Education

With the schools closed, many parents have begun navigating the world of homeschooling for the first time, and school districts have begun serving meals to students who take part in the federal free and reduced-price lunch program. 

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone on Sunday afternoon announced in a local emergency order that schools across the county will close for two weeks beginning Monday, March 16.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo waived a key public education mandate on Friday afternoon, saying during a press conference that districts could choose to close if they wished and they would not be penalized for holding fewer than 180 school days.

When asked about their favorite books last week, the members of the fall and winter Leadership Council at John M. Marshall Elementary School all raised their hands simultaneously and began naming title after title in rapid succession.

A revived focus on career and technical education, new ways to demonstrate mastery of the skills that come with it, news literacy, and financial competence emerged as ideas for possible updates to high school graduation requirements last week during a public forum convened to examine just that.     

Ruby Yassen has been named the valedictorian of Pierson High School’s class of 2020, and Chase Allardice its salutatorian.     

School budget season is in full swing on the South Fork, where school officials have been busy debating construction projects, textbook purchases, employee raises, and new programs to include — or cuts to make — in next year’s new spending plans.     

At the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor, Wally the dog will be on hand to read with kids on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Sag Harbor Village police this week investigated a threat of violence that was said to have been made by a Pierson Middle and High School student, ultimately finding it to be without credibility

The students who created Breathe In Change at East Hampton High School, a group opposed to vaping, have also brought change there in the form of fewer student suspensions, more honest conversations, and a heightened awareness of the negative effects of vaping.     

A Sensory Friendly Morning at the Children's Museum of the East End, a primer on creating a family tree, printmaking, and a new session of Mandarin language classes in Sag Harbor are among the happenings of interest for kids this week.

The Bridgehampton School has announced that Madeline Grabb is the valedictorian of this year’s graduating class, and Jaden Campbell is the salutatorian.