A science teacher at R.C. Murphy Jr. High School in theThree Village Central School District is now on leave after posting an incendiary political post on Facebook.
The teacher, Pamila Pahuja, wrote in the post, “To all Trump supporters – hope the next time you take a drink it doesn’t swallow right and you go get help but no one is there and you slowly wither away while struggling to gasp and you suffer long.”
The post has sparked outrage from some parents. Others feel Pahuja did nothing wrong.
“I always like to put the shoe on the other foot,” former teacher and Hauppauge resident Dan Simon said, noting that teachers still have the freedom of speech. He added, however, that what she posted was a mistake.“Should she be doing that? Probably not.”
A father of a middle-school child, Doug said, “Just saying that about another person – it’s not right.” His child does not go to a district school.
He said that middle-schoolers are still learning right from wrong, and to “say stuff like that, you are kind of brainwashing them. It gets them thinking differently.”
Litigator Andrew Lieb said that there is a case to be made under labor law 201-d, which protects against discrimination for participating in certain activities including political activities outside of working hours and off the employer’s premises. Lieb has worked on similar cases pertaining to teachers.
“That is a hyperbole that wasn’t a specific threat,” Lieb said. “As long as she was off working hours off working premises, she is allowed to do this stuff. She is working for the government and the government can’t block speech.”
“Imagine all these teachers wanting to speak and not being able to have a voice,” he said. “That’s what this does and that’s why these laws are so important.
Pahuja also wrote, “To all my friends and their families worried, stay safe. America is no longer the land of the free – we are prisoners of the governments. Only a matter of time before they come for all women. Welcome to gilead, it’s on the way.”
On Jan. 26, the district released a letter to parents notifying them of Pahuja’s absence.
“Please be assured that we have taken steps to ensure a smooth transition and continued high-quality instruction in science. A qualified and certified science teacher will be assigned to your child’s class in her absence,” the letter, signed by Principal Michael Jantzen, reads.
The Three Village BOE and the Three Village Teachers Association would not comment on matters of personnel.
Stony Brook doctor, tending to a newborn baby. Courtesy Stonybrookchildrens.org
By Daniel Dunaief
Water inside a house isn’t just bad for the structure, it can also be damaging to your health.
Local health care professionals suggested that Stony Brook residents whose basements flooded from this weekend’s heavy rainfall should be careful about the growth of mold or mildew, which can be especially problematic for anyone with chronic breathing issues.
“People can inhale spores over a period of time and can develop respiratory symptoms,” said Dr. Sunil Dhuper, Chief Medical Officer at Port Jefferson’s St. Charles Hospital.
People with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis and emphysema “need to be particularly concerned about some of these issues,” he continued.
Dr. Sharon Nachman, Chief of Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, suggested that residents of Stony Brook, who experienced a localized 10 inches of rain this weekend, should “aggressively clean” their basements, from any standing water, as mold and mildew can start growing within a few days.
“You won’t see it because it’s small,” but people should dry the walls and under the floorboards and carpet, she said. “You want to get the water out.”
Local doctors, also, recommended dumping standing water off any surface that might become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, who can carry the West Nile virus.
At this point, the County Department of Health believed the West Nile threat wasn’t likely particularly high.
“The heavy rains and wind might have washed away adult larvae and adult mosquitoes,” Dr. Scott R. Campbell, Laboratory Chief in the Arthropod-Borne Disease Laboratory at the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, explained in an email.
“Wet springs and hot, dry summers — in which mosquitoes and birds may congregate at limited sources of water — may be conducive to higher West Nile virus transmission.”
The heavy rain, which was triple the usual average for the entire month of August, according to Weather Spark, likely reduced area mosquitoes.
Local medical care professionals suggested that residents should still remove standing water as a way to protect themselves against any remaining mosquitoes.
Congenital viral infection
Apart from the impact of local flooding, doctors discussed a host of other medical issues.
New York State has been testing newborns, since last fall, for congenital cytomegalovirus, or CMV, which infected mothers can give to their unborn children.
The testing so far has shown that CMV is less prevalent than previous estimates.
