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Strip search

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Smithtown board of education member Michael Saidens raises his hand as he is sworn into offie. Photo from Jessica Novins.

By Ted Ryan

Change was a popular theme at Smithtown’s board of education meeting July 12. Two new trustees were sworn into office, and the board voted to update the school’s code of conduct regarding strip searches.

Board Members Michael Saidens and Daniel B. Lynch both took the oath after achieving victory at the polls in May.

Both Saidens and Lynch are serving three-year terms that will expire in June 2019.

Lynch, a Nesconset resident, works as a carpenter for the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters, where he does indoor and outdoor commercial construction.

Both he and his wife graduated from Smithtown Central School District and they currently have four sons in the district.

“Smithtown is a wonderful community,” Lynch said in a phone interview. “I want it to be that way for my kids as well.”

To familiarize himself with state of his community’s education system, Lynch has been attending Smithtown board of education meetings regularly for two years before being elected as a trustee.

“I’m absolutely looking forward to being a part of the decision making process, so that all children will get an equal education, while being fiscally responsible,” he said.

Smithtown board of education member Daniel B. Lynch raises his hand as he is sworn into offie. Photo from Jessica Novins.
Smithtown board of education member Daniel B. Lynch is sworn into offie. Photo from Jessica Novins.

Saidens and Lynch were not the only ones claiming their positions; James J. Grossane repeated the same oath of office, renewing his role as superintendent.

A unanimous vote was made to re-elect Christopher Alcure as president of the board of education.

Also re-elected during the board of education meeting was Vice President Joanne McEnroy. She was also unanimously voted to stay on as the second in command.

And after the new administration was settled in, the board voted to change the district’s strip search policy.

The board has been discussing changes to the code of conduct since early June, after members expressed concerns with the policy allowing school officials to conduct strip searches when there is “probable cause to believe that there is an emergency situation that could imminently threaten the safety of the student or others.”

At a June 28 meeting, district attorney Eugene Barnosky said Smithtown does not agree with the current policy.

“We don’t conduct strip searches here … there is an anti-strip search, anti-physical search policy in place,” school district attorney said. “That’s always been the policy of this district, and it’s never been violated.”

The vote to expel that section of the code passed, and the school district officially does not support or adhere to any strip searches among their students by school officials.

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Smithtown board Trustee Theresa Knox said the discussion is still ongoing for whether the district will edit down the current code of conduct for strip searches on students. File photo

By Ted Ryan

The Smithtown board of education said at last week’s meeting they want to remove a section of the district’s code of conduct that allows school officials to conduct strip searches in emergency situations.

The specific section of the code allows school administrators to perform a strip search when there is “probable cause to believe that there is an emergency situation that could imminently threaten the safety of the student or others.”

The current version of Smithtown’s code describes a strip search as one that requires a student to remove any or all of his or her clothing, other than an outer coat or jacket, socks, cap, shoes, or sweatshirt.

The board said they wanted to remove this from their code of conduct because it is against the district’s personal policy to perform strip searches.

“We don’t conduct strip searches here … there is an anti-strip search, anti-physical search policy in place,” school district attorney Eugene Barnosky said. “That’s always been the policy of this district, and it’s never been violated.”

This change was passed in 2001, two years after two students brought firearms into Columbine High School in Colorado and killed 12 classmates and one teacher.

Barnosky spoke on how Smithtown came up with a policy on strip searches after Columbine.

“Everyone got together, school boards, the school’s superintendent associations and put together this draft document — which ninety percent of the school districts on Long Island have adopted,” he said at the meeting. This update for strip searches was a statewide policy for New York, as a guideline for what the rules should be in the case of a student bringing a weapon to a school. The actual wording and execution of these rules are up to the schools — which is why Smithtown is changing its policy now.

This change in language still has to be approved with a vote during the July meeting.

Trustee Theresa Knox said this is not the end of the discussion.

“Indeed it [change in the code] will not be approved until the July meeting — and even at that time [it] could face amendment again,” she said, adding that whatever changes are put in place, the code will still “be in accordance with what the law is.”

These changes in the Smithtown district’s code of conduct are still awaiting approval for a meeting in July.