Friday, March 5, 2021
Vol. 98, No.28
FOUNDED 1923
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Results That Will Move Yo u
LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
Laura Mullig an
Li c. R. E. Sa le sp er so n O 51 6. 30 7.9 40 6 M 51 6. 72 9.6 88 5 laura.mulliga n@elliman.co m Garden City Office O 51 6. 30 7.9 40 6
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DAR spotlight
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Scholarship Fund PAGE 16
© 2021 DOUGLA S ELLIMA N REAL ESTATE. EQUAL HOU 110 WALT WHITMA SING OPP ORT UNI N ROAD, HUN TING TY. TON STATION, NY 11746. 631.549.740 1.
School district plans full in-person classes starting March 8th
SWINGING IN THE SNOW
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Children at the Garden City Nursery School loved playing in the snow after recent storms. See page 42
Environmental Board discusses village water system, well projects BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
The Village of Garden City’s water quality has been a major topic of discussion online and at public meetings in recent days. Several weeks ago the Garden City Board of Trustees sent out a mailer to all homes discussing steps the Village has taken to remediation contaminants such as 1,4 dioxane in the water sup-
ply, in response to changes in New York State drinking water standards. On February 25th the Village posted a response to social media discussion about the water in which the Village was criticized. “Recently, there have been intentionally inaccurate or otherwise misinformed posts on social media regarding the quality of our water and the Village’s efforts, goals
and activities regarding our Water System. We assure you that our water is tested daily and thoroughly in accordance with all state and county mandates. It meets all standards. As we have stated for several years, the Board of Trustees of the Village of Garden City continues to aggressively address the issue of Village-sourced water and water contaminants,” the See page 62
Garden City Public Schools hope to be able to offer full time classes for all secondary students by March 8th, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kusum Sinha, who spoke at the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, February 23rd. The Garden City Board of Education heard presentations from members of the district administration who outlined plans for the reopening. Eighth and eleventh grade students returned last week. Dr. Sinha explained that “social distances” of six feet apart for students will not prevail in Garden City’s classrooms after the full reopening. A three foot distance had been discussed at the Board’s work session in early February. The superintendent said the district is reexamining the schools’ “every other day” option for instruction, as she said having three options for students could compromise their educational experience. Dr. Sinha noted that although the term “reopening” is being used, in fac the district has continuously remained open for instruction since September 2020. She said the amount of in-person instruction will be expanding. “We know that our schools are probably safer than anywhere else because there’s really been no Covid-19 transmission in our schools. The schools are a safe place and it’s something we have worked very, very hard on to ensure that safety for kids. As we are bringing kids back in we are trying to continue enforcing the safety protocols -everyone wearing a mask and our ventilation are two very important aspects of our in-school safety as we are decreasing the social distancing of six feet.” One key area Dr. Sinha explained as crucial for in-person learning are hands-on environments such as science labs. The district had decided upon a phased-in approach in early December but that schedule changed because of a surge in cases after the holidays, which was also experienced nationwide. “We had to delay the returning of our first cohorts of sixth graders and 12th graders due to Covid-positive cases we had in the schools,” she said, on the eve of a long-anticipated return of the 8th and 11th graders in GCMS and GCHS last week. Dr. Sinha praised the work of the Director of Facilities and the Buildings and Grounds crews in preparing the schools. See page 61
GCHS Boys Fencing Senior Spotlight PAGE 66 Sunrise, sunset in Death Valley PAGE 49