Parents Challenge Westhampton Beach School Board To Create More Special Needs Programs - 27 East
logo logo logo logo

Education / News / Southampton Press / 1437199

Parents Challenge Westhampton Beach School Board To Create More Special Needs Programs

icon 17 Photos
Picketers gathered outside Westhampton Beach Middle School to petition the Westhampton Beach Board of Education to allow Aiden Killoran, a Remsenburg-Speonk student with Down Syndrome, to attend the middle school next year. KYLE CAMPBELL

Picketers gathered outside Westhampton Beach Middle School to petition the Westhampton Beach Board of Education to allow Aiden Killoran, a Remsenburg-Speonk student with Down Syndrome, to attend the middle school next year. KYLE CAMPBELL

Picketers gathered near the intersection of Mill Road and Oneck Lane in Westhampton Beach on Monday afternoon to advocate for more special education programs in the Westhampton Beach School District.\ KYLE CAMPBELL

Picketers gathered near the intersection of Mill Road and Oneck Lane in Westhampton Beach on Monday afternoon to advocate for more special education programs in the Westhampton Beach School District.\ KYLE CAMPBELL

Picketers gathered near the intersection of Mill Road and Oneck Lane in Westhampton Beach on Monday afternoon to advocate for more special education programs in the Westhampton Beach School District.\ KYLE CAMPBELL

Picketers gathered near the intersection of Mill Road and Oneck Lane in Westhampton Beach on Monday afternoon to advocate for more special education programs in the Westhampton Beach School District.\ KYLE CAMPBELL

Patrick Smith of South Jamesport holds a sign advocating that his nephew, Aiden Killoran, a 12-year-old Remsenburg-Speonk student with Down Syndrome, be allowed to attend Westhampton Beach Middle School next year. KYLE CAMPBELL

Patrick Smith of South Jamesport holds a sign advocating that his nephew, Aiden Killoran, a 12-year-old Remsenburg-Speonk student with Down Syndrome, be allowed to attend Westhampton Beach Middle School next year. KYLE CAMPBELL

Picketers gathered near the intersection of Mill Road and Oneck Lane in Westhampton Beach on Monday afternoon to advocate for more special education programs in the Westhampton Beach School District.\ KYLE CAMPBELL

Picketers gathered near the intersection of Mill Road and Oneck Lane in Westhampton Beach on Monday afternoon to advocate for more special education programs in the Westhampton Beach School District.\ KYLE CAMPBELL

From left, Amy Staugasser of Bablyon, Kevin Daly of Patchogue, Dawn Manzi of Westhampton and Patrick Smith of South Jamesport sign petitions requesting that the Westhampton Beach School Board allow 12-year-old Aiden Killoran, a Remsenburg-Speonk student with Downs Syndrome, to attend the district's middle school next year. KYLE CAMPBELL

From left, Amy Staugasser of Bablyon, Kevin Daly of Patchogue, Dawn Manzi of Westhampton and Patrick Smith of South Jamesport sign petitions requesting that the Westhampton Beach School Board allow 12-year-old Aiden Killoran, a Remsenburg-Speonk student with Downs Syndrome, to attend the district's middle school next year. KYLE CAMPBELL

Picketers gathered near the intersection of Mill Road and Oneck Lane in Westhampton Beach on Monday afternoon to advocate for more special education programs in the Westhampton Beach School District.\ KYLE CAMPBELL

Picketers gathered near the intersection of Mill Road and Oneck Lane in Westhampton Beach on Monday afternoon to advocate for more special education programs in the Westhampton Beach School District.\ KYLE CAMPBELL

Picketers gathered near the intersection of Mill Road and Oneck Lane in Westhampton Beach on Monday afternoon to advocate for more special education programs in the Westhampton Beach School District.\ KYLE CAMPBELL

Picketers gathered near the intersection of Mill Road and Oneck Lane in Westhampton Beach on Monday afternoon to advocate for more special education programs in the Westhampton Beach School District.\ KYLE CAMPBELL

Remsenburg resident Christian Killoran speaks to the Westhampton Beach Board of Education on Monday night. Mr. Killoran, who was joined by roughly 40 supporters, urged the board to commit to creating a program for alternately assessed special needs students. KYLE CAMPBELL

Remsenburg resident Christian Killoran speaks to the Westhampton Beach Board of Education on Monday night. Mr. Killoran, who was joined by roughly 40 supporters, urged the board to commit to creating a program for alternately assessed special needs students. KYLE CAMPBELL

Remsenburg resident Christian Killoran speaks to the Westhampton Beach Board of Education on Monday night. Mr. Killoran, who was joined by roughly 40 supporters, urged the board to commit to creating a program for alternately assessed special needs students. KYLE CAMPBELL

Remsenburg resident Christian Killoran speaks to the Westhampton Beach Board of Education on Monday night. Mr. Killoran, who was joined by roughly 40 supporters, urged the board to commit to creating a program for alternately assessed special needs students. KYLE CAMPBELL

Remsenburg resident Christian Killoran speaks to the Westhampton Beach Board of Education on Monday night. Mr. Killoran, who was joined by roughly 40 supporters, urged the board to commit to creating a program for alternately assessed special needs students. KYLE CAMPBELL

Remsenburg resident Christian Killoran speaks to the Westhampton Beach Board of Education on Monday night. Mr. Killoran, who was joined by roughly 40 supporters, urged the board to commit to creating a program for alternately assessed special needs students. KYLE CAMPBELL

Remsenburg resident Christian Killoran speaks to the Westhampton Beach Board of Education on Monday night. Mr. Killoran, who was joined by roughly 40 supporters, urged the board to commit to creating a program for alternately assessed special needs students. KYLE CAMPBELL

