Breakfast food trucks help children and families across Long Island

By Randall Waszynski

(Children’s breakfast food truck locations and dates – November)

When Sunday school finished at 11 a.m. Dec. 4 in the basement of Westbury Divine Congregation in Westbury, N.Y., the 19 children in attendance raced over to the back corner of the room to several plastic I Love NY bags atop a folding table. Each snagged one bag and then filed upstairs to attend mass, which had just begun.

“Every first Sunday [of the month], Long Island Cares donates breakfasts here at the church,” Marion Peynado, the superintendent of Sunday school at the church, said. “It’s helpful because we don’t have the resources to feed some of the kids in the mornings. And some of them are from underprivileged homes, so they really do appreciate it.”

Long Island Cares, a food bank that serves to tackle the problem of hunger on Long Island, transports food in a children’s breakfast food truck to communities with a high concentration of food-insecure children on days when school is not in session, like weekends, holidays and over the summer. Capital One Bank dontaed $200,000 to support the food truck service on Nov. 28.

“The breakfast food truck is something we started back in August of last year, and have grown to facilitating two breakfast mobile trucks one in each county,” Jessica Rosati, the chief program officer at Long Island Cares, said.

The breakfast food truck is an unprecedented program that is not operated by any other non-profit organization within the region, according to a press release about the mobilized food distribution service from Long Island Cares. The service primarily responds to the estimated 70,000 food-insecure children in Long Island.

Island Harvest Food Bank, another food bank that serves Suffolk County and Nassau County, estimates that there are 118,000 children in the region who rely on the breakfast and lunch programs, including banks and other charity organizations. Year-to-year data from Feeding America shows, however, that the statistic is not decreasing but a slight uptick.

Island Harvest also implemented a mobilized food distribution service for children, yet not particularly a breakfast food truck.

“It’s one of our delivery vans, and it probably is branded with the Island Harvest logo,” Don Miller, a spokesperson for the food bank, said. “It’s just not that overtly branded that it’s for a specific purpose.”

The idea of maintaining sensitivity to the persons benefitting from the program is a priority for Island Harvest. “With a lot of these programs, we try to be sensitive to the needs of the children that they’re on the program,” Miller said. “Everything is done very discreetly so it’s not overt, like a branded truck pulling up that says ‘mobile weekend backpack program.’”

Food trucks are used to service the food-insecure children in other communities around the country, like Orange County in Florida and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida wields a small fleet of catering trailers that are set up like food trucks all around the Greater Orlando area.

The Florida-based food bank has meal-production on site that turns out 5,000 meals each day for Orange County Public Schools’ Headstart program throughout the school year.

“We competed with for-profit food providers for the contract to provide those meals, and won it,” Greg Higgerson, the organization’s Vice President of Development, said.

The most effective way this food bank distributes to hungry children is through its core program that involves distributing more than 50 million meals per year through a network of over 500 local emergency food pantries, shelters and other services.

Childhood food insecurity has been on the decline on a national level: In 2015, 7.8 percent of households with children experienced food insecurity, and 9.4 percent of households with children in 2014 experienced food insecurity, according to World Hunger Education Service. Organizations across the country are implementing more mobilized food distribution services, which is helping the fight against hunger at a national level.

“It does help the community — I have to admit that,” Peynado said.

Long Island’s Muslim residents report no incidents of hate crime post-election

By Randall Waszynski & Christopher Cameron

On the day after the presidential election, Sanaa Nadim served as chaplain for the largest congregation of Muslim students she’d seen at Stony Brook University that semester. What was scheduled as a weekly general body meeting for the Muslim Student Association became an outlet for Muslim student’s fear of what was to come.

Their concerns were shared with hundreds of thousands of Muslims across the nation, as over 437 cases of hateful harassment and intimidation were reported targeting many minority groups, including Muslims, in the week since the election, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

“There’s been a lot of backlash around the city, there’s been vandalisms of mosques,” Nadim said. “But on campus, we’ve been very lucky, thank God.”

In a region where Donald Trump won his largest plurality in New York state during the presidential election, Long Island’s Muslim residents have reported no incidents of hate crime in the week since the election.

Fifty-two percent of Suffolk County and 45 percent of Nassau County voted for Donald Trump in the general election. Trump has suggested deporting or banning Muslims from entering the country, along with repeated condemnations of Muslim Americans, during his campaign.