The state started the one-year study of the virus to track children who might develop symptoms, such as hearing loss or learning challenges, later on.
“The earlier you identify babies with hearing deficits, the sooner you can act, and there will be fewer ramifications on their intellectual development, as a result of it,” said Dr. Andrew Handel, pediatric infectious diseases expert at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, and a co-leader, along with Dr. Nachman, of one of the 11 units across the state.
Dr. Sharon Nachman. Courtesy Stony Brook Medicine Facebook page
Earlier medical sources estimated that the infection rate for newborns was about one in 200 babies. But, with about 300 newborns testing positive, the rate is closer to one in 325.
The percentage of symptomatic babies is tracking with previous expectations, at around 10 percent. Symptoms of congenital CMV at birth include hearing loss, jaundice, low birth weight, seizures and retinitis.
“Our numbers are matching up with the 90 percent” of those who have the virus, but are asymptomatic, Handel added.
“That’s why we feel screening is so important.”
For the asymptomatic newborns, about 10 percent will develop permanent hearing loss, which is why doctors are tracking them so closely.
The virus, which is a relative of the Epstein Barr virus, which causes mononucleosis, is spread through direct contact with body fluids, such as tears, saliva or urine. Over half of all adults have had a CMV infection, with some studies estimating the rate as high as 80 percent.
Adults can shed the virus for a few weeks after contracting it, while children can shed it for a few months.
While all newborns will receive CMV screening after birth, parents have five days to opt out of any link to a report of the presence of the virus in their children.
At this point, fewer than one percent of parents are opting out of the testing. Some of the parents aren’t interested in the test, others don’t believe it’s useful, while some believe their babies look fine, and don’t want the additional test.
Most parents appreciate the opportunity to gather information about their children’s health. Patients are “grateful the state has this program,” said Dr. Sunil Sood, Systems CMV specialist at Northwell Health.
At Stony Brook and other hospitals, doctors are monitoring those babies who test positive.
The County Department of Health supports the testing, as well.
“Routine screening of newborns for [congenital CMV] will help identify affected infants early on so they can receive appropriate follow-up and treatment,” Cynthia Friedman, Director of Public Health Suffolk County Department of Health Services, explained in an email.
“Infants who screen positive … should be followed closely by their pediatricians and referred to specialists as needed to ensure early detection of problems with hearing, vision or development so that appropriate care and support can be implemented.”
Once the funding for the testing runs out, which will be around October, hospitals around the state will no longer perform the test.
Parents can ask for a urine test, which doctors estimate could cost between $50 and $100, but which insurance, likely, won’t pay for — especially if the child is asymptomatic.
Legislators, including Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal (D-NYC) plan to introduce a bill in January that would fund tests, in future years.
“We would advocate that that become a permanent part of infant testing,” said Sood. “There are diseases that are far less common than CMV that have made it into the newborn testing programs.”
Immunization
Amid pushes by some pharmacies to encourage people to get flu shots, health care experts suggest waiting until closer to late September, or early October, for the inoculation.
“Vaccine efficacy is about three to four months,” said Nachman. “If you get it in August, when the flu season hits in January, you may not have much protection.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends similar timing, around September or October.
At the same time, Nachman expects a new batch of Covid vaccines will be available around September.
She recommends getting both shots at the same time, which increases both vaccines’ effectiveness.
Pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer, and BioNTech, recently reported that a single combined shot for Covid and flu was not effective against influenza B, which means that people interested in receiving vaccines this fall should plan to get two shots.
Covid numbers
As for Covid, the current strain has made the rounds this summer.
“Everybody and their neighbor had Covid,” said Nachman, who added that the virus has spread across all ages. Covid was “clearly more infectious than what we had in the spring” and people were sicker for longer.
While the number of infected people has decreased, the start of the fall semester could trigger an increase.
