give back to the facility in a creative way.

Dylan has sold about 125 shells that he collected from Robert Moses State Park and painted with colorful designs to benefit the Child Life program at NYU Winthrop Hospital Children's Medical Center. Designs ranged from stars to polka dots to flowers.

The project, which he called "Dylan's Shell Shop," netted about $2,300 in sales, his family said. He used the proceeds to purchase nearly 100 toys — including action figures, play mats and children's books — which he presented to the hospital last month. Dylan said he wanted to help the hospital because his brother, Owen, has Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a condition in which an extra electrical pathway in the heart causes a rapid heartbeat. Owen, who is 18 months old, was treated at the hospital late last year.

— Find the latest education news at newsday.com/long-island/education. Catherine Carrera can be reached at catherine.carrera@newsday.com or on Twitter @CattCarrera.