BOE Recap: Earth Science Portal Woes

The Board of Education discussed how it will transition US Schools — the district's newsletter — to its new site at Tuesday's meeting, as well as some glitches the district has encountered with its new Earth Science portal for eighth graders.

Dr. William Johnson, superintendent of schools, said that right now US Schools is in flux, and it may take up to a year to figure out how it works best for the community. 

The district's new site — designed by Edline and helped paid for through BOCES — has saved the district around $1,500.

Chris Pellettieri, assistant superintendent of curriculum in the district, said that he's heard some negative feedback from students on the district's new . "Overwhelmingly, kids have said they did not like it," he said.

Pellettieri explained that students who accessed the portal outside of the school district encountered glitches with it, and the lack of access turned kids off.

"It became another assignment to use the portal," he said. "It became burdensome for them."

He explained that on top of Earth Science homework that students were given, it was an assignment in itself to navigate through the portal and make it work to their advantage.

Board member Mark Masin said that is something that needs to be addressed immediately. "If the students can't work independently out of school, it's problematic," he said.

The district will also be hosting an adult comedy night at on Sept. 23 that will fundraise for the fifth-grade trip to Greenkill.