Collapsed Harbor Road, Stony Brook. Emergency vehicles tend to the destroyed house, just down the street. Photo by Toni-Elena Gallo
Severe flooding on W. Meadow Road, Stony Brook. Photo by Toni-Elena Gallo
Stony Brook's elevated water table, on full display, with debris floating in the distance, as a result of the severe flooding, and runoff. Photo by Toni-Elena Gallo
Construction workers standing on the rubble of Harbor Road, just above the emptied Duck Pond, Stony Brook. Photo by Toni-Elena Gallo
A section of the emptied Duck Pond at Avalon Nature Preserve, resulting from the floods. Photo by Toni-Elena Gallo
Harbor road, Stony Brook, blocked off. A collapsed dam stood just beneath the road, to the immediate left of Stony Brook Harbor. Photo by Denis Lynch
A car trapped in a flood, on Main St., Stony Brook, Monday morning. Photo by Denis Lynch
Various shots of the damage, throughout Smithtown, including a water rescue, in the top-right corner. Courtesy Town of Smithtown
A firetruck, struggling through street flooding. Courtesy of the Nesconset Fire Dept.
Flooding in the main lobby of The Brookport apartment complex. Courtesy Rob Gitto
Security footage of Brookport's lobby. The flooding is so severe, that it is up to the mens' ankles. Courtesy Rob Gitto
The rain filling up The Brookport lobby area, in a current of water. Courtesy Rob Gitto
The treadmills, located in the Brookport gym, in murky water. Courtesy Rob Gitto
Construction workers assessing the damage of Harbor Road and the empty Mill Pond. Photo by Toni-Elena Gallo
Harbor Road, Stony Brook Village. Photo by Toni-Elena Gallo
A cross section of Rocky Point. Hagerman Landing Rd., shown here, was hit hard by the storm, said Ed Romaine. A mudslide effected cars, and the roads. Courtesy Google Maps
Among growing anticipation to hear the plans and propositions of the United States presidential candidates, the long-awaited first presidential debate for the 2024 election is scheduled to take place this Thursday, June 27.
With this political face-off right around the corner, TBR had a question for locals: “What topics would you like to see addressed in Thursday’s presidential debate?”
Photos by Ava Himmelsbach
Muriel and Patricia, Smithtown
Muriel and Patricia are interested to see how the candidates will address various relevant topics. “Well, number one is immigration,” Patricia mentioned. “Climate control is important,” Muriel later brought up.
Additionally, Muriel and Patricia shared that they would like to hear about the economy in the presidential debate. They are curious to hear how the candidates will speak about topics such as the housing market, Wall Street and student loans.
Barbara Thompson and Kevin Thompson, Islip
Barbara Thompson and Kevin Thompson, Former Islip residents now residing in Florida. They hope to hear conversations free of banter and full of respect in the upcoming debate. “There should always be things on the docket regarding our educational systems and our welfare systems, of course,” Kevin noted. “And the subject of firearms, it’s all a very debatable thing, but no one seems to be making any decisions regarding it. They all seem to be fighting over it.” Barbara added that she and Kevin now reside close to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a place devastated by a mass shooting in 2018. This tragedy has contributed to their attention to the topic of firearm ownership.
Among these concerns and curiosities involving the topic of firearms, Barbara and Kevin also stated that they hope Thursday’s debate includes topics of social security for the future, welfare for the elderly and aid for immigration.
Nancy and Paul
Nancy and Paul highlighted their interest in topics related to immigration and the economy, as well as oil and its sources. They are both curious to see how the subject of the economy will be addressed in the debate. Paul specified that he is interested to hear more about economic changes that may arise under the elected candidate.
Nancy and Paul declined for their picture to be taken or other personal information to be included.
Mike and Kristen, Port Jefferson
Mike emphasized “dealing with foreign affairs” as the primary topic that he hopes is discussed in the debate. He mentioned the need for attention toward the country’s global relations, noting his interest in “strengthening our relationships overseas” and “eliminating the possibilities of going to war.”
“Mental health concerns for everyone should be covered,” added Kristen. They both agreed that access to health care, including care for mental health, should be addressed.
World Trade Center worker. Photo courtesy Steven Spak
By Daniel Dunaief
First responders who raced to the World Trade Center site on 9/11 or who helped with the massive clean up effort did so at risk to themselves.
