_______ Lynbrook/east rockaway ______
HERALD Also serving Bay Park
lacrosse player honored
New county Hall of Fame class
lynbrook teen earns scholarship
Page 3
Page 8
Page 10
Vol. 30 No. 29
JUlY 13 - 19, 2023
$1.00
Honoring those who gave all to protect us By NIColE FoRMISANo nformisano@liherald.com
Nicole Formisano/Herald
declan Regan, village Hstorian arthur Mattson, police Chief Brian palladino, Mayor alan Beach and others at the new memorial.
Lynbrook’s memory of three officers who died in the line of duty has faded over the decades. Declan Regan, 17, took it upon himself to change that. For his Eagle Scout project, Regan created the first of three memorials for the fallen officers. The memorial is, as Lynbrook Police Chief Brian Palladino described, “subtle but striking.” A lamppost with a blue light stands on the corner of Rocklyn Avenue and Merrick Road, surrounded by flowers. At its base is Continued on page 4
Will Lynbrook school district adopt ‘Do No Harm’ policy? By NIColE FoRMISANo
T
nformisano@liherald.com
he Do No Harm policy debate by Lynbrook School District board members overshadowed the swearing-in ceremonies at the July 5 reorganization meeting. The Do No Harm policy states that if a student’s Regents grade would have a positive or neutral impact on their class grade, that grade would continue to be factored into that average. (The weight of Regents exams on class averages is determined by each district.) If a student’s Regents grade would negatively impact their class
average, it would not be factored into that average. The Regents exam score would remain on the student’s transcript. The policy was first brought up two years ago by Lesli Deninno, who is now serving as board secretary. Now, as surrounding districts — Jericho, Syosset, Hewlett-Woodmere and Bellmore-Merrick, among others — have begun to adopt Do No Harm, the Lynbrook Board of Education is revisiting the idea. “In this world of competitive college admissions, every single point matters,” Trustee Andrew Lewner said in support of the policy. “Why should a Lynbrook kid not get every advantage as a
kid who’s in Hewlett or Bellmore-Merrick, or any of the other districts?” Lewner referenced a study conducted by central administration that showed that half of all Regents exams taken in this past academic year brought down students’ averages. He also pointed out that the state’s Board of Regents does not recommend the Regents be factored into final class scores. “If that exact child lived blocks over in Hewlett, that child’s average would have been higher,” Lewner said. “These are the districts that our kids are competing with for the few precious college spots, and
those kids now have an advantage over our children.” Trustee Patrick Palleschi noted that of students’ averages that were lowered by Regents exams, 98 percent were lowered by 2 or fewer points. Lewner, the father of a child in the district, said that those points matter — especially when a point or two in multiple classes can ultimately have a
larger effect on overall GPA. Palleschi, though not strictly opposed to Do No Harm, pointed out that the policy has some potentially deleterious effects. “Where’s the accountability?” Palleschi said. “How horribly would they have done if it didn’t weigh anything? It could have been significantly lower. Their [class] grades would have Continued on page 6