The FBI released a report this week showing a 67 percent increase in hate crimes against American Muslims in 2015. But the surge in incidents of hate-crimes against Muslims has correlated more with population density than areas with high voter support for Donald Trump, according to a map plotted by Muslim Advocates. Long Island in particular has had no incidents reported since recording started in November 2015.

“For example, there are hate crimes taking place in California even though people there tend to be more liberal and open to diversity,” Madihha Ahussain, staff attorney for the civil rights group Muslim Advocates, said. “My general sense is that people feel emboldened to carry out these feelings.”

Many Muslims on Long Island have also expressed sympathy for the economic incentives to vote for Trump. While many Republicans didn’t like Trump, his business acumen appealed to many voters who had concerns about the economy, Shamim Quraishi, a worshipper at the masjid run by the Islamic Association of Long Island in Seldin, said.

“They want to win. They wanted to select somebody, but not Trump,” Quraishi said. “But he will get to know people. He will meet people. They will advise him ‘you have to change as a president; you can’t just say whatever you want.’ ”

The insularity of the Muslim community could be contributing to the widening rift between Muslims and the rest of America, Rehat Mannan, the president of the Muslim Students Association at Stony Brook, said.

“We don’t take it on our own selves to go out and do something new,” Mannan said. “It’s our fault because we don’t diversify. We tend to click to one another instead of communicating with other community members.”

With tensions reaching the breaking point on the national level, members of the Muslim community on Long Island say they have faith in the institutions of the American government.

Ultimately, campaign promises take a back seat to the responsibilities of the presidency, Amin Rahman, the director of the Islamic Association of Long Island, said.

“In every community, in every society, in every country, probably in every faith, there are some people who just go to the extreme limit. They’re everywhere,” Rahman said. “So things are happening, but the only thing we can do is just report it to the concerned authorities. So anyone who does something wrong will have to face justice.”

Brentwood varsity basketball looks to excel despite losses of seasoned elites

By: Randall Waszynski & Desirae Gooding

A banner displayed inside the gymnasium at Brentwood High School showcases the history of the school’s basketball team. Mike Almonacy, a senior last season and now playing for Stony Brook, surpassed the 1,380 point record set by former star player and current general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers Mitch Kupchak, and has left his mark on the school for decades to come.

“Being a part of that history,” Almonacy said, “that’s probably the greatest experience I’ve had at Brentwood.”

As Almonacy embarks on a fight to secure his place in the NCAA, as well as former teammate and fellow graduate Jamel Allen, the team will need to rework its game plan. As the star players pass through the gymnasium doors for a final time, Coach Anthony Jimenez is left to ponder what will become of his team.

“We’re going to be finding out quickly how people embrace their roles,” Jimenez said. “How we begin the season, we’ll see how quickly players pick things up. Obviously we’re a team that’s coming back relatively young, too.”

Although unsure of what to expect, Jimenez is confident that those who will play at the start of the season will be eager to uphold the team’s legacy. “They are hungry. They are determined,” he said, “It’s a very prideful program, and they want the opportunity to win consistently – get back into the playoffs and get back into a championship situation.”

Annual try-outs for the team are approaching, with six out of the seven returning players standing out as seniors. With players from last year graduating, the Brentwood Indians are most definitely faced with a squad of players with little to no playoff experience on the varsity scene.

“It’s definitely going to be a different environment,” David Berger, the team’s assistant coach and dean of students at Brentwood Sonderling High School, said. “Having Mike and Jamel graduate is going to be a big hit for us in terms of senior leadership.”

The incoming younger platoon has the school’s basketball history to uphold, as the team has been home to greats, like Almonacy, Allen and other recent mentionable players who have led the team, to only two Section 11 AA-1 losses in the last four seasons. (This does not include interleague, playoff and tournament matchups.) The team earned the title of Class A Long Island Champions back-to-back seasons in this era.

“The transition this year is us falling into our own positions and playing our own games, where we can not only fill in for what they did or at least replace but more like turn it into a different game and not trying so hard to be like them but play our own games to be successful,” senior Aaron Jenkins, who plays small forward for Brentwood, said.

Jenkins hopes to start at the three spot this season, and his brother Josh, a junior who backed up Almonacy at point guard last season, looks to be starting this season as well.

“I hope that we can pick up the pace and learn to take on the tasks that the leaders had last year,” Josh Jenkins said. “On and off the court, we have a good rapport with pretty much everyone on the squad, and I think this year, we’ll get along pretty fine.”

