East Hampton School District Continues To Maintain 10-Day Quarantine

East Hampton School District’s chief health officers want to maintain a 10-day quarantine, Superintendent Adam Fine said on Tuesday, February 1, during a Board of Education meeting.

While almost all East End districts have opted to side with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state- and local-approved amendment that reduces a COVID-19-related quarantine from 10 to five days for those vaccinated, East Hampton’s health official and nurses have continued to stress the benefits of a lengthier isolation period.

But, the superintendent did say during the meeting that since it has been a week since numbers have dropped to significant lows districtwide, the policy may be revisited.

Board President J.P. Foster believes that, for now, the 10-day quarantine seems proper, especially with the mid-winter recess looming at the end of the month.

“We can reevaluate after February break,” Foster said. “If we can get through that, then there’s a whole different conversation to be had.”

Three positive cases were reported districtwide on Tuesday. This comes as a mask mandate remains in effect through March 2, under a judge-issued stay following the appeal of a Nassau County Supreme Court judge’s ruling last month that the statewide mask mandate was unconstitutional.

Foster said while the district is currently following the mandate, if at some point mandating masks becomes a administrative decision, he personally wants to rely on medical expert opinion. His fellow board members agreed.

“We’re going to do the best we can to protect our kids in the best way we can possibly do so, to keep everybody healthy,” Foster said. “At the end of the day, that’s the goal.”

“The virus is the enemy,” board member John Ryan Sr. added, “not any administrator or student that might disagree over masks.”

To continue to combat the spread of the coronavirus, at-home test kits were distributed Wednesday and will be available again on Thursday, February 3, in the district office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. So far, over 1,000 boxes have been handed out, the superintendent said.

If a parent or guardian cannot visit during those hours, he or she can request a kit be sent home with his or her child, or schedule an alternate pickup time.

“We want you to get these tests, so we will do whatever we can to accommodate parents,” Fine said. “We have plenty of them, and we don’t want them to go to waste.”

In order to keep the numbers low during the vacation, board member Jackie Lowey suggested sending students home with test kits. Fine said this can be done as long as parents approve. While testing cannot be mandated as a requirement to return to school, the district is encouraging testing, especially as it looks to open up to more events like concerts and March Madness following the break. Board members also approved removing spectator limits at sporting events, so students can now attend games as long as they mask up.

“Testing at home before coming back is so pivotal,” board Vice President Christina DeSanti said.

Middle Schoolers Cheffing It Up

The after-school cooking club at East Hampton Middle School has seen record enrollment after the district decided to waive the $40 fee associated with joining.

Family and consumer science teacher Denise Roland, who is in her second year at the middle school, said food money that was not being used amid the pandemic offset the cost. As a result, over 50 students signed up, including some with special needs, which forced Middle School Principal Dr. Charles Soriano to split the group in two sections to assure proper social distancing. The club meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month.

“These students didn’t have the ability to experience what we really could in our classrooms,” Roland said Tuesday. “We’re very happy to see the outpouring and the enthusiasm. Thank you for allowing for after-school experiences for the kids.”

But board members were disappointed, saying they did not know the district was charging from the start. From now on, funding, like for any other club or sport, will be included in the budget, the board members agreed.

As part of the after-school activity, students read recipes, watch teacher demonstrations, organize tasks, get to cooking and end with cleaning up and enjoying the finished product.

Positives Roland said she’s seen from the club include teaching children how to nourish themselves, clean their surroundings and even do a load of laundry.

“These are basic life skills applicable in all aspects,” Roland said. “Those are real-life skills that they can immediately apply to their daily lives.”

Fringe benefits include an increase in participation, addressing issues like food insecurity and, the teacher added, there’s also a social-emotional learning experience.

“You really see them open up,” Roland said. “They talk about their favorite foods or their grandmother’s recipe. It’s been a joy to see a little bit more of that normalcy come back.”

Students who participate in this after-school activity are making friends across grade levels, and there’s been education through diversity and cultural experiences connected to food, especially over the holiday season.

The club is looking to bridge with the new program at the high school and in the future host sessions with special focus areas like smoothies, pasta and bread, and bring in guest speakers in the cooking industry to open up possible career paths.

Rhonda “Rhonnie” Winokur will be remembered as the face of East Hampton’s John M. Marshall Elementary School.

The longtime bus driver, 65, of Hampton Bays, died January 24. A moment of silence was held during the February 1 board meeting, where it was announced a celebration of life and tribute to Winokur out on the school’s playground will be held in the spring.

“You don’t know all the bus drivers all the time, but Rhonnie was one of those faces you couldn’t miss. Just a joy. It’s a horrible loss,” Fine said Tuesday, adding the bus driver frequented board meetings. “Her identity was defined by what she did at John Marshall. I know we will miss her terribly. I’m just hoping she is in a better place.”

Fine said when he thinks of Winokur the words “character,” “heart of gold” and “the most loved person” come to mind. Foster sent condolences to her family, and thanked her for her service to the district.

Nancy Bradley, who shared a message about Winokur on her obituary page of R. J. O’Shea Funeral Home in Hampton Bays, also attested to her friend’s character. As being born on the Fourth of July might suggest, she was a firecracker.

“I met Rhonnie while working at a bank in Wading River. I loved chatting with her. Rhonnie was always happy, laughing and joking around,” Bradley said, adding the pair remained friends through Facebook for the past decade. “I am so saddened to hear of her passing. She will truly be a light in the heavens.”

Elementary School Principal Karen Kuneth said Winokur cared so deeply for the children.

“She supported student health and well-being,” she said. “She championed the importance of recess. She was the first to advocate for what our students needed outside on the playground. If we didn’t have enough balls or hula hoops, she would be the first to tell us.”

The principal also expressed profound sadness in the bus driver’s death.

“Our sincerest sympathies to her family. She was truly one of a kind. She’s already deeply missed,” Kuneth said. “I can only hope that she knows how much she was loved and how truly a part of the fabric at John Marshall she is.”

Important Dates To Look Out For

The Community Housing Committee meets for the first time on February 5. The meeting will be with administrators and Board of Education members from East Hampton and surrounding districts, as well as local stakeholders and representatives from various levels of government.

The team was formed following an affordable housing forum held at the high school at the end of last year.

“Everybody seems to have bought into it,” Fine said. “There’s no guarantees, but it’s a good first step.”

February 15 marks the first of three Board of Education budget workshops. The others will be held March 8 and 22 and will be livestreamed via LTV’s YouTube channel.