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Schools
Water Main Break Leads To Early Dismissal At HS, MS In Hudson Valley Water Main Break Leads To Early Dismissal At HS, MS In Hudson Valley
Water Main Break Leads To Early Dismissal At HS, MS In Hudson Valley A water main break has resulted in early dismissals at a high school and middle school in Westchester. The break "involves a significant 12-inch pipe that has no timeline for completion," Mount Pleasant Central School Superintendent Peter Giarrizzo said in an email to the community late Thursday morning, May 12.  Giarrizzo said there is currently no water at both Westlake High School, Westlake Middle School and the district office. As a result, students from both schools were dismissed at 11:15 a.m. Thursday. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
Candidate Drops Out Of School Board Race In Hudson Valley After Offensive Facebook Posts Candidate Drops Out Of School Board Race In Hudson Valley After Offensive Facebook Posts
Candidate Drops Out Of School Board Race In Hudson Valley After Offensive Facebook Posts A prospective school board candidate in the Hudson Valley has ducked out of the race after multiple racist, offensive, and anti-Semitic posts made over the course of nearly a decade on social media resurfaced. In Putnam County, Robert “Bobby” Palazzo, age 70, who was running for a seat on the Carmel Board of Education has reportedly dropped out of the race after the inflammatory posts were leaked to the public, including several targeting former President Barack Obama. “Obama want a banana?” one post from January 2010 read above a photo of the former president. Another simply stated, “Oba…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Area School District Searches For Successor After Superintendent Resigns Area School District Searches For Successor After Superintendent Resigns
Area School District Searches For Successor After Superintendent Resigns A school district in Westchester County is searching for a successor after its superintendent resigned. Scarsdale Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Hagerman resigned on Friday, May 6, following the news the school board announced in early April about a more than $1,300,000 tax lien against the district, according to a report from Scarsdale10583. The Board of Education meeting was held at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The school board also announced that Dr. Andrew Patrick, the assistant superintendent for human resources and leadership development, is serving as interim superintend…

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by Nicole Valinote
Schools
'It Means A Lot': Hudson Valley Teacher Wins National Award 'It Means A Lot': Hudson Valley Teacher Wins National Award
'It Means A Lot': Hudson Valley Teacher Wins National Award A science teacher in Westchester County is being recognized for teaching her students to have compassion for all living things. Melissa Flores, a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher at Enrico Fermi School in Yonkers, was one of three runners-up from across the US in this year’s Teacher Appreciation Contest from TeachKind. The group is the humane education division of PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Working with schools across the country, TeachKind helps teachers shape their curriculum in a way that’s more humane to animals, like coming up with alternatives to dissections …