That was as true during those days and weeks after the attack as it is now, with many of the first responders experiencing a range of diseases and conditions linked to the difficult work they did in 2001.
In a study released recently in the journal JAMA Network Open, Sean Clouston, Professor in the Program in Public Health and in the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, showed that 4.6 percent of the responders in a study developed dementia. That compares with 0.5 percent for the general population of people who would develop cognitive declines in a similar age group.
Between November of 2014 and January of 2023, 228 responders without dementia and under 60 years old at the start of the study developed dementia over the next five years.
“It’s stunning to see these kinds of symptoms in such young people,” said Clouston.
Through the Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program, Clouston and other researchers have documented some of the cognitive declines in this population, who likely inhaled the kinds of fine particulate matter that can enter the brain and cause damage even as the immune system fights to try to target the unwelcome contaminants.
“We assume this made it in the brain, but in such a way that it wasn’t overwhelming immediately,” said Clouston. “Once you get into a neurodegenerative space, most of these diseases take a long time to develop” with neurodegenerative processes sometimes taking decades to occur.
The exposure could have caused an immune reaction. They are not sure whether symptoms emerged because the reaction was stronger or if the symptoms developed because higher exposure triggered a stronger reaction.
“It’s like trying to fight a fire, and the truck rolls over a garden to do it,” said Clouston.
Fortunately, the brain has considerable redundancy, which makes it possible to reroute brain signals to compensate for problems. Over time, however, that ability might be damaged by that work or by the exposure.
Determining which particular chemical or chemicals causes the greatest damage is difficult, particularly because the collapse and burning of the buildings caused a heterogeneous mixture of so many industrial products to enter the air. It may not matter much, as any material in the brain could be a problem. The type of exposure may also affect the severity of the immune reaction or which parts of the brain are damaged.
Scientists suggest that some of the contaminants that have contributed to health defects may come from the various tools in offices, such as computers and air conditioners.
“As we go forward [with other studies], that will be a focus of ours, to see if we can’t isolate at least one or maybe a couple” of chemicals that could exacerbate the cognitive decline, Clouston said.
Different exposures
Clouston and his collaborators used surveys to find out exposure at the site.
Some of the first responders, for example, used face masks and wore personal protective equipment, including hazmat suits. The incidence of dementia among that group was considerably lower than it was for those who didn’t wear masks.
Five or six out of every 1,000 workers who wore PPE developed dementia, while those without protection developed cognitive decline at the much higher rate of 42 out of 1,000.
The researchers tried to address the possibility that those people who were masks lived a healthier lifestyle prior to 9/11 and may have already been less likely to develop diseases or health conditions.
“We tried to account for that,” Clouston said. In most cases, people aren’t avoiding the kinds of activities or decisions that likely contribute to dementia, such as diet and exercise, which, the general population “widely ignores already,” he said.
Additionally, while a family history of dementia or other medical conditions mattered to some degree for the reported cases, they weren’t sufficient to invalidate the statistically significant result.
To be sure, Clouston acknowledged that the study could have a screening bias, as cognitive evaluations every 18 months likely far exceeds how often most people in the same age group receive testing for their mental acuity.
This is one reason they developed a minimally exposed group that could account for that bias. In that group, dementia was close to, but still higher than the expected rates for the general population.
The number of first responders with dementia far exceeded this group.
Other health threats
Medical professionals have been studying the impacts of other events that release aerosolized particles that could be hazardous to people’s health and could damage the environment.
Burn pits, which the military used in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other locations, contributed to cancers and other diseases among members of the military serving overseas.
Natural disasters, such as the Maui fire last August that not only burned through forests but also destroyed commercial buildings, also create a hazard.
People fled the fire quickly and then returned to search for their loved ones, Clouston said, which exposed them to aerosolized dust.
It would be “good to think about studies to consider risk of dementia” from these events, he added.
“These studies would probably take a while to complete as the risk grows with time and with age.”
As Mother’s Day rolls around, TBR News Media took to the streets throughout our coverage area, asking locals what this special day means to them.
