Some Residents Have Concerns Over BOCES At PMHS

Concerns that some residents have regarding Patchogue-Medford School District’s leasing agreement that will allow BOCES to rent a number of classrooms at Patchogue-Medford High School during the 2013-2014 academic year were discussed at Monday’s Board of Education meeting at South Ocean Middle School.

The contract, which was approved as part of the consent agenda at the April 15 Board of Education Business meeting, is a pilot program in which BOCES will pay the district between $90,000-$100,000 to rent 10 classrooms.

A similar program is already ongoing at Oregon Middle School, and assistant superintendent of business Donna Jones said that BOCES pays between $36,000 to $40,000 for four classrooms in that building.

After the program was mentioned, several residents addressed concerns with the Board.

A high school student asked the Board which BOCES students are expected to attend, and Marjory Bernstein, assistant superintendent for pupil personnel, said that it would be a mix of youngsters who may have mild to moderate learning difficulties and may have some mild counseling issues. The student then had safety concerns that Superintendent Michael Locantore responded to by saying that school safety and security is the utmost concern.

“They have on site their own staff that comes in that remains on site during the day,” Locantore said. He also said that the district asked for extra security.

Bernstein said that BOCES students would be accompanied by adult supervision to and from facilities such as the restrooms.

Another resident asked if any classrooms are being lost for this or if this affects class size, which Locantore said is not the case as there are extra classrooms in the high school.

Locantore also said that the BOCES program will have their own assistant principal on site, and that anyone that breaks the code of conduct will have its rules enforced. Bernstein said that BOCES also brings their own coordinator and staff members that do not have specific class assignments but are available to escort their students.

“We have to break perception about when we hear BOCES we automatically think that they are behavioral children,” Locantore said.

Locantore said that the BOCES programs have a long history of being within the Patchogue-Medford School District.

“I certainly appreciate everyone’s concern, but once again we’ve had classes like this in the district for years, so this isn’t brand new,” Locantore said.

Another resident asked if the BOCES students, who are not necessarily all from the school district's area, would have the ability to participate in extracurricular programs, which Locantore and Bernstein said was not discussed. A school official during the meeting said that it is only a rental situation.

Diana Andrade, a resident who said she found out about the agreement from an email, and was not sure why the issue was not discussed publicly during the April meeting. The contract was part of the “Consent Agenda” section, which is printed for the public as well as placed on the school district’s website, but is approved en masse when the Board approves the Consent Agenda. In the April 15 agenda, the contract is in Section F, #2.

Locantore also mentioned that BOCES originally asked for a multi-year contract for the high school, which he said he refused because he needed to know how the pilot program was going to work.

What are your thoughts on BOCES renting space at Patchogue-Medford High School during the 2013-2014 academic year? Talk about it in the comments section below.