Maintaining team chemistry that Almonacy and Allen facilitated last season among teammates and coaches is vital for the team to succeed. “We come off like a family so that we can excel at the best pace possible to go as far as we can in order for us to do exactly what we’ve been doing the past couple years,” Aaron said. “And that’s nothing short of championships and league championships.”

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Nurses of two LI hospitals vote for authorization of striking

By Randall Waszynski & Tim Oakes

A majority of nurses, at two Catholic Health Services hospitals in Suffolk County, who are working under expired contracts, have voted to authorize strikes, according to the New York State Nurses Association’s 2016 Voting Body Action Report.

Registered nurses at both St. Catherine of Siena of Smithtown and St. Charles of Port Jefferson are both seeking higher wages, increased staffing to improve patient care and healthcare benefits.. The recent voting to authorize striking is a step forward for the nurses who are looking to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with hospital management. However, the nurses have yet to go on strike and cannot do so without alerting administration ten days in advance.

“I hope that we’re going to have a deal that I can announce this week,” Carl Ginsburg, the association’s communications director, said. “I anticipate an announcement to be made on Friday.”

The average salary of a registered nurse in New York State is $78,950.  St. Catherine’s of Siena  declined to specify on their hospital’s average salary but do say it is a “competitive rate.” However, the undisclosed “competitive rate” is a major negotiation point that has staff threatening to strike. St. Charles was unable to be reached to obtain its average salary for registered nurses.

Expressing concern with understaffing at the hospitals, Spencer Rumsey, a Democratic candidate for the 12th District of the New York State Assembly, said that geriatric patients with dementia may be the ones who suffer the most from the strike.

“[They] can’t really speak for their own needs,” Rumsey said. “You need the nurses there to be almost saintlike with their ability to care for these patients who can’t even express their own needs.”

Nurses employed at St. Catherine’s emergency department feel as if there staff is thin enough that it truly puts a burden on the staff whenever a nurse calls out sick. They simply do not have a large enough roster to pull from to fill the void should circumstances demand it.

When nurses work in a consistently understaffed workplace, they will be subject to fatigue, and, thus, quality of work will depreciate, Paula Doyle, Nurse Manager at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, said.

“If you added up the costs of the increase in errors that are absolutely inevitable with poor staffing … then you can get a dollar amount that can affect the hospital, bottom line, in a very negative way,” Doyle said. “If they took the preventative approach, and put the staffing together upfront, and created a safe environment where nurses really felt like they were giving excellent patient care, you’re going to reduce your errors, and you’re going to reduce turnover and save a lot of money.”

The Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act, passed by the New York State Assembly 108-32 in June 2016, is designed to ensure staffing levels can provide quality patient care and address the unique characteristics of patients at all times. Though it has yet to reach the Senate floor, it is expected to be introduced in Spring 2017 and provide a more permanent solution to the issue of understaffing of nurses in state hospitals.

Hempstead’s Language Access Initiative provides translation for 17 languages

By Taylor Ha and Randall Waszynski

Fred Devone, a 60-year-old black American, is perched on a bicycle on Fulton Avenue in front of La Sevillana Bakery & Cafe. He has lived in Hempstead for 35 years. “Sometimes, it’s like a foreign country here,” he says.

Devone’s statement is no surprise, given that 45.5 percent of Hempstead’s residents age five and older speak a language other than English at home, according to a 2010-2014 U.S. census.

The non-English speaking residents of Hempstead are now able to conduct town government business through the Language Access Initiative – a program that has provided translation services in 17 languages for the townspeople since Oct. 13.

“I, myself, whose mother never spoke a word of English – and she brought us to England – I know the difficulties that she faced,” Town Clerk Nasrin Ahmad, who was born in Uganda, said. “Therefore, I’m absolutely thrilled with this. And the bonuses: We don’t have to hire any translators. We have them within.”

Thirty-five town employees volunteered to participate in the initiative. Out of the 17 languages available for translation, seven are more commonly used than the rest: Spanish, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Italian, Ahmad said. The wide variety of languages is related to Hempstead’s diverse population.

Hempstead is America’s largest township, with an estimated population of 759,937, according to the 2010 U.S. census. More than a third of that population is composed of minorities: 17.4 percent Hispanic or Latino and 16.5 percent black or African-American.

“Fortunate for me, I do have a young man in my office who does speak Spanish,” Town of Hempstead Senior Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby said. “Spanish is one of the main ones we have.”

Another one of those translators is Ahmad’s executive scheduling secretary, Andrise Guiteau. Guiteau, who has aided over 100 people, translates Haitian Creole.