It’s a day which makes people remember the importance and significance of mothers in their life, and to express love, appreciation and gratitude toward mother figures for their unconditional love, support and sacrifices. TBR wants to know, “What does Mother’s Day mean to you?”
Seema Pandya, Smithtown
Seema Pandya, Smithtown
I think it means the honoring and passing of traditions and wisdoms of mothers to mothers to mothers. Usually, I spend time with my kids, calling my parents and wishing them well.
I used to work at a restaurant in Colorado and for Mother’s Day they would make chocolate-filled buns with raspberries and they looked like breasts! They were so clever. It was a bun with a chocolate areola and a raspberry for the nipple — they were so good!
Jordan Mahmood, Stony Brook
Jordan Mahmood, Stony Brook
Mother’s Day is a day to appreciate my mom for what she does. She is a single mom and she literally means the world to me and my family. Each year we celebrate by spending time together and doing whatever it is she wants to do — it’s really nice spending time with my mom.
Tyler Stephenson-Moore, Queens
Tyler Stephenson-Moore, Queens
I love my mom a lot. Mother’s Day to me is just like the day-to-day stuff, acknowledging all the sacrifices she’s made, honoring her for everything she has done for me.
Usually, I’ll go to Queens to see her with cards and flowers.
Rubens Meza-Henderson, Centereach
Rubens Meza-Henderson, Centereach
The United States was the country that enacted this holiday. I can say that because before the enactment, nobody cared about that — but now many countries in the world follow the U.S. example.
Typically, because I am in the restaurant business, every Mother’s Day I work. This year is going to be an exception. Mother’s Day is a very special holiday because we honor the person who has the privilege to carry life in their womb, we were born through that person, honoring that act is very important.
I do believe in the Bible and one of the commandments says that you have to honor your parents. The Bible encourages you to honor your father and mother and there are many ways to honor them. One way is behaving well and another is through words — you have to express your gratitude. I was with my mother a couple of weeks ago in South America. She was a little sick, but she’s well now. I took time off to go see her, to honor and love my mother.
Jen and Jillian Dunn, Setauket
Jen and Jillian Dunn, Setauket
On Mother’s Day, Jillian values time well spent with mom Jen: “I really don’t get to spend too much time with her, so just being able to see her is a gift — that is what is most important to me.” Jillian usually takes her mom out to lunch and goes for a nice walk through one of their favorite spots, Avalon Nature Preserve.
Jen loves to spend time with her family on Mother’s Day: “This year my son is graduating that weekend, so we will take a trip down to see him.” On a typical year, Jen and her family like to celebrate with a daytime activity like a drive out east or a day exploring local farm stands. “One of my favorite things is picking out flower flats and the kids will help me plant them.”
Steve Frederico, Stony Brook
Steve Frederico, Stony Brook
My mother has passed and there isn’t a day that I don’t think about her. But on Mother’s Day we always commemorate her.
I seem to quote her unconsciously — she had these infamous sayings, like, “It’s a great life if you don’t weaken.”
Stephanie Moncavage, Coram
Stephanie Moncavage, Coram
I love my mom. We spend the day golfing and then my sister and I will make her a nice dinner — of mom’s choice of course.
Susan Bebb Seel passed away after an eight-year battle with cancer on Feb. 29 in Stony Brook, surrounded by a loving family.
Sue was born on March 27, 1950, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was raised by Hellen and Dr. Kenneth Bebb in Wichita Falls, Texas. After living in the Washington, D.C., area, Sue moved to Stony Brook in 1994. She attended Wichita Falls public schools and graduated from the University of Texas with a master’s degree in speech pathology and audiology.
In the D.C. area, she was a founder of Rivendell School. Sue had a vision for unique ways of educating children. She poured her heart into developing a curriculum that reflected her faith and interest in literature, history, art and music. She was always an avid reader and member of the same book club of lovely ladies in Stony Brook for more than 30 years.
In 1996 she received certification as a life coach and coached clients of all ages. She coached clients at John T. Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, The Stony Brook School and countless others all over the country. She will be remembered as someone who received life from encouraging and inspiring others. Sue’s greatest joy came from relationships with family and friends.
