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Vol. 31 No. 31
JUlY 30 - AUGUST 5, 2020
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Finding a new normal Valley Stream schools finalize fall reopening plans ahead of deadline By PeTer Belfiore pbelfiore@liherald.com
With a Friday deadline to submit fall reopening plans to the State Education Department, school district officials across New York are finalizing procedures to restart classroom instruction, which they said they hoped would cover all eventualities so students can resume their studies safely in September. The Education Department released reopening guidance on July 16, which, SED officials said, is intended to allow for flexibility in how districts restart instruction. The guidance, they said, took a month to compile, and was based on input from 1,640 experts and stakeholders. It remains to be seen, however, when and how schools will reopen. With the coronavirus pandemic still raging in many parts of the country, those questions will ultimately fall to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is expected
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Christina Daly/Herald
The summer camp that almost wasn’t Dallas Mack, left, and Killiam Babcock worked the tambourine at the Barrett Park summer camp earlier this month. With the threat of coronavirus, the popular summer program was nearly canceled this year after more than 35 years of continuous operation. Story, more photos, Page 3.
A volunteer who found a need North teen’s project supports first responders By NAkeem GrANT ngrant@liherald.com
W h e n i n c o m i n g Va l l e y Stream North High School senior Peter Mura, 16, found out in March that he had been selected as the post’s delegate to the annual American Legion Boys State summer program, he was elated. Mura’s excitement was short lived, however, when the program was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
So he decided to make the most of his time at home by starting a service project to support members of the U.S. military. “I just felt like there was something that I could do to help people in need,” Mura, a volunteer for the Malverne American Legion Post 44, said. He decided to support an Army medical unit from Massachusetts that was stationed at the Javits Center in Manhattan to help Covid-19 patients. Mura
learned about the group from his uncle Michael Douglas, a nurse in the unit. The unit was stationed at Javits in April and May, so Mura assembled goody bags and handed them out every Sunday morning. He delivered potted flowers to mothers in the unit on Mother’s Day. “I’m glad that not only was I able to help family, but I also helped strangers out as well,” he Continued on page 4
to make a decision next week. Valley Stream school officials said they have drafted plans for three possible scenarios: full reopening, full remote learning, and a hybrid plan in which students alter nate between days spent in the classroom and online. They were developed over several weeks — longer than state guidelines have been available — through committees comprising officials, parents and students.
chool districts have until Friday to submit their reopening plans to NYSED. A final decision on reopening is expected next week.
Central High School District
In the Central High School District, Schools Superintendent Dr. Bill Heidenreich announced on July 24 that the district committees were discussing reopening plans in relation to: ■ Health and safety ■ Facilities ■ Nutrition ■ Transportation Continued on page 12