The New Hyde Park-Garden City Park School Board named a new president at their reorganizational meeting Monday night.
Jennifer Kerrane, a longtime board trustee, was appointed president of the board Monday night. She fills Kathryn Canese’s role, who remains on the board as a trustee.
Kerrane’s appointment to her new role comes after she won a contested May election against PTA president and first-time candidate Rose Ann-Cunanan by just six votes.
After Kerrane’s appointment, current board Vice President Danielle Messina was reappointed and will remain in her role.
Canese and Trustee Tricia Rudd were also sworn in after winning uncontested May elections.
After the board’s reorganization meeting concluded, the board discussed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s new bell-to-bell cell phone ban policy in school district buildings. The board said the district will follow the law and will implement its policy in the coming school year.
If students choose to bring devices to school, they must be turned off and kept in their backpacks. Devices may only be used if permitted by a teacher, principal, or administrator.
“Essentially, everything needs to be shut down,” said Superintendent Jennifer Morrison-Raptis.
During the meeting, parents raised concerns over how they would be able to contact their children.
School officials explained that parents can call the main office, contact the classroom directly, email the child’s teacher, or visit the school in person to leave a message or note.
Children with medical conditions will need to provide a doctor’s note explaining why they require a device for medical reasons.
Rudd said she was frustrated by the new policy.
“This should stay up in Albany. This is not their business,” Rudd said. “We’re elected officials here, we take care of our schools. Our community elects us to do policy in our schools. This is not their business. It’s our business and our community.”
The state will ensure that school boards on Long Island follow the policy by requiring them to post an online report detailing the number of violations.
The next board meeting will be held in August.
