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JUNE 13 - 19, 2024
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Renovations underway at LIRR station By JUAN LASSO & NORA TOSCANO of the Herald
Herald file photo
More than 100 students at Valley Stream South High School have not received state-mandated vaccinations, prompting urgent action from school officials and raising concerns about vaccine hesitancy and public health risks.
South grapples with gap in student vaccine coverage By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com
Over 100 Valley Stream South High School students went to school this year without being fully vaccinated with “one, some, or all” state-mandated immunizations. Those were the concerning words disclosed to faculty in an email sent by Principal Matthew Swinson and school nurse Magee Sterlin in April whose subject line read: “Vaccination and Immunization — New York State Law Section 2164 — Urgent Read (2 min).” Health experts have long credited vaccinations for their fundamental role in protecting the public against the scourge of deadly and infectious diseases. It’s largely why vaccines
are a statewide health requirement for millions of students of all ages who receive injections for a robust list of illnesses. Yet Swinson’s email detailed a distressing picture to staff of a glaring gap in vaccine coverage that included dozens of students who for months did not have the required shots for diseases including hepatitis B, measles, mumps, and rubella. Swinson, in that same email, issued a stern ultimatum. Letters would be sent to parents of their students’ unvaccinated status and demand they “present proof of vaccination or a confir med appointment to receive clearance and return to school” by May 1. “Meeting the vaccination deadline is not Continued on page 10
On a sun-drenched morning last Friday at the Valley Stream elevated platform station, commuters calmly waited for their train to arrive tuning out the dull mechanic roar beneath their feet. On the ground floor, construction workers gathered near an industrial sandblaster removing away paint from the columns holding up the main station. Cars maneuvered past parts of the ground floor parking lot now surrounded by barricades and warning signs. At the sight of workers holding signs, drivers looked for open parking spots away from the work zone. “A state of good re pair work,” funded by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, is fully underway at the Valley Stream main station. Six rows of columns, railings, and multiple overpass bridges are expected to be repainted. Any columns supporting the length of the village’s elevated railway tracks from Hicks Street to Satterie Avenue will also be “taken care of as needed” MTA officials noted.
While renovations are in process or in queue to begin, others have been checked off the to-do list.
Completed and forthcoming renovations The roofing shingles at the platform waiting rooms have been replaced as scheduled, meaning the waiting areas, closed to the public for months amid construction, are now open. The next imminent renovation will be the station’s elevators and escalators, whose work is expected to begin by the end of June. “The LIRR is investing $32 million in capital funds for state-of-good repair work that is already underway at the station,” noted Long Island Rail Road President Robert Free in a statement. “When finished, t h e s e i m p r o ve m e n t s w i l l improve our customers’ experience and make for a more pleasurable commute.”
Commuters praise benefits but bristle at inconveniences The reconstruction is an overall positive, noted commuter Damien Cotto, even though inconvenience and disruption Continued on page 7