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Friday, July 19, 2024
Vol. 10, No. 29
PortWashingtonTimes KIDS GUIDE
NASSAU HOSPITALS NASSAU OFFICIALS REACT RANKED AMONG BEST TO TRUMP SHOOTING
PAGES 19-22
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D AY AT T H E S H E LT E R
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Port to explore adding 5th, 6th-grade school Superintendent Hynes says to address student needs BY C A M E RY N O A K ES The Port Washington School District is considering converting Sousa Elementary School into an intermediate school for 5th and 6th graders to cater to the unique needs of this student population and bolster their educational success. “The way things were in schools, the way kids were in schools 30 years ago is completely different now,” Superintendent Michael Hynes said. “And schools unfortunately don’t change with the times as fast as businesses or any other entity that you could think of.” The district began the conver-
sation Tuesday night at its Board of Education meeting where Hynes presented the preliminary idea. The board agreed that Hynes should move forward by gathering data on an additional school, excluding Alvarez. Multiple members asked that it work to address the overall issues identified in this student population, not just seek out the feasibility of an additional school. The district is planning to create a district-wide committee with stakeholders from the entire community to further investigate the possibility of an intermediate school. The timeline for the district
spans through June 2025 when a final recommendation is to be made, with committee updates throughout the year. Hynes said this timeline is not concrete and subject to change. Hynes said it is also possible that the final recommendation can be not to establish the intermediate school, but that other alternatives could arise to aid this student population. Hynes said it is becoming increasingly challenging to meet student needs and called the plan a “new system with our children in mind.” He said students in 5th and 6th grade experience a particularly challenging circumstances. Continued on Page 38
James sues county over transgender athlete ban Suit filed after Blakeman signs law OK’d by legislature BY M I C H A E L MALASZCZYK PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PORT WASHINGTON UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Port Washington ENL students took a trip to the North Shore Animal League to learn about animal.
State Attorney General Letitia James and the New York Civil Liberties Union sued Nassau County and County Executive Bruce Blakeman Monday in a move to overturn a county law that bans transgender girls and women from participating in women’s sporting events at county-run parks and facilities. James filed her lawsuit immediately after Blakeman signed the legislation into law at a ceremony attended by county legislators. The law, approved by the county
Legislature in a 12-5 vote along party lines, would apply equally to private and public school teams, recreational leagues of all ages, charity events, and even competitive professional and amateur adult teams with their own rules on participation. The law closely mirrored an executive order issued by Blakeman in February. A Republican State Supreme Court justice ruled Blakeman had exceeded his authority by issuing the order because there was no “corresponding legislative enactment.” Neither Blakeman nor members of the Legislature have provided a sin-
gle case in which the law would apply. James said the law he had just signed into law conflicts with state laws protecting New Yorkers from discrimination based on their gender identity or expressing it. “With this law, Nassau County is once again attempting to exclude transgender girls and women from participating in sporting events while claiming to support fairness,” said James in a statement issued by her office. “NYCLU and the Long Island Roller Rebels won their first lawsuit and County Executive Blakeman’s transphobic executive order was struck Continued on Page 37