Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Wellness And Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wellness committee reports school food‑waste pilot ended by town; special‑education and UPK expansions planned
Summary
The Riverhead Central School District wellness committee reported that a composting pickup the town previously provided for a food‑waste recycling pilot has ended and that the district would have to arrange transport to continue the program.
The Riverhead Central School District’s wellness committee on Tuesday reported that a pilot food‑waste recycling program begun at Riley Avenue Elementary last year will not continue with town collection services.
Keith Graham, the district’s food services director, told the committee that the pilot—under which food scraps were collected at Riley Avenue, consolidated at the high school and picked up weekly for composting—was successful but that the Town of Riverhead has discontinued its pickup. Graham said the district had planned to expand the collection to all seven schools; after the town ended the service the district purchased additional collection buckets and student clubs designed custom logos for them. The town’s decision means the district would need to take responsibility for transporting compostables to the composting site if it wishes to continue the program.
The wellness committee update covered several student‑support and health initiatives: the weekend backpack program supports about 160 students; universal prekindergarten (UPK) registration reached 175 enrolled students across nine program sites, some with aftercare; and several social‑emotional and special‑education changes were planned for next year.
Daria Hagermayer, speaking for special education, outlined program expansions that the district intends to add, including full‑day inclusion (ICT) with teaching‑assistant support, additional small‑ratio sections for early grades, a new ICT Algebra 2 option, the SPiRE reading program at the high school and expanded speech‑pathology screening, and a new behavior‑support class at Pulaski. The committee report said speech pathologists will begin universal kindergarten screening next year.
Other updates and context
The report noted nursing staff completed mandated screenings and highlighted an incident in which quick action by nurses managed a severe allergy emergency for a student without an EpiPen order on file. Physical education events and gym refinishing projects were also reported. Emily Sands said planning is underway for next year’s Hispanic Heritage celebration and that a student outreach committee will support DEI work.
What this means
The district said it remains committed to the food‑waste effort and to expanding supports for students, but the loss of town pickup shifts the program’s logistics to the district and may require staff time or transportation resources. The wellness committee recommended further review of student wellness policy 5405 next year with potential additions to address mental health.