“You might be able to speak English, but you’re more comfortable with speaking your first language,” Guiteau said.

One of those non-native English speakers is a manager at Key Food Fresh in Hempstead: Lupe Fariera. Fariera, who hails from the Dominican Republic, has about 50 employees. The majority of them are Hispanic.

“Oh my God, that’s a wonderful idea!” she said regarding the Language Access Initiative, highlighting the diversity of Hempstead. “You’ll see Hispanic people, but they’re not from the same country,” she noted, pointing to three employees: one from El Salvador, another from Peru and the last from Ecuador.

However, translation services are not available for languages that originate from Eastern Asia, such as Mandarin or Japanese.

“Not a single time did an Oriental come who could not speak English,” Ahmad said.

5.2 percent of the Hempstead community is Asian, according to the 2010 U.S. census.

The Suffolk County government also passed Language Access legislation, primarily so that all residents, including the approximately 120,000 limited English-proficient people, had access to vital public safety information related to Hurricane Sandy in 2012, according to a press release from the Office of the County Executive. “About six months ago, we had inquiries to translate and communicate information in 36 different languages,” Vanessa Baird-Streeter, a county spokesperson, added.

Suffolk County has a population of 1.5 million. “For Hempstead, that would be a much smaller demographic that you’re dealing with,” Baird-Streeter said.

The Hempstead initiative is continuing to streamline communication between the public and municipal government.

“It’s making our residents feel at home – that they’re accepted in this new land,” Ahmad said.

New ways of getting involved in local politics

By: Giovanni Ortiz & Randall Waszynski

For over 20 years, Kevin DeBlasi, a milkman, a teacher, an author and an attorney, has been fighting to change legislation on child abuse in support of his brother who was molested as a kid.

For the 2016 election, he convinced at least 40 of his 200 Suffolk County customers to donate money toward Democratic candidate Peter Magistrale’s campaign for New York State Senate. If elected Magistrale’s flagship proposal, the Child Victims Act, might bring DeBlasi’s goal closer to realization: It would allow child victims to litigate after their 23rd birthday.

“I think involvement in civic engagement is very important,” Page Keating, a Junior Ambassador of the Vote Everywhere Program, said. “We have the privilege to have rights as United States citizens, to have a say in our communities and improve them. Your involvement can dictate anything from your library to your public universities, and even more.”

Across Long Island people are getting involved in politics in many ways, especially now that elections, both local and national, are coming up. People use their communities and their social media, Timothy Macafee, a journalism professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who specializes in political involvement, said.

“Most people have thoughts on politics,” Macafee added. “We have an opportunity to share them in a way that’s less threatening.” He said that people engage in politics just by sharing and reposting another type of news media.

Like DeBlasi, activists and local politicians alike depend on their communities to come together on a common cause.

“If we don’t allow the one-year window, we’re going to have another 20 years of pedophiles operating scot-free,” Kevin DeBlasi, who also owns the Milky Whey Calfeteria, said.

The one-year window, in reference to the current statute of limitations, allows those whose claims have been previously denied or refuted by the law to be re-examined, according to the NY Child Victims Act website. DeBlasi’s brother, Joe DeBlasi, was sexually abused as a child by his step-mother, which is Kevin DeBlasi’s rationale for justice.

Political engagement has been translated into community leadership. Even students are active in their local politics.

“So many trauma circumstances that children experience, with abuse being, obviously, at the top, there’s lingering health and mental health issues for victims through their whole life,” Diana Filiano, the director of the Child Welfare Training Program at Stony Brook University. “The efforts for the Child Victims Act is not only to enable there to be justice there for these victims, it’s also a tool to assist them in their own health and recovery. So it’s a judicial system for justice, but it’s also for them,” she said.

DeBlasi urges Long Islanders to show support by attending the Protect Children Rally he is spearheading at Moriches Park in St. James on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 1 p.m.

Breweries across Long Island remain optimistic in hop shortage

 

By: Giovanni Ortiz & Randall Waszynski

 

Long Island breweries are still able to obtain Citra hops as planned despite the report of a national shortage published by the Wall Street Journal on Sept. 27.

 

Albeit very popular, the hop is only grown in three states in the Pacific northwest: Oregon, Washington and Idaho. But the WSJ reported that the shortage “[contributes to] the sudden slowdown of craft beer sales.” Each of the 32 Long Island breweries uses Citra, a trademark hop that has a distinct citrusy taste, in at least one of its drinks.

