Hampton Bays board introduces new teachers, readies "bell-to-bell" phone policy and reviews facilities work

The Hampton Bays Union Free School District Board of Education on Aug. 12 introduced new faculty members, heard updates on summer facilities projects and previewed a districtwide "bell-to-bell" no-cellphone policy set to roll out in September. The board also approved routine consent items and accepted minutes from its July 15 meeting.

Mr. Meyer from the elementary school introduced Christina Piazza and Paige McNola as new members of the district's faculty. Piazza was identified as taking the library media specialist position; the transcript notes she completed undergraduate work at Georgetown University and earned a master's degree at Queens College and has experience with the Middle Country Public Library. Mr. Meyer said the district was "so impressed" with Piazza's communication during the hiring process. Paige McNola's position was introduced as a new faculty hire; the transcript did not specify her assignment.

Mr. Morkin, identified as from the high school, and other administrators introduced additional hires for secondary grades. Kayla Thornton was introduced as a special-education social studies teacher on a one-year leave replacement; the transcript states she holds certification in social studies for grades 5–12 and recently earned a master's degree in special education from Saint Joseph's University. Lane Buck was introduced for a mathematics position after graduating from the University of Rhode Island. Thomas Cummings was introduced as a mathematics teacher with experience in geometry, algebra, applied math and co-teaching English-language learners; the board noted he is pursuing a master's degree at Stony Brook University.

In an administrative report, Mr. Spriggard (staff member) described the upcoming school-year preparations, including a new teacher orientation and the district's tradition of a bus tour of Hampton Bays ahead of the school year. Spriggard said the district expects kindergarten enrollment to be "roughly where we were last year," placing it in a range of about 115 to 130 students, and noted 22 new enrollments across grades 1–12. He said seats remain available in the district's half-day prekindergarten program.

Spriggard also previewed a district policy commonly described in the meeting as "bell to bell, no cell," explaining the approach covers the student day ("bell to bell" — 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., including passing periods, lunches and study halls) and is intended to create a distraction-free classroom environment. "Bell to bell no cell," Spriggard said when describing the planned communication to families and staff. The board was told the policy will be communicated to families in the coming weeks and rolled out in September.

Facilities and operations updates came from Mr. Luce (staff member). Luce reported the window replacement project in the elementary and middle schools is complete, with one skylight at the middle school remaining because it was added as a change order and will be installed in the fall. He said bathroom renovations in the kindergarten and first-grade wings are underway; walls and floors were reported complete and fixtures were being installed, but lighting fixtures ordered for the project were backordered and a replacement fixture was being selected.

On routine business, the board unanimously accepted the minutes of its July 15 business meeting and approved a consent agenda covering items 4a–7d. The transcript records the board president recusing herself from item 6g during the consent-agenda vote. The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn carried with board members answering "Aye." The transcript did not record roll-call vote tallies or names linked to each vote.

Board members and administrators noted the opening-school report will appear at a future meeting and that new teacher orientation is scheduled in the coming weeks. No substantive public-comment details were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.

The board's next steps identified in the meeting text include finalizing communication about the cell-phone policy to families, completing the remaining skylight and bathroom work this fall and continuing preparations for the school year opening.