________ Franklin square/elmont _______
HERALD Fire Department marks history
local charity has garage sale
FSCC hosts its annual dinner
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Vol. 27 No. 5
JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 5, 2025
$1.00
Parents reject Hochul’s ban on cellphones pose a threat to student safety, parents say they are concerned about how a ban might impact At a news conference last their children’s ability to get we e k , G ov. K at hy H o ch u l help in an emergency. Emmanuelle Jeanlouis, who unveiled plans to restrict the use of smartphones by students has a child at Covert Avenue in public schools statewide. She School and another at Sewanhaka High School, said that the would allocate $13.5 proposed ban is an million of her $252 attempt to conceal billion budget packthe state’s inability age for 2026 to help to provide children schools implement with other importhe initiative by the tant resources, such next school year. as test pre p and If it is passed, updated teaching any unsanctioned technology. use of smartphones “They might during the school c ove r i t u p a n d day would be make it look shiny banned, and schools from a certain would be required ShINEllE hEwItt angle,” Jeanlouis t o d eve l o p t h e i r Elmont parent said of the State ow n m e t h o d s o f Education Departstoring, collecting ment. “But who’s and distributing students’ going to hold them accountable devices. While Hochul said the plan for not being able to give the is intended to create a distrac- children resources?” Jeanlouis, who was a paration-free environment in classrooms and improve students’ professional, a teacher and a mental health, some Elmont guidance counselor in the Eduparents say they don’t believe a cation Department from 2010 to ban would help solve the larger 2023, said she was also worried problems in the state’s educa- that schools would see the ban tional system. And despite the as an opportunity to withhold governor’s claim that a smart- infor mation from parents phone restriction would not Continued on page 9
By RENEE DeloRENZo
rdelorenzo@liherald.com
I
Renee DeLorenzo/Herald
pastor Curtis thompson reminds attendees of Martin Luther King Jr.’s powerful message of unity and equality, and why those words are still relevant in today’s divided world.
The enduring legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. By RENEE DeloRENZo rdelorenzo@liherald.com
Almost six decades after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated for challenging the systemic racism that pervades the United States, his words of unity and equality still inspire communities worldwide. While better known for his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington in 1963, King’s message extended far beyond the racial disparities that separate the nation. King spoke of class exploitation, economic equality, police brutality and worker’s rights.
Many of these issues, according to attendees of Elmont Memorial High School’s MLK Day of Service, are still relevant today. Pastor Curtis Thompson, from Church of the Harvest, delivered a speech during the Jan. 20 event at the school, emphasizing King’s message of freedom, equality and what it means to serve their community. One of the problems standing in the way of solving racial disparity, he asserted, is that people live in isolation and do not care about their neighbors. This lack of communication between people of different backgrounds, he stressed, makes it difficult to Continued on page 7
feel more comfortable with my son having his cellphone in school.