Education

The East Hampton School Board on Tuesday confirmed it will not hold a special election to fill the vacant board seat created by the resignation of Wendy Geehreng.

With the Covid-19 pandemic hanging like a big question mark over the school year, The Star polled local students to see how they're feeling about returning to school. In their own words,

Do's and don'ts on the student supply list this year, according to local school districts.

Dr. Gail Schonfeld of East End Pediatrics in East Hampton shared some advice for keeping East End kids and families healthy.

Students in the special education and vocational programs at Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services will return to school this year along with their peers in other public schools.

Kilian Ruckriegel, 12, and Sophia Cosmina Ruckriegel, 14, brother and sister surfers from Springs, made waves as organizers of a paddle-out held on Aug. 26 at from the beach at Napeague Lane in Amagansett in support of inclusion and solidarity in surfing and the Black Lives Matter movement. "Bring your voice! Bring positive vibes. Spread the word," an Instagram post said. "Let's come together as a community."

With the first day of school just a week away, Springs School families -- many with mixed feelings about the district's reopening plans -- learned this week that students will start the year with a new acting principal and interim assistant principal. But neither are new to the school; the acting principal, Christine Cleary, was assistant principal, and her number two, Maria Mondini, is a former teacher.

It is back to school season for college students too, but as with many things during a pandemic, it may not really feel like it. "It's obviously not ideal, but learning how to manage expectations is just a part of life," said a University of Iowa junior from Southampton.

Local home-school families say a common misunderstanding about that educational model has emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic: Home schooling and receiving remote lessons at home from a child's school are two entirely different systems.

The first day of school for Bridgehampton students is now Monday, Sept. 14, after the school board voted this week to alter the calendar.

The Ross School announced Saturday it will require each student to have a negative Covid-19 test within seven days of the start of school before he or she can attend in person. No child will be able to start school without such a test.

School officials have said Chromebook laptops for students are on back order across the nation and Plexiglas barriers for desks have been hard to come by. Local school boards have appointed many previous substitute teachers to full-time positions, creating a shortage of those who can be called upon to fill in for teachers who take time off. Custodians, too, are in short supply for some districts as schools embark on plans that rely upon stringent cleaning protocols.