 

“We expect to meet our contractual obligations and have some spot volume available from the 2016 Citra crop,” Steve Carpenter, the Interim Chief Executive Officer of Hopunion, said.

 

Brewers Supply Group reports that the company has not experienced the shortage, and Hopunion claims that no contracts will be compromised due to a shortage.

 

Hops distributors, like BSG and Hopunion LLC, base the amount of a particular hop to plant for the year on how much was contracted by breweries well in advance. “While they can’t 100 percent set the price— there are certain amounts of supply and demand that still goes on— they’re not planting unless somebody signs up for it,” Bart Watson, the Chief Economist of the Brewers Association, said.

 

“Quite a few years ago, there was a hops shortage,” Steve Pominski, owner and head brewer of Barrage Brewing Company, said. “It affected some of the beers, but if you just depend on Citra for the majority of your beers, then you’re going to be hurt. It only affects a couple of beers for us.”

 

More often than not, growers only farm enough for the breweries who have contracted, while the smaller or newer breweries only get what is left.

 

“Citra’s been going up pretty fast,” Watson said. “Not everyone who wanted every last ounce of Citra could get it last year, or currently, but I wouldn’t say there’s a shortage because if you want Citra, you can put in a contract, and you can get Citra pretty quickly. We haven’t seen them really restricting how much is getting planted.”

 

A 48 percent increase in the amount of the crop’s harvest next year is scheduled under contract, according to data provided by the National Agriculture Statistics Service collected from Washington State, Oregon and Idaho.

 

Despite the increase, smaller breweries worry that large-scale ones would dominate the new harvest.

 

“Some of the more popular hops have shortages,” Gabe Haim, a manager at Oyster Bay Brewing Company, said. “It’s definitely an industry problem. All it takes is a big brewery to buy up all the crop, so it’s definitely an issue.”

 

Although many companies fear losing their chance at obtaining a portion of Citra, others find nothing to be afraid of. Some even doubt there is a real shortage.

 

“[I] don’t think it’s really a thing,” Greg Martin, co-owner and brewer at Long Ireland Beer Company in Riverhead, said. “Sometimes it’s not a shortage, but there’s not enough for those who don’t have contracts.”
Those without planned-out contracts, particularly the most recently established breweries, are subject to purchasing hops through the spot market. Ensuring a haul year in and year out will feature less of a struggle as the relatively young Long Island breweries continue to grow.

 

 

Drone usage expands as more occupations find ways to integrate it

By: Rebekah Sherry & Randall Waszynski

Changes to FAA regulations effective since August 29 are making it easier for businesses and organizations in and around Long Island to operate drones legally.

The laws clarify that pilots must be at least 16 years old, drones cannot weigh more than 55 pounds and cannot fly higher than 400 feet.

“It requires more training before people buy them,” Christopher Regina, a Long Island drone owner, said.  “If a business could rent one first to try and use it in that capacity before they buy it, that would be good because they’re quite costly and complicated.”

Waiting for the FAA’s legislation to go through, the Bridgeport Fire Department in Connecticut is ready to start its test phase for implementing drones as a measure of post-analysis. Keith Muratori, a firefighter with the department, has captured several emergency fire situations with his own drone and says that the test required by the FAA to become a commercial/emergency service drone pilot is difficult.

“It is a pretty intensive test covering a lot of aeronautical information. You will not pass this test without studying.” Muratori said

Fire departments across Long Island, like the Setauket fire district, have expressed interest in incorporating drones, but the cost combined with regulatory requirements and proper training of a remote pilot outweigh the pros in most cases.

“The conversation is being raised in different departments, but the initiative is clearly in its infancy stages,” Setauket Assistant Chief, Scott Gressin said.

But fire departments aren’t the only users who will be regulated by the new law.

Two years ago the owner of Davis Peach Farm, Christine Davis, bought a drone on Amazon for $600 hoping to use it for security on the farm. Her son, Peter Diaz, stopped her before she could get it into the air after he did some research on commercial drone use.

“If you wanted to goof off with a drone that was fine, as long as you didn’t do it near an airport, but if you wanted to use it to make money in your business you would have to contact the FAA and get explicit information,” Diaz said.

Since then rules concerning commercial drone use have changed and paperwork to register a drone isn’t as time consuming or complicated.

Owner of the Miller Place Inn, Regina sees a lot of potential for drones in the future.

“It’s gonna be a big thing for business and more business will be created from drones,” Regina said

Regina bought a $1,700 drone to take pictures of his banquet hall. While he is happy with the results, he advises business owners to rent a drone before buying because they are costly and complicated.