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
These Rockland High Schools Among Nation's Best, Brand-New Rankings Say These Rockland High Schools Among Nation's Best, Brand-New Rankings Say
These Rockland High Schools Among Nation's Best, Brand-New Rankings Say It’s no secret that the Hudson Valley is home to some of the nation’s best schools, but which rank among the top in the country? The U.S. News & World Report released its 2022 list of the best high schools in the country after evaluating nearly 18,000 schools at all levels. According to the organization - which touts itself as “the global authority in education rankings” - high schools were judged on these factors: College readiness; Reading and math proficiency; Reading and math performance; Underserved student performance; College curriculum breadth; Graduation rates. In New York…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Assistant School Superintendent Accepts Post At New Hudson Valley District Assistant School Superintendent Accepts Post At New Hudson Valley District
Assistant School Superintendent Accepts Post At New Hudson Valley District There will be more upheaval among the administration of a Northern Westchester school district after a veteran educator announced she would be heading to a different part of the county. Cynthia Hawthorne, who has been an assistant superintendent in the Bedford Central School District since 2019, has been named as the new Assistant Superintendent for Business of the Peekskill Central School District by the Board of Education. She will replace outgoing assistant superintendent Robin Zimmerman, who previously announced her retirement from the post. Hawthorne’s appointment takes effect officia…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Parents Attack BOE In Hudson Valley For Lewd Images Of Special-Ed Students Parents Attack BOE In Hudson Valley For Lewd Images Of Special-Ed Students
Parents Attack BOE In Hudson Valley For Lewd Images Of Special-Ed Students Parents of special-education students in a Northern Westchester School District took a local Board of Education to task after new details emerged about the circulation of lewd photos and videos of their children on social media. Earlier this month, news broke out of the Bedford Central School District regarding depictions of special-needs students after photos were allegedly taken inside one of the boys' bathrooms at Fox Lane High School in Bedford. Original story - Students At Northern Westchester HS Face Disciplinary Action After ‘Disturbing Incident’ Once news of the photos and vid…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Construction Starts On Hudson Valley School Named For Supreme Court Justice Construction Starts On Hudson Valley School Named For Supreme Court Justice
Construction Starts On Hudson Valley School Named For Supreme Court Justice Officials have broken ground at a new Westchester school named for a groundbreaking Supreme Court justice. In Yonkers, construction has begun on a new school named in honor of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a Bronx native who is the first Latina to sit on the bench. Upwards of 700 pre-K through eighth-grade students are expected to attend the school on McLean Avenue once it is completed, one of three new schools planned for the city in the coming years. A rendering of the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School in YonkersYonkers Public Schools Construction is expected to be co…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Hudson Valley Students Face Disciplinary Action For ‘Disturbing Incident' Hudson Valley Students Face Disciplinary Action For ‘Disturbing Incident'
Hudson Valley Students Face Disciplinary Action For ‘Disturbing Incident' Students at a Northern Westchester high school are facing disciplinary actions for their roles in a “very disturbing incident,” officials said. Bedford Central School District Superintendent Joel Adelberg and Fox Lane High School Principal Brett Miller issued an alert to parents advising them of the incident - details of which have not been disclosed by the district - regarding an issue involving a privacy violation. The issue is reportedly being investigated by the Bedford Police Department. “We acknowledge how disturbing this is,” the letter from the school administrators wrote. “The fam…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Former Rockland Educator Chosen To Lead School District In Westchester Former Rockland Educator Chosen To Lead School District In Westchester
Former Rockland Educator Chosen To Lead School District In Westchester A veteran educator has been named as the new head of one of Westchester’s most prestigious school districts. In Scarsdale, the Board of Education announced that a familiar face in Dr. Drew Patrick is set to serve as the interim superintendent of schools as they look for a permanent candidate to fill the position vacated by outgoing administrator Thomas Hagerman. Earlier story - Longtime Schools Superintendent In Westchester To Resign “After identifying the Board’s criteria and priorities for an interim superintendent and soliciting community feedback, the Board worked to identify and vet a…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Data Of Nearly One Million NY Students Compromised In Hack Of Online Grading System Data Of Nearly One Million NY Students Compromised In Hack Of Online Grading System
Data Of Nearly One Million NY Students Compromised In Hack Of Online Grading System The personal data of nearly a million New York students has been compromised by hackers attempting to alter grades, investigators announced. In January, Illuminate Education, a taxpayer-funded software company that tracks grades and attendance for the New York City Department of Education, was targeted, resulting in the data of approximately 820,000 students being made available. Specifically, officials said that the hackers gained access to students’ names, birthdays, ethnicities, English-speaking, special-education, teacher schedules, and free-lunch statuses, though information including …

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Hudson Valley School District Taps Interim Superintendent To Permanent Post Hudson Valley School District Taps Interim Superintendent To Permanent Post
Hudson Valley School District Taps Interim Superintendent To Permanent Post A familiar face is set to officially take over at the helm of a school district serving communities in both Northern Westchester and Putnam counties. In Shrub Oak, the Lakeland Central School District Board of Education unanimously approved to permanently install Dr. Karen Gagliardi as the schools superintendent, effective immediately. Gagliardi, a former Assistant Superintendent for Instruction in Lakeland had been serving as interim superintendent since October 2021. “My experience serving the district over the last six months has greatly reaffirmed my commitment to serving in this role,…

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by Zak Failla