Education

The East Hampton School District will be providing meals to remote and hybrid students who are on the federal free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch programs. The district will also be providing meals to Springs School students in the same categories.

New York State's school Covid-19 reporting system is now online. The publicly accessible website allows visitors to look up school districts by name or address.

The system can be accessed at schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov. As of Monday morning, none of the South Fork school districts, from Bridgehampton and Sag Harbor through Montauk, had any cases to report.

With mask-wearing mandates in place for every student, except in some cases those with disabilities, many school districts are now banning the use of masks with valves or exhalation vents.

Those "are not recommended, as they can allow exhaled respiratory droplets to reach others," according to the New York State chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The Bridgehampton School and the Sagaponack School are among those that are following that organization's guidelines.

Two six-week programs for young thespians through Bay Street Theater will begin on Sept. 26 outdoors on the grounds of the Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum.

As of Tuesday, with the daily Covid-19 infection rate on Long Island hovering around 1.5 percent, school sports are still a go starting on Sept. 21. On Wednesday, the New York State Department of Health released further guidelines governing each sport, clarifying that football, volleyball, rugby, and now cheerleading will not start until March 1, 2021.

Robert Hagan has resigned from his post as director of instruction and technology for the East Hampton School District. He had been with East Hampton for more than seven years and is leaving to accept an assistant superintendent position closer to home.

During a Sept. 1 school board meeting, Mr. Hagan thanked the school board and district administration for creating a supportive learning environment. "I wish you all the best, and I'm never far if anyone ever needs anything. This place is really a special area that is close to my heart."

Parents and children can expect the experience of riding the school bus to be different in light of Covid-19 -- if, that is, they take the bus at all.

Most South Fork school districts are reporting that bus ridership will be down as more parents choose to drive their children to school themselves. And unlike in the past, when every child who qualified for transportation was automatically assigned a place on a school bus, most districts asked families to specifically opt in to transportation this year.

Brittany Carriero, who has held leadership roles in the Sag Harbor School District since 2013, is expected to be named the new principal of Pierson Middle and High School on Thursday at a meeting of the Sag Harbor School Board, the district announced Tuesday. Laura Westhoff will be appointed dean of the middle school until a new middle school assistant principal is hired.

New York State school districts must now report confirmed cases of Covid-19 to a state Department of Health website that will be publicly accessible by the start of the school year.

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

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.

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