_________________ WANTAGH ________________
HERALD $1.00
Students get a life-saving lesson
Memorial gazebo rebuilt
Bicyclist honors lives lost on 9/11
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Vol. 69 No. 33
AUGUST 12 - 18, 2021
Calling for Cuomo to go Community responds to A.G. probe, urges governor to resign “What message does it send if a powerful man can get away with this?” she said. “Why bother knalepinski@liherald.com reporting?” Some members of the Want“I think he should resign,” agh-Seaford community are seek- said Jessica Kofod, of Seaford. ing the removal of Gov. Andrew “As a woman, I find it uncomfortCuomo from office after state able to know that an elected offiAttorney General Letitia James cial is taking advantage of his last week announced that her power. I’m glad the women decidinvestigation had concluded that ed to come forward and share Cuomo sexually their stories.” harassed nearly a Local elected leaddozen women. ers have also called The five-monthon Cuomo to resign. long probe was carDemocratic State ried out by investigaSen. John Brooks, of tors Joon Kim and Seaford, first sought Anne Clark. Cuomo Cuomo’s removal harassed cur rent during James’s and for mer state inquiry. “Previously employees, they said, I had called on the with unwanted gropgover nor to ste p Gov. Andrew cuomo a s i d e wh i l e t h e ing, kissing and hugging, and by making inquiry took its inappropriate comments. course,” Brooks said in a phone Gracie Hart, a Wantagh resi- interview on Aug. 4, “and with dent for over 25 years who recent- the release of today’s report, it is ly moved to Plainview, said that plainly evident that Andrew Cuomo should resign immediate- Cuomo has both broken the law ly. “If not, impeach him,” Hart and violated the public trust. said. “He is a sexual predator . . . “By committing these acts of these women deserve justice.” sexual harassment and focused Hart said she believed that retaliations,” Brooks continued, young women would be hesitant “he has damaged the office he to report abuse and name their holds and no longer retains the abusers if Cuomo were not held responsible for his actions. Continued on page 5
By KATe NAlepiNSKi and ANdrew GArciA
Courtesy Henry Chiu
SecoNd-GrAderS iN The Wantagh School District worked in the computer lab in January 2018. Computer instruction has been integrated into elementary-level classrooms as of this year.
Computer classes subject of concern in Wantagh district By KATe NAlepiNSKi knalepinski@liherald.com
As the 2021-22 school year approaches, some parents in the Wantagh School District remain frustrated with the reconfiguration of computer instruction at the elementary level caused by Covid-19 and internal budget cuts. Following the defeat of the proposed budget last May, Board of Education members sought feedback from the community and reduced the spending plan by $1.1 million.
The approved $82.7 million budget decreased staff overall, including administrators, teachers and aides, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Marc Ferris said. Before the pandemic, district officials reviewed all educational programs, Ferris said. Because of limited computer resources, students in kindergarten to second grade received computer instruction once in a six-day cycle. Then the pandemic struck, and Wantagh was forced to go
remote. With the uncertainty of the pandemic, the district rerouted funding, froze many projects and distributed one Chromebook laptop to each student in kindergarten to fifth grade for remote instruction, Ferris said. By the following year, high school and middle school students also received Chromebooks. Around June 2020, some parents wrote to the district, urging officials to provide students in kindergarten through Continued on page 18