Another occupational use for drones, like the banquet hall, is the package delivery business. By partnering with drone-making companies, like Zipline and CyPhy Works, United Parcel Service continues to make strides toward integrating them into its system, adding hard-to-reach places to their list of feasible delivery locations.

“The purpose of integrating drones was for the delivery of urgently needed medical products,” Glenn Zaccara, the director of corporate public relations for UPS, said. United Parcel Service

The test phase began for the company Sept. 23 with a successful three-mile trip over water to Children’s Island in Massachusetts. It is unknown when the test phase will be completed.

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Mental illness studies raise concern amidst state technology financing for LI school districts

By: Tim Oakes & Randall Waszynski

Eighteen Long Island school districts have, in the past three weeks, been approved to collectively receive $18.2 million in technology funding, yet educational technology experts suggest the increased financing can lead to the development of mental illnesses.

 

“There has been over 200 peer reviewed studies that have shown the effects on ADHD, addiction, anxiety, and depression,” Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, psychotherapist for The Dunes East Hampton, said. The Dunes East Hampton is a top rehabilitation center in East Hampton, New York. “I think a lot of superintendents mean well, but I think they have been conned by these tech companies.”

 

Children with depression tend to display intense internet usage patterns, according to a study conducted by researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Of adolescents — ages 13 through 18 — in the US, 10.7 percent have been diagnosed with major depression, according to results from the 2010 National Comorbidity Survey Replication–Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Other studies have observed significant internet use in children to be linked to anxiety and ADHD.

 

“My son has ADD,” Kathi Heggers, president of the Rocky Point Parent Teacher Association, said. She finds that her son is constantly glued to a screen when at home.

 

There are some experts who do not believe more technology and screens in classrooms do not lead to the development of mental illnesses.

 

“Sometimes our students have too much time with technology,” James Mazza, an educational psychology professor at the University of Washington. “But I do not think that the diagnosis of mental illnesses correlates with increased technologies in the classroom.

 

The increase of state funding for classroom technology entails a higher rate of internet use for children, the in-class screen time will be in addition to the the surfing/screen viewing children do at home.

 

“There are a lot of great things we can do with new technologies that really help schools live up to their promise,” Matthew Curinga, educational technology professor at Adelphi University, said. “It depends on the types of technology and the things that they’re doing with it.” Curinga said.

 

Each school district votes whether to approve the funding, but not every teacher may be enthusiastic in changing their lesson plans. Rocky Point and Half Hollow Hills are examples of school districts that leave the implementation of new technologies in lesson plans to each teacher’s discretion.

 

“If they’re not interested in it and if they don’t see it improving what they do, they’re never going to get the most out of it.” Curinga said. “When we talk about schools, we have limited resources, so the decision to move to a one-to-one laptop program for a school district is a decision not to spend that money on something else.”

 

As of Sept. 14, 18 of the 125 school districts on Long Island (14.4 percent) have been approved for funding.

 

The distribution of funds is designed to bridge the divide between school districts with certain educational technology in classrooms based on how the amount of funding each school district already receives. The investment will push for internet broadband expansion, allowing for more high-speed internet access for students, which is recommended by federal and state guidelines.

 

“If we’re going to have wireless, we might as well have devices,” Ryan Drosselmeier, Rocky Point Union Free School District tech representative, said.

 

Rocky Point is using its state funding to create an in-school environment that encourages newer technologies in classrooms such as devices like tablets, smartphones and laptops. The school has begun a $2.5 million project to put access points in every classroom, giving students the opportunity to use smart devices in classrooms at the teacher’s discretion.

 

Other Long Island school districts, like Half Hollow Hills, have already established a “Bring Your Own Device” policy in the classroom, a policy that allows students to use personal devices during class.

 

“We need to know that our students know how to use technology and use it responsibly,” JolynnSapia, the district’s Instructional Computer Director, said.

 

Even 3-D laboratories have been introduced in some Long Island classrooms, offering an innovative way to exhibit creativity and learn through virtual reality. Island Park School District plans to implement the program for the beginning of the 2016-17 school year. The equipment was provided by zSpace, a virtual reality company based out of California.

 

“The art teacher can have students design something, and then they can print a 3-D model of what they’ve designed,” Christine Chu, the education technology specialist at Island Park School District, said.

Still, over 100 Long Island school districts have yet to receive additional technology funding from the state, but that may change in coming months.