Navigating student life on the road

Sullivan West looks into driver’s education and class trips

By KIMBERLY M. WEYANDT

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — Although it was not on the agenda, driver’s education was the subject on everyone’s mind at the Sullivan West school board meeting on Wednesday, March 1.

The program was reinstated at last month’s meeting, but it was not to be offered through the district. This would mean that students would need to pay for the program.

Parents from throughout the district filled the seats of the auditorium, each waiting their turn to make a comment.

“Since January of this year, we’ve had somewhere between 10 and 12 accidents,” said Shannon Bailey, “everything from fender benders to fatalities.

“The laws are always changing and now without a blue card, you cannot drive until the age of 18. And you cannot drive after nine, unless coming from an academic activity. This does not include sport activities,” she said.

The parents argued that a district-funded driver’s education program would benefit the entire community because of increased safety.

“Our concerns are for the students driving in our district,” said Jenny O’Brien. “We would like you to consider, in the budget, bringing back the driver’s education program.”

Friend to education award

In other business, the board nominated Jerold Yavarkovsky as the Sullivan West candidate for the Sullivan County School Board Association’s “Friend to Education Award.” Yavarkovsky volunteers his time to tutor students in mathematics.

“I would like to thank you on behalf of my two sons,” said school board member Shawn Bailey. “Now, my older son talks about things like code cracking. That’s something I could have never instilled in him.”

Aside from his tutoring, Yavarkovsky has donated time to help the district stay on track. During the first week of school, he was at the high school to help direct students toward their classes.

“I’m sure there are a lot of things that you have done that we don’t even know about,” said school board member Regina Wagner. “But what we do know of, we think validates your nomination.”

Positive building report card

The building committee performed a walk-through of all of the district’s building and reported to the board that the buildings are all in excellent condition. The few issues identified were all cosmetic.

“The Jeff building needs a lot of remodeling work,” said school board member Arthur Norden, “before we experience any worsening of the outdoor areas, such as the sidewalk and clock tower.

“We have a lot of building space, a lot of teaching space and a staggering amount of equipment that is just sitting in storage,” said Norden. “We really need to look at those things.”

“But I do want to comment on how amazingly well kept everything is,” Norden said. “And how spotless everything is and how important it is for us to maintain those buildings.”

Class-trip funding

Class trips and class funds came up when a district resident questioned a particular fund-raising event put on by the senior class. The board members questioned how much money the district gives to support the classes and how much support needs to come from the parents.

“The issue I have is that if you use taxpayer dollars to subsidize the trip, you can only take a small amount and then parents have to support the rest. Some people can afford this and some people can’t,” said Norden. “You can’t just exclude people who can’t afford it.”

District superintendent Alan Derry said that most of the funds for the trip come from fund-raising events that the students participate in throughout the year.

“I think what we need to do is look at the class trips that are currently in place and find out the details of them, then direct that to the policy committee,” said Regina Wagner. “The equity issue is obviously a very serious one.”