Her motto was “Show up and connect.” She did that well and to her fullest capacity even with stage 4 cancer. Sue loved to hear other people’s stories and was a shining light to everyone who met her. Her passion and love for people was unsurpassed. Sue and Spencer shared that enthusiasm and compassion in their community outreach and in their business, Made to Move Tennis & Wellness. In conversations with her husband, sharing their faith about God’s design for us to be healthy and to move, the name of the club, Made to Move, came into being. Sue loved to move. She was a triathlete, and before she competed in triathlons, she was a tennis player and active every year at summer camp.
As a member of Caroline Episcopal Church in Setauket for 28 years, she was passionate about music and sang in the choir. Sue also led adult education classes and Bible study; taught Sunday School; volunteered for Vacation Bible School; was active in Long Island Episcopal Cursillo, a program that seeks to grow Christ-centered leaders to fulfill the mission of the church; and made many, many prayer shawls and meals for those in need.
In 2016, before being diagnosed with cancer. she and her husband started The Village Spot, a nonprofit organization committed to helping young people, ages 18 to 30, who might be struggling to find a career or a meaningful place in their communities.
She leaves behind her husband, Spencer Edelbaum; her sons, David and Alex Seel; her daughter-in-law Erin Seel; her grandchildren, Ian and Eliza Seel; her cousins, Carolyn Kelly, Beth Russell, Louise Ratz and her second cousin, Susan Hernly Reed. Sue was preceded in death by her parents, Hellen and Kenneth Bebb, and her brother, Richard Bebb.
A memorial service will be held at Caroline Episcopal Church, 1 Dyke Road, Setauket, on Saturday, April 13, 10 a.m. The service will be live streamed, with the link on the church’s website: www.carolinechurch.net.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Rivendell School, 2410 N. Kensington St., Arlington, VA 22205; Caroline Episcopal Church, 1 Dyke Road, Setauket, NY 11733; or GIST Cancer Research Fund at gistinfo.org.
Many participants from last year’s concert will be returning this year. Photo from Dan Kerr
Stony Brook University musician Lindsay Ross will take part in this year’s concert. Photo from Dan Kerr
Historic All Souls Church, 61 Main Street in Stony Brook Village presents monthly Saturdays at Six concerts, Second Saturdays poetry readings, and Native American Drumming to the community.Each of these programs brings its own unique mix of visitors to the Stanford White-designed national landmark chapel on the hill across from the Duck Pond. Their latest event, Conversations on the Sacred on Saturday, Aug. 5, will combine, music, poetry and drumming in one unique performance for the community.
The special program is the brainchild of Stony Brook University adjunct professor, poet, and literary scholar Carmen Bugan.She selected the sacred readings for the evening and collaborated with Stony Brook University musicians and composers Ford Fourqurean and Lindsay Ross, All Souls organist Dan Kinney, and Native American Elder and Drummer Ric Statler on the musical interludes between readings.
The selection of poems includes works that are widely regarded for their technical virtuosity and lyrical beauty. Each reading includes a specific conversation with the sacred but offers at the same time a way into the life and sensibility of the poet. Christian and Judaic religions are in conversation with mystical Judaism, Taoism, Zen Buddhism, and Native American tradition. The literary selections will be placed in descending chronological order, beginning with a Native American chant (Where I Stand is Holy), all the way to several hundred years before Christ with a reading from Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching).
Long Island poets Adam Fisher, Linda Dickman, Mindy Kronenberg, Vivian Viloria-Fisher, Greg Alexander, Bruce Johnson, Jack Zaffos, and Kathy Donnelly will serve as readers. The musical pieces interspersed with the poetry will include Native American Drumming; a mix of baroque, modern, improvisation; and classical hymns performed by Dan Kinney on All Souls’ almost 200-year-old Henry Erben-designed tracker organ.
The concert will begin promptly at 6 p.m., will include a 15-minute intermission and conclude by 8 p.m. The event is free. All Souls collects food to feed the hungry at every event.“Lend a Hand; Bring a Can.” For further information, call 631-655-7798.
