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HERALD Rabbi Dorsch is installed
‘Minority Millennials’
Salk is a School to Watch
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Vol. 71 No. 23
JUNE 1 - 7, 2023
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Parks prepare for summer shark activity By MICHAEl MAlASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com
Tim Baker/Herald
Honoring the fallen Dozens lined up from Beltagh Avenue all the way down to Park Avenue to honor fallen soldiers at Wantagh’s Memorial Day parade on May 29. To see more coverage, pick up the June 8 edition of the Wantagh Herald.
Excited about summer, but nervous about sharks? There are a few things to know. Above all, state officials have a comprehensive plan they say will ensure that swimmers and boaters will be safe from sharks this summer. Joining forces to make that happen are the state’s parks, recreation, and historic preservation office, along with the environmental conservation department and the state police. All will increase surveillance along every state park beach. “With New Yorkers and visitors alike preparing to enjoy our beautiful Long Island beaches all
summer long, their safety is our top priority,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a release. “I encourage all New Yorkers to listen to local authorities, follow guidance, and take precautions to ensure a safe and responsible beach trip this summer.” How state officials will patrol parks deserves a big thanks from technology. Some 18 drones will monitor beaches for sharks — up from eight last year, Nearly three dozen state staffers — from police to lifeguards — have or will be trained, all by Fourth of July weekend. Two new Yamaha WaveRunners — what many might know as jetskis — have been assigned Continued on page 10
Unwinding Covid — and how pandemic affected schools By MICHAEl MAlASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com
Over three years ago, in March 2020, Covid-19 upended everyone’s way of life. With the last of the emergency restrictions being lifted on May 11, three local school superintendents recently discussed exactly what happened during the pandemic and how it could affect education in the future. Outside the medical industry, schools were probably the hardest hit, because education could not be halted for an extended period of time. Children still had to learn, and teachers, administrators and parents were forced
to quickly adapt. State and federal regulations were put in place, a district-bydistrict way of handling the initial response was established, and protocols were followed in subsequent years.
Wantagh’s response
which they would turn to virtual instruction on some days and inperson learning on others. When in person, students were told to adhere to strict masking and social distancing policies. In 2021-22, students returned to full inperson instruction, bu t w i t h m a s k s required — until Gov. Kathy Hochul lifted the mask mandate following the decline of the omicron variant. This year, students returned completely to normal conditions, with the only restrictions for those testing positive. But while most restrictions
Covid
Wa n t a g h f i n ished the 2019-20 academic year fully remote, as did every Long Island school district after Covid was identified as a global pandemic. During the 2020-21 year, students in Wantagh returned to school in a hybrid model, in
have been lifted, some hurdles still remain. “We’ll be providing some summer programs and reading and math to continue to provide additional support for students that may have been impacted by Covid,” Wantagh Superintendent John McNamara said. “We did that to the elementary schools over the past few sum-
mers, providing that additional support, but then we still had some elements of learning loss at the secondary level.” Not only negatives came out of the pandemic, though. The switch to fully remote schoolwork in 2020 forced students and educators to adapt to technology — and that’s not going away. Continued on page 15