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South Huntington board approves organizational appointments, contracts, donations and student placements
Summary
At its July 8 meeting the board approved appointments (records officer, Dignity Act coordinators), multiple contracts (School Aid Specialists, H2M architects, YMCA pool rental), several out‑of‑district special‑education placements, and routine travel stipends and consultant agreements. A $2,200 donation to the high‑school science research program was accepted with one recusal.
The South Huntington Union Free School District Board of Education approved a series of organizational motions and routine business items during its July 8 meeting at Walt Whitman High School.
The board confirmed appointments including a records management officer (Mike Conway) and Dignity Act coordinators for each building; it also approved annual policy housekeeping and a revised facilities‑use rate schedule to be finalized in a follow‑up meeting.
On financial and service contracts, the board approved an extension with School Aid Specialists for the 2026–27 school year to help the district maximize Medicaid revenue; the vendor’s fee remains at 20% of retained Medicaid funds. The board also approved a contract with H2M Consultants and Architects for capital work in 2026–27 and an agreement with the Huntington YMCA for swim team practices (season rental fee $7,600 for one‑hour practices Monday–Friday, September–March, with lifeguards provided by the YMCA).
The board approved many student placements previously discussed in executive session: multiple out‑of‑district placements for students with significant needs (Brookville Center for Children’s Services; the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center residential placement in Massachusetts; Hagedorn Little Village School; Eden II School for autistic children; Harmony Heights Day School; UCP of Nassau). Administrators explained these placements were necessary because appropriate in‑district programs were not available.
A donation from CHF to the Walt Whitman High School Science Research Program was approved (amount noted at $2,200); the vote was recorded as 5 in favor, 0 opposed, and 1 recusal for the board member affiliated with CHF. The board also accepted a separate $1,000 donation from Amy Kaufman to Birchwood Intermediate School.
Other routine actions included adoption of multiple annual resolutions for travel stipends (transportation supervisor, lead mechanic, IT department and administrators), continuation of participation in the Long Island school nutrition cooperative and the National School Lunch Program, approval of multiple consultant agreements for public‑relations associates and district operations, and a confidential personnel resolution previously discussed in executive session.
The board also adopted small policy changes: a minor amendment to anti‑bullying policy 115 to ensure a Dignity Act coordinator is designated at each school, a new policy on animals for instructional purposes (policy 48‑50) with opt‑out instructions for dissection, and a substantial revision to policy 81‑30 to reflect the districtwide safety plan and annual review procedures.
Administrators reported facilities and capital project updates: Memorial building turnover and signage, ongoing work at Silas Wood, the Walt Whitman Media Production Center progress, Woven High School boiler scoping, completion of a second turf field at Woven, delays on Oakwood and Birchwood Learning Labs due to equipment lead times, and the planning stage for a traffic light at West Hills Road and West Hills Court. The board noted two remaining summer meetings on Aug. 5 and Aug. 19.
The board’s next steps include posting the safety plan for public comment, reviewing any submitted comments before the Aug. 19 meeting, and proceeding with the scheduled adoption votes and operational follow‑ups.
