Superintendent Hatter outlines calendar change, construction progress and safety steps ahead of Desha’s law deadline
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Summary
Doctor Hatter told the board he will move the spring professional development day from March 19 to March 20, recommended a director for the high‑school musical, reported that construction foundations and drainage work are on schedule, and said the district is updating site‑specific cardiac emergency response plans to comply with Desha’s law by Jan. 20, 2026.
Doctor Hatter delivered a multi‑item update to the Yorktown Central School District Board of Education on Dec. 1, covering calendar changes, staffing recommendations, construction status, compliance with an incoming New York State cardiac‑response requirement, and student initiatives.
“We are amending our professional development day for the spring for this school year's calendar from March 19 to March 20,” Hatter said, describing the calendar change that will make March 19 a regular school day and March 20 a superintendent’s conference day. He said the district will communicate the change in its monthly newsletter.
Hatter said he will recommend appointing “mister Jeremy Newburger as the director of this year's play,” with auditions to be held in December. On construction, he reported that foundations have been poured at Brookside and Mohanovic and that drainage work at the high school (site preparation for the lower turf field) is underway; he said the projects are moving according to schedule and “within the budget that was specified.”
On safety, Hatter said Desha's law—which requires written, site‑specific cardiac emergency response plans including AED locations—takes effect Jan. 20, 2026, and that the district plans to hold a hearing and request adoption of the revised emergency response plan at the Jan. 12 board meeting. “So in order for us to have our compliance met on this, our safety plans have to be updated to reflect Desha's law,” he said.
Hatter also addressed elementary lunch length after inquiries: he confirmed the scheduled lunch period is 40 minutes but noted passing time extends the period to roughly 46–50 minutes. He warned that extending lunch to 60 minutes would reduce instructional time, saying the change “equates to approximately 12 full days of instruction,” and noted state minimum instructional hours and collective bargaining considerations as constraints.
Hatter highlighted student initiatives, including the superintendent student council’s priorities (mental health supports, an outdoor dining/study area, an AI/financial‑literacy lab and others) and a proposal for a student grant program modeled on the district’s iGrants to fund student projects.
