Education

Motivated by the patterns of tobacco use among their peers, a student group called Breathe In Change is renewing its efforts to educate other students about the dangers of tobacco use — including cigarettes in addition to e-cigarettes, according to the students.

The winners of the East Hampton Town Anti-Bias Task Force's bumper sticker design contest were announced this week.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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,

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.

DanceHampton in East Hampton Village, Creative Edge Dance Studio in Montauk, and the Hampton Ballet Theatre School in Bridgehampton are enrolling dancers for fall programs.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

From mowing lawns for the elderly to raising chickens to mounting an exhibit on the history of Sag Harbor, this summer has been anything but boring for some kids on the South Fork.

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.

Project Most, a nonprofit that runs programs for elementary-age children in Springs and East Hampton, will for the first time offer a daytime program during the school year for Springs School students in kindergarten through eighth grade to supplement the two days a week of in-person learning that the children will be receiving.

Avenues: the World School, a for-profit private school that is new to East Hampton, announced last week that it is expanding its offerings and opening a second campus here.

Update: The Springs School Board on Monday appointed Christine Cleary acting principal and Maria Mondini interim assistant principal. Debra Winter, the Springs superintendent, confirmed that Eric Casale, the school principal, is taking a leave of absence.

Already an elite-hitting first baseman for the East Hampton High School varsity baseball team, Colin Ruddy was chosen to pitch for the Area Code national travel team earlier this summer.

Fun on the Farm

Sylvester Manor's hands-on activities and in-person family tours will continue through Sept. 26 on Shelter Island. Families of up to five can take advantage of Farm Exploration sessions on Tuesdays at 9 and 10 a.m. for $60 per family. Ninety-minute private tours for up to six people are held on Saturdays at 1 and 3 p.m. and cost $200 per family.

The East Hampton School District has updated its Covid-19 reopening plans to include a Monday, Aug. 31, cut-off date for John M. Marshall Elementary School families to register for in-person learning come September.