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Friday, October 27, 2017
Vol. 77, No. 43
TOB SUPERVISORS 5K RUN
Jericho School Board rejects foreign student policy 3-2 BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino (right) and Town Clerk James Altadonna Jr. (left) recently joined with Nassau County Legislator Rose Marie Walker (center) at Greater Long Island Running Club’s (GLIRC) Annual Supervisor’s 5K Run. This 5K run is a unique event that has become an important tradition in the lives of hundreds of runners throughout the community. The run is widely acclaimed for its scenic and challenging course through the heart of the hamlet of Oyster Bay.
Despite a spirited online debate, the Jericho Board of Education voted 3-2 against allowing foreign exchange students to study in the Jericho schools during the Board’s October 17th meeting. Board President William Ferro seemed moved to the verge of tears as he addressed the community at the meeting inside the high school auditorium. He shocked the crowd of about 75 parents on hand and many Jericho Schools’ administrators by announcing that 2017-2018 will be his final year serving on the Board of Ed. due to what he sees transpiring. Minutes before the foreign exchange student topic was approached at the meeting, Nassau County Legislator Arnold Drucker, successor to Judy Jacobs, visited to present members of Jericho’s board of education with citations as October marks the annual recognition of school board leadership and contributions. Ferro has volunteered and served the Jericho school community as a trustee for the last eight and a half years, spending time away from his family due to dedication to all Jericho
Schools means to him and them. But the board president said he witnessed a disturbing trend in a number of conversations and forums – in person and online – over the past year: a voice for underlying bigotry by some members of the community, evident when the district began talks on adding the Eid and Diwali holidays, which was discussed at meetings from December 2016 to May 2017. The more recent proposal before the board to establish a district policy permitting one to three foreign exchange students to study at Jericho schools for a semester has exacerbated the undercurrent of hostility. Superintendent of Schools Hank Grishman commented, “We have spent the last two to three weeks in a very challenging time in our school district over the discussion of foreign exchange students. Through all the discussions our district has held in the past with disagreements, there has always been civility in the discussion and respect shown for members of the board of education in prior discussions and disagreements. In the 40 years I have been a superintendent of schools I have never seen emails like I’ve seen in the last two to three weeks making See page 17
Jericho Fire Department turns to electronic key system BY GARY SIMEONE Jericho Fire District Supervisor, John O’Brien was looking for a solution to maintain the department’s critical emergency keys. His research took him to something called the MedixSafe Keycare Cabinet, an electronically controlled narcotics cabinet. “The MedixSafe program stores their keys in a computerized cabinetry
through a key swipe access control,” said O’Brien. “This is something we already have in place in our firehouse and in our ambulance unit.” He said that by having that type of program in place in the Fire District, “gives us good accountability and helps to ensure that we’re not missing critical keys.” Some of the keys that serve an important function include ones for opening the
siren box out in the field, for the radio equipment and for the fuel pumps on the firetrucks and the Department’s auxiliary vehicles. Outside vendors to the Department, such as radio repairman,also need access to the keys in case of malfunctions to the Department’s radio equipment. O’Brien said that with the new system, access to the Department’s critical keys are simply a key swipe away on the
computer at his desk or through Wi-Fi. “It’s something that we’ve been using for two months now and I’m able to activate the lockbox online at the computer at my desk,” said O’Brien. “This system would benefit firehouses everywhere because it ensures the security of the most important keys and it gives the ability to control and track who’s accessed those keys.”
Syosset HS Homecoming 2017 PAGE 6 Jericho Middle School Team Day PAGE 8