Great Neck trustees again selected Grant Toch to serve as the board of education president.
“I feel very privileged to have the confidence of my colleagues to be reelected to the board presidency,” Toch said. “It’s a responsibility that I take very seriously, and the Great Neck community should know that myself and my colleagues, we spend much of our time when we’re not working or with our families making sure that the students, families and the school district are receiving education and activities that they deserve.”
Trustee Steve Chen nominated Toch for the position at the board of education’s meeting on Tuesday, July 8. The board then unanimously voted for the appointment.
Toch was first appointed to the role last year. He will serve in the position for another year.
Donna Peirez, who served as the board’s vice president for the past year, nominated Joanne Chan for the vice president position. The board unanimously voted to appoint Chan.
Chan will now take over the position from Peirez, who embraced Chan after taking her oath.
The two newly appointed presidents and vice presidents were sworn into their roles, along with Peirez, who was sworn back onto the board after being reelected in May.
Peirez applauded the district’s administration and board for their work over the past year.
“I would just like to thank everyone in this room and everyone who has worked to make this a successful year for the Great Neck Public Schools,” Peirez said. “There were a lot of changes and everybody got through them and we look forward to another wonderful year coming.”
The board also approved the hiring of a new North High School athletic director, James San Filippo.
In other news, Superintendent Kenneth Bossert provided an update on the district’s pursuit of implementing the state’s latest bell-to-bell cell phone ban.
The update was prompted by a question from South High rising junior Kevin Qu, who said that students are displeased with the state policy and asked that it be implemented to best benefit them.
Qu acknowledged that the policy could have benefits to students’ social and academic well-being.
He asked how the district will implement the policy and whether students can be included in its conversations when drafting it.
Bossert said that the district is still awaiting clarification from the state on implementing the policy and that it is premature to announce any details on the district’s plan for theirs. He said discussions are being held over this summer ahead of its implementation this fall.
As they explore the possibilities of the policy, Bossert said they are considering how different approaches to the policy can best benefit students.
The district conducted a survey of district stakeholders regarding the new cell phone banning policy, in which nearly 2,000 people participated.
“So now we need to call that data together, work with our stakeholder groups, come up with a plan that we feel best meets the needs of our district and our students,” Bossert said.
He said that regardless, the district will abide by state policy, and students will be told the new policy before returning to school in the fall.
