On Wednesday, Sept. 9, the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District will open its doors for the 2009-2010 school year. In a statement from the school district they said: “We look forward to working together with the whole community to create a successful school year.
“Our schools continue to demonstrate a great deal of academic growth and improvement. For many years the district has achieved a high percentage rate of Regents diplomas and excellent passing scores in Regent exams. In addition, the district’s English Language Arts scores and mathematics scores in grades three through eight improved again in 2008-2009. On all levels our emphasis has been on increasing passing rates but also in improving the number of students achieving mastery on all exams.”
“Our goal is to continue to provide a rich learning environment for every child,” said Superintendent Gerard W. Dempsey, Jr. Dempsey added, “The Board of Education continually encourages us to focus on improvement in every area of our programs.”
At this time of the year as students begin boarding buses and walking to school, the district places particular emphasis on the safety of our students. We remind community members to drive slowly and carefully – school is back in session.
District Takes Proactive Approach in Preventing Swine Flu
As the 2009-2010 school year begins, the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District would like to address any concerns related to swine flu and discuss precautionary measures the district is taking to keep the children safe. As with many other schools experiencing these difficulties, Plainview-Old Bethpage is being proactive in the fight against the flu.
Plainview-Old Bethpage CSD put many practices in place during the spring, but the district has expanded them with advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Among other prevention measures, this year we have added cleaning supplies and hand sanitizers in our computer labs,” said Superintendent Gerard Dempsey. “We understand the concerns of parents and community members regarding the flu and are cooperating fully with health authorities and appropriate governmental channels. In addition, we have informed our teachers and staff on how to recognize symptoms and take immediate action to get treatment for the child.”
We will continue our efforts to alert the Plainview-Old Bethpage community about proper hand washing, covering the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and insist that staff and students who are sick remain home. Anyone who demonstrates symptoms after arriving at school will be sent home. We will also provide masks in the nurses’ offices and try to isolate symptomatic individuals before they are sent home. The district will maintain direct communication with the Nassau County Department of Health as we did in the spring.
We know that the year ahead will provide us with many challenges. We look forward to combatting these issues while maintaining the children’s health and welfare throughout the year. We will work with all appropriate government agencies and health authorities as we meet this challenge.
The district shares the concern of parents and community members regarding the health and well-being of all our students and staff. We will update the district website with any additional developments: www.pob.k12.ny.us.
