New year brings lead, Core, super lice concerns
Changes are happening across the board before the 2016-17 school year. Here's an overview of what you need to know.
School started Thursday for a handful of districts in the Lower Hudson Valley, including Croton-Harmon, Ossining and Haldane. Some are set to open the Tuesday after Labor Day, including South Orangetown, Dobbs Ferry and Yonkers, and Wednesday for others, such as East Ramapo and Katonah-Lewisboro.
Why so scattered? Some schools starting before the holiday are trying to get a leg up on potential snow days this winter, and to help address scheduling conflicts with breaks and testing in the spring.
Meanwhile, as parents check supplies and clothing off their back-to-school shopping list, here are some other issues to keep an eye on going into this school year.
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Shots, super lice
Students entering seventh and 12th grades must receive meningitis shots before returning to school this year, according to a new state law signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in October 2015. One exception: teens entering senior year who got their first meningitis shot on or after their 16th birthday. The newly-required shot covers meningococcal disease types A, C, W and Y. Those under 18 who may not be insured or are under-insured can still receive the vaccination for free at certain providers who participate in the state’s Vaccines For Children program.
Vicki Iannotti, associate chief of general pediatrics at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, said meningitis, which can be contracted from close contact like sharing utensils or kissing someone who is carrying it, is an infection that has similar symptoms as the flu. “Parents can be fooled by thinking their child has a common virus,” Iannotti said. She said parents should look for symptoms like head and body aches, vomiting, fever, and if the child appears sicker compared to having contracted other illnesses like the flu.
The weeks of transition between summer and back-to-school is when students are also most likely to contract lice or so-called super lice, which are those that have become resistant to treatments containing permethrin and pyrethrin. Super lice have spread to at least 48 states, including New York. Treatments for super lice include prescriptions like benzyl alcohol or enzyme-based natural products.
New technology
While many area school districts have adopted 1:1 technology programs — meaning the district provides a laptop or tablet to each student — Harrison Central School District is trying something different this year for its sixth through 12th graders: Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). The district will still buy technology devices, said Brian Seligman, Harrison’s director of technology, but BYOD gives students more responsibility over their device and cuts back on what districts purchase and maintain.
“A lot of kids already have devices and it’s something that parents are already planning to buy for their children to do their work and their research,” Seligman said.
Seligman suggests that Harrison parents buy a Google Chromebook, which ranges from $125-$300, but the device can be any tablet with a keyboard, or laptop with screens at least 7 inches across. For families with financial constraints, Seligman said they should get in touch with the school system and the student will be loaned a device.
Getting the lead out
In June, the state Legislature passed a law requiring public school districts to periodically test for lead and make state aid available to help cover the cost. The measure has not yet been signed by Cuomo, but Dani Lever, a spokeswoman with the governor’s office, said counsel is reviewing it. About 100 school districts around the state, including many in Westchester and Rockland counties, voluntarily tested for lead earlier this year after water in Flint, MI, and Newark, NJ, was found containing high levels of the toxin.
In Westchester, many schools completed testing in June and started remediation efforts. This included adding new filters to 53 sinks in Pelham, and replacing a water fountain with high lead levels in Briarcliff Manor. New Rochelle had a more challenging time at its 10 school buildings where testing is ongoing, but began some fixes this summer, according to a statement from the district. This included replacing plumbing and eliminating some classroom fountains.
Seven of Rockland’s eight public school districts put corrective action plans into effect this summer to address high lead levels detected last spring. “Each district made it clear that the top priority was that students and staff had access to healthy drinking water before the start of the school year,” said Scott Salotto, a spokesman for Rockland BOCES.
In most districts, a handful of fixtures were turned off after higher-than-normal levels were detected. “If retesting came back with high levels, the fixtures were replaced,” said Salotto, who estimated that less than a third of fixtures across the district wound up needing replacements. He also said some districts opted to permanently switch off not frequently used fixtures, rather than install new faucets or fountains. East Ramapo is still conducting its initial round of testing, Salotto said.
New construction
While staff and students are on break, it’s crunch time for school construction. Work varies from planned maintenance that comes out of the annual budget to capital improvements from bond propositions and emergency state funding.
A $1 million project to repair a leaking roof at Ramapo High School was completed over summer break. Funding was secured by state Sen. David Carlucci, D-New City, through a state program for emergency repairs. Deteriorating building conditions, such as dilapidated and leaking classrooms, have long been a complaint of district students and parents. In March, photos made the rounds on social media showing water leaking into classrooms and hallways at Ramapo High School.
In Mount Vernon, construction will be ongoing for the next four years as work tied to a $108 million bond gets underway and projects from the 2009 EXCEL bond are wrapped up. The first phase of the $108 million bond construction began at Graham Elementary School, where projects include restructuring the entryway of the building and adding a science lab. Recently-completed EXCEL projects include new floors, bleachers and light fixtures in the gym at Mount Vernon High School, and upgrades to Graham’s auditorium.
Common Core
This fall, the state Education Department is expected to release its proposed revisions to the Common Core standards for public comment that will then lead to new tests for grades 3-8 in 2019. Review committees made up of teachers, district officials, students, parents and others, have been developing revisions to the state’s goals for student achievement since the spring. The committees were formed after Cuomo’s Common Core Task Force recommended overhauling the current standards.
Despite test-taking changes made to the controversial grades 3-8 state exams in English language arts and math — including no time limits and fewer exam questions — 22 percent of eligible students did not sit for exams across New York in 2016. Those modifications will stay in place for the 2017 spring test season, but it’s unclear if there will be additional changes. A spokesman for the state Education Department said Commissioner MaryEllen Elia and the Board of Regents “will continue to speak with parents, teachers, and the public about testing and to look for ways to continue to improve the assessments moving forward.”
Staff writer Kimberly Redmond contributed to this report.
