Huntington votes to create an Abrams 6th-grade center

The Huntington School Board late last night voted 4-3 to create a sixth-grade center at Jack Abrams Intermediate School, which has been the focal point of a continuing debate over safety in the surrounding neighborhood.

School board president Bill Dwyer, board members Emily Rogan, Kimberley Brown and Christine Bene voted for the measure, which will also send 6th-graders from Woodhull Intermediate school to Abrams. Fourth- and 5th-graders at Abrams will attend Woodhull Intermediate. Board members Elizabeth Black, John Paci and Rich McGrath voted no.

It was not known when the changes would take place. The vote came after a lengthy board meeting and discussion among the members.

Meryl Otis Kessler, who has a child at Jack Abrams and wanted the students moved to town hall, said the board's decision is a bad one.

"You have to keep the goal in mind, which is safety. There is also nothing to suggest a 6th grade center would have an educational benefit," Kessler said. "It's an irrelevant solution."

After the vote, the board continued their meeting and were not available for comment.

Earlier, parents and residents showed up for the first public meeting between the five-member Huntington Town board and the Huntington school board.

Parents wanted to know from the school board what the next step is, now that they have announced several options for relocating students because of continued violence in the area.

Concern by parents and the community ratcheted up last month after shots were fired during school hours just blocks from the school.

Tensions had been mounting since a man was shot across the street from the school a week before classes started in September.

Some parents were advocating moving students immediately, preferably swapping buildings with town hall, a former school, while the neighborhood is cleaned up.