Remsenburg resident Christian Killoran speaks to the Westhampton Beach Board of Education on Monday night. Mr. Killoran, who was joined by roughly 40 supporters, urged the board to commit to creating a program for alternately assessed special needs students. KYLE CAMPBELL

From left, Westhampton Beach Assistant Superintendent Kathleen O'Hara, School Board member Jim Hulme, School Board member Claire Bean and School Board member Bryan Dean listen to Remsenburg resident Christian Killoran's requests for additional special education programs in the district's middle and high schools. KYLE CAMPBELl

From left, Westhampton Beach Assistant Superintendent Kathleen O'Hara, School Board member Jim Hulme, School Board member Claire Bean and School Board member Bryan Dean listen to Remsenburg resident Christian Killoran's requests for additional special education programs in the district's middle and high schools. KYLE CAMPBELl

Westhampton resident Andrew Gilbride asks members of the Westhampton Beach School Board to address questions and concerns raised by parents of special needs children during Monday night's board meeting. KYLE CAMPBELL

Westhampton resident Andrew Gilbride asks members of the Westhampton Beach School Board to address questions and concerns raised by parents of special needs children during Monday night's board meeting. KYLE CAMPBELL

Westhampton Beach School Board member Claire Bean speaks to a crowd of roughly 40 people who attended the board's meeting on Monday night. KYLE CAMPBELl

Westhampton Beach School Board member Claire Bean speaks to a crowd of roughly 40 people who attended the board's meeting on Monday night. KYLE CAMPBELl

Suffolk County Police helicopter pilots explain their career to Hampton Bays High School students after landing on the high school's athletic field on Friday afternoon. KYLE CAMPBELL

Suffolk County Police helicopter pilots explain their career to Hampton Bays High School students after landing on the high school's athletic field on Friday afternoon. KYLE CAMPBELL

Remsenburg resident Kerry Horton urges the Westhampton Beach School Board to create more programs for special needs children during the board's meeting on Monday night. KYLE CAMPBELL

Remsenburg resident Kerry Horton urges the Westhampton Beach School Board to create more programs for special needs children during the board's meeting on Monday night. KYLE CAMPBELL

authorKyle Campbell on May 11, 2015
A father stood before the Westhampton Beach Board of Education Monday night and called each member cowardly, accused them of promoting “segregation,” and said the school district has cultivated a... more

You May Also Like:

The Final Step

As Southampton Town considers aggressive action on sand mines, with plans to use amortization — a tool last used effectively to rid the town of nightclubs and bars the town considered nuisances — to finally end the practice, it’s important to cut through the rhetoric and state some facts. Sand mines serve a clear purpose and have economic value in a region where construction is a primary driver. But the town quite simply does not allow sand mining — that decision was made years ago, and what mines exist today are preexisting and nonconforming. Amortizing the properties is the last ... 11 Dec 2024 by Editorial Board

Keep Talking

Talk is not a solution, but solutions won’t be found without a great deal of interplay between the officials making the decisions and the public that will be affected by them. So The Express Sessions event last week in Sag Harbor, which focused on the village’s parking woes, was, along with future public hearings before the Village Board, necessary for there to be any traction on the subject. In fact, one clear message at Thursday’s session, delivered by those in attendance: Communication is absolutely crucial. And it has been one area where the village can improve. Restaurateur Jesse Matsuoka, who ... by Editorial Board

Great Buys

It’s not every day that an opportunity comes along to buy a castle. But that’s exactly where Southampton Town officials found themselves this week. Using $4 million in proceeds from the Community Preservation Fund, the Town Board agreed to buy the Casa Basso property in Westhampton — which contains a restaurant and a 120-year-old diminutive reproduction of a Spanish castle. The town plans to create a waterfront park on the newly preserved property. And not only did the town buy a castle, in a separate transaction it also agreed to buy 25 acres in East Quogue — 10 acres of ... by Editorial Board

Croquet Club Pleas to Town for New Home, but CPF Rules a Sticky Wicket

The Southampton Town Board has, for at least the time being, shelved a pitch by ... by Michael Wright

Expanded Retirement Benefits Legislation Could Help Address Shortages for Paid EMS Staff

New legislation introduced by State Senator Monica Martinez will soon give paid first responders in Suffolk County the option to retire after 25 years of service, an enticement that could help address staffing shortages and boost recruitment of paid EMS workers. Service districts will be able to elect to include certain EMS personnel in the state pension plan. Originally approved in 2023, the plan was able to move forward thanks to a companion bill outlining a clear mechanism for fire districts to opt in. Governor Kathy Hochul’s signing of the new measure now establishes that process. “Serving your community as ... by Cailin Riley

Southampton Town Will Pay $1 Million To Ensure Sag Harbor Hunting Preserve Remains

The Southampton Town Board will pay the new owner of the former Spring Farm game ... by Michael Wright

Battle Lines Form as Southampton Town Board Holds Hearing on Sand Mine Amortization Law

The battle lines were clearly drawn as the Southampton Town Board on Tuesday opened a ... by Stephen J. Kotz

Weekly Roundup: Bridgehampton, Southampton Boys Start Hot; Hampton Bays Girls Top Miller Place; Clarke Taylor Leading 'Canes

Bees Off to Solid Start In a rematch of last season’s Suffolk County Class D Championship, the Bridgehampton boys basketball team opened the season with a 52-30 victory at Smithtown Christian on Thursday, December 5. Jai Feaster led the Killer Bees’ offense with 24 points and Jaylin Harding scored 13 points in his Bridgehampton debut. On Monday, Bridgehampton had five different players score in double digits in its 61-57 home victory over Southold. Xavier Johnson’s