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Residents object to MSD’s new restroom policy By MIKE POLANSKY Senior Correspondent
Mike Polansky/Herald
Assemblyman Mike Durso congratulates, center, officers Brittany Jackolski and Paul Mangione
Massapequa Chamber honors NC’s finest By MIKE POLANSKY Senior Correspondent The Massapequa Chamber of Commerce recognized county police officers with its Law Enforcement Officers of the Year Awards during the Chamber’s Fall Fusion Networking Luncheon, held Thurs., Sept. 25, at American Legion Post 1066 in Massapequa. Officers Christopher Guardino and Christopher Lamonica of the Seventh Precinct, and Officers Paul Mangione and Brittany Jackolski of the Eighth Precinct, were honored for their dedication and exemplary service to the Massapequa community. Nearly 100 local business and community leaders attended the event, which was catered by Mario’s Pizza of Massapequa. Chamber President Robin Hepworth opened the ceremony with heartfelt remarks, noting the personal significance of honoring law enforcement. “As the wife of a retired NYPD lieuten-
ant who proudly served for 31 years, honoring our police officers is something that is near and dear to my heart,” Hepworth said. “I know firsthand the sacrifices that officers and their families make every day.” According to Seventh Precinct Commanding Officer Inspector Tom Murphy, Officer Christopher Lamonica, a former NYPD officer, has served in Nassau County’s Seventh Precinct since 2014. Over the past two years, he has been involved in making approximately 25 arrests and has played a key role in curbing a rise in shoplifting throughout Massapequa. Officer Christopher Guardino joined the department in 2019 and the Seventh Precinct in April 2020. Murphy noted that Guardino has issued nearly 600 moving violations and made 33 arrests related to illegal vehicle operation in the past two years. He also assisted with an additional 21 arrests made by fellow CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
A civil rights group says the Massapequa school district is violating state law by barring students from facilities matching gender identity The New York Civil Liberties Union, NYCLU, is appealing a restroom policy adopted by the district that the organization says discriminates against a transgender student and violates state law. The district’s Board of Education unanimously approved the policy on Sept. 9, requiring students to use restrooms and locker rooms that align with their sex assigned at birth, not their gender identity. In its Oct. 2 appeal to the state education commissioner, the NYCLU called the policy “hateful” and said it violates New York’s Education Law, Human Rights Law and Civil Rights Law, as well as guidance from the state education department.“The Massapequa School Board has a responsibility to safeguard and support all students in their care,” said Emma Hulse, education counsel at the NYCLU. “Instead, they are misusing their authority to discriminate against and marginalize vulnerable students simply for being who they are.”
At the Sept. 9 meeting, board president Kerry Wachter said the district is “aligning our policies with federal law in order to provide our staff with clear direction regarding Article IX.” She declined to comment on ongoing legal challenges surrounding similar policies. Immediately after approving the resolution, the board authorized special counsel to pursue legal action in state or federal court seeking declaratory relief regarding potential civil rights claims. Wachter later described the legal move as precautionary and said no lawsuits are currently pending. A follow-up resolution passed Sept. 18 directed Superintendent Dr. William Brennan to enforce the policy. During a Sept. 25 board meeting, several residents and parents spoke out against the policy, calling it discriminatory and harmful to transgender students. Dr. Jenny Isaacs, a clinical psychologist and parent, told the board the policy is illegal under state law. Referencing a recent student suicide at Massapequa High School, she warned, “We are doing what we know helps and protects no one, but makes kids wish they were dead. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3