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Honoring the Four Chaplains
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Munro runs away with a high honor By CHARlES SHAW cshaw@liherald.com
Courtesy Seaford School District
Myles Munro, a senior at Seaford High School, was the recipient of the 2024 Bill Ott Memorial Award for his dedication and leadership in cross-country and track.
Years of dedication to running has led Seaford High School senior Myles Munro to win the Bill Ott Memorial Award, which annually honors a crosscountry athlete who displays athleticism and leadership. Munro accepted the award during a dinner at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury on Dec. 11. The Nassau County Officials Association, an organization dedicated to officiating and supporting high school sports in the county, presented the award to him. Munro said being named the 2024 recipient of the award was a special moment, especially after looking up to past winners. “I’m definitely really proud of myself,” Munro said. “I think I put in a lot of hard work over the COntinued On pAge 4
Local districts react to Hochul’s plan to ban phones in schools By CHARlES SHAW cshaw@liherald.com
A statewide smartphone ban would require school districts to restrict the use of the devices in classrooms to promote w h a t G o v. K a t hy H o c h u l describes as “distraction-free lear ning.” While some districts, including Wantagh, already have policies prohibiting smartphone use, others worry that the initiative may go too far. Announced by Hochul at a news conference on Jan. 22, the ban would apply to students in kindergarten through 12th grade statewide. Part of the
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here really should be more about teaching students proper use of a phone. Todd WiNCH Superintendent, Levittown Public Schools governor’s fiscal year 2026 executive budget, it would allow districts the flexibility to develop their own implementation plans. “Using the insights from my
statewide listening tour, this comprehensive proposal to restrict smartphone use in schools will ensure that New York’s statewide standard for distraction-free learning delivers the best results for our kids and educators,” Hochul said. That same day, she released a report based on her listening tour. It found that smartphones distract students and hinder creativity, and that phone-free policies support mental health without compromising safety. The report recommended clear communication with stakeholders, and addressing parents’ concerns. This new requirement would
be implemented in the 2025-26 school year, and would apply to all public school districts, as well as charter schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, or BOCES. In Wantagh, smartphone policies are already in place at all five district schools, according to Superintendent John McNamara. “Elementary students are
not allowed cell phones in school,” McNamara wrote in an emailed statement. “Middle school students leave their phones in their lockers for the entire school day. High school students place their phones in ‘phone cubbies’ when they walk into instructional areas.” Levittown Public Schools, however, do not have a districtCOntinued On pAge 10