Brentwood board recognizes safety, counseling staff after student located; honors staff during Mental Health Awareness Month

The Brentwood Union Free School District Board of Education on May 21 recognized members of the district safety and student‑support teams for their work, citing a recent incident in which staff located a student who had not returned home.

“Tonight, it’s a very special night here at this board of education meeting as we are going to recognize an amazing group of people who go above and beyond their daily responsibilities and truly show what it means to care for our students,” Superintendent Wanda Atiza Rivera said as she opened the recognitions during the board meeting. She noted the acknowledgments were timely because May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

The board recognized Byron McCray, director of safety; Mike Rodriguez, assistant director of safety; Jessica Price, high school assistant principal; Maria Jackson, high school social worker; and Ruth Cosme, identified in the meeting as a high school drop‑off prevention counselor and school counselor. Rivera told the board the staff “showed the kindness, dedication, and heart that help every Brentwood student feel seen, supported, and valued.”

The superintendent said that when a student did not return home, McCray, Rodriguez and the safety team acted quickly. “Their quick action and compassion brought comfort to a very grateful family,” she said, and the student was found safe.

Byron McCray described the district response that night, saying the effort required multiple staff members and extended late into the night. “I would not have been able to have a successful recovery of that student without the team,” McCray said. He said staff went to “at least 20 or 30 different homes that night” and that colleagues responded from different areas of Long Island on short notice.

The board lauded the broader staff and highlighted counselors’ roles supporting immigrant families and students working toward graduation. Rivera and board members also thanked staff generally for their work during the school year.

The recognitions were presented during the board’s business meeting; no formal board action beyond the acknowledgments was recorded.