Academy students may have fallen through the cracks on larger campuses
Three Village Academy, above, is tucked behind a quiet Stony Brook neighborhood. Photos by Mallie Jane Kim
Tucked behind a quiet Stony Brook neighborhood sits the least known school in Three Village Central School District: Three Village Academy, home base for about 55 ninth through 12th graders each year who have had a tough time socially or emotionally, and who may otherwise have fallen through the cracks at larger secondary schools in the district.
Principal Gus Hueber checks on a student working independently. Photo by Mallie Jane Kim
At a time children and teens nationwide are struggling with increased anxiety, depression and other mental health issues, the academy, which shares a building with district administration offices, offers a distinctly lower-key environment than the massive, stately Ward Melville High School, population 1,520.
It is a general education program — not special education, though about half of the students have accommodation plans, and not a behavioral intervention program. The academy is primarily for in-district students, but a small portion are sent and paid for by other districts: Smithtown, Commack, Port Jefferson and Sachem, among others, and there are typically about 15 out-of-district students on a waiting list, according to academy principal Gus Hueber.
The academy provides a way for all of its students to receive the same quality of education as any other Three Village student, but with more one-to-one attention and support, and less social pressure.
“Some kids, at whatever moment in their life they are struggling, there’s a window we work with them, we support them,” said Hueber, who has served as principal since the academy’s inception 10 years ago. “It’s not magic; it really is just providing them with a safe and trusting place and trusting relationships,” he added.
But for some families, it may feel like magic when a child with chronic absenteeism suddenly has a safe place they willingly attend.
Like Tabitha DeMuria’s daughter Jenny [not her real name], who was in ninth grade at P.J. Gelinas Junior High School during the 2020-2021 school year when she started missing school. Since it was the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenny could simply do course work online. Before long, even that stopped, DeMuria said. “She just shut down.”
COVID-19 stress was an exacerbating factor, but struggle had already been brewing. Jenny was coming to terms with the aftermath of a tragedy in her family, and she faced bullying by some girls at school.
When Jenny toured the academy, teachers she met were warm and friendly, as were her peers. “The students came up to her — not knowing who she was — and told her, ‘You’re going to do great here,’” DeMuria said.
Because the school is in-district, the transition was swift and smooth. Academy teachers split their time with the other Three Village secondary schools, and the curriculum is the same. By the time school broke for summer in 2021, Jenny had vastly improved all the grades that had dropped due to repeated absences, according to DeMuria.
Support staff like guidance counselors and school psychologists play an important role, but the teachers themselves become a huge part of these students’ lives. They eat lunch in the same room as the students, they join together for kickball or volleyball and they attend the academy’s prom.
Superintendent of Schools Kevin Scanlon, who helped launch the academy when he was assistant superintendent, set the tone for the school’s culture by hand picking teachers. Scanlon said he told incoming staff that flexibility is vital. “If you are rigid as a teacher and rigid as a person, this is not the right program for you,” he told them.
The closeness of the relationship among staff and students brings a sense of ownership and pride to the community. Academy students get together at the beginning of the school year to create rules for public spaces, like the hallway, and they post signs detailing those expectations. “Don’t be on your phones — keep your eyes up,” one sign reads. “We will not scream, push or make inappropriate sounds,” reads another.
They create murals in school hallways; a version of Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” for one. DeMuria said mural painting helps ease Jenny’s anxiety. “All of her stress is gone when she’s able to do something like that,” she said.
Some academy students ride a bus to the high school for the afternoon if they’d like to take AP classes or participate in sports, and others go to BOCES vocational programs to earn certificates in things like cosmetology or auto mechanics. Many of the graduates, according to Scanlon, would most likely not have graduated if they’d stayed at Ward Melville. Others, including Jenny, choose to return to the big school after a few years and wind up graduating there.
Stories of success and growth like Jenny’s are common at Three Village Academy. According to Hueber, every year at graduation when seniors share how far they’ve come from dark places thanks to academy staff, there’s not a dry eye in the room.
“You have no idea the impact you’ve made on certain kids,” he said.
Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich joined local officials at Stony Brook train station to express his concerns with the governor’s housing proposal. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Town of Brookhaven elected officials made it clear at a March 30 press conference how they feel about a plan proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D).
Brookhaven officials gather at Stony Brook train station to express their concerns with the governor’s housing proposal. Photo by Rita J. Egan
The governor has included a housing program titled The New York Housing Compact in the 2024 state budget. Opponents say the proposal should be a stand-alone item and not incorporated in the budget which was due Saturday, April 1. However, on April 3, state lawmakers voted to extend the deadline to April 10.
Town deputy supervisor Dan Panico (R-Manorville) and councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) joined town Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) at the March 30 press conference to express their concerns regarding the housing proposal. Members of the Three Village Chamber of Commerce, The Ward Melville Heritage Organization and Stony Brook Concerned Homeowners were also on hand to show their opposition to the governor’s plan.
In her State of the State message earlier this year, Hochul proposed the housing strategy calling for 800,000 new homes to be built in the state over the course of a decade to address the lack of housing. Among the plan’s requirements would be municipalities with Metropolitan Transportation Authority railroad stations to rezone to make way for higher-density residential development. All downstate cities, towns and villages served by the MTA would have a new home creation target over three years of 3%, compared to upstate counties that would need to build 1% more new homes over the same period.
Romaine criticized the plan setting goals that would eliminate current local procedures
“You are exempt from environmental concerns,” he said. “You don’t have to have sewers. There are no height restrictions. There is no community feedback and local zoning is ignored.”
Romaine said if the plan goes through it would cause quality of life issues, including more traffic and congestion on the roads.
“We need incentives because we need sewers,” the supervisor added. “We need infrastructure, and we are willing to work with the state. But if you seek to override zoning and impose against the will of the community housing that is not compatible, you are undermining the very fabric of the quality of life in Brookhaven Town.”
Panico echoed the supervisor’s sentiments and added there are areas in the town where multi-housing developments make sense due to town codes being amended.
Brookhaven’s Deputy Town Supervisor Dan Panico joined local officials at Stony Brook train station to express his concerns with the governor’s housing proposal. Photo by Rita J. Egan
“I can give you a couple of examples, right in Port Jeff Station, in Mastic Beach, in East Patchogue, in North Bellport,” Panico said. “Places that lend themselves to this type of development that are not overly constricted by traffic already.”
Kornreich also said the plan is misguided and that local control is important because elected officials possess the granular information to make decisions that are the best for the community.
“The point that my colleagues have made is that different areas have different challenges and require different solutions,” he said. “But we’re not here to engage in scare tactics, and this isn’t NIMBYism, we’re just trying to say a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t going to work community by community in the same way.”
Kornreich added plans are already in the works to “revitalize and redevelop a true downtown area around the train station in Port Jefferson Station, just one stop down the line from here, and create a walkable neighborhood with diverse housing stock that people can actually afford.”
The councilmember said near the Stony Brook station, where the press conference took place, “is not a downtown that can bear any real intensity.”
He added there are no privately held plots around the Three Village train stationlarge enough for major development.
Jane Taylor, executive director of the Three Village Chamber of Commerce, said housing plans need to take into consideration local zoning, location and consider community support.
“Being told by the state that we have to do it creates landmines for those of us who live here,” Taylor said. “We’ve got concerns about sewers, our water supply. Those are all things that are very important and need to be addressed.”
Gloria Rocchio, WMHO president, thanked Romaine for “shining a spotlight” on the issue.
“While Long Islanders, traveling back and forth to work trying to make a living, not really knowing what’s happening, this negative zoning proposal is looming,” she said. “It will change our beautiful Island forever. The reason that Long Island is the way it is now is because of local elected officials working together with residents.”
Among these concerns and curiosities involving the topic of firearms, Barbara and Kevin also stated that they hope Thursday’s debate includes topics of social security for the future, welfare for the elderly and aid for immigration.
“Mental health concerns for everyone should be covered,” added Kristen. They both agreed that access to health care, including care for mental health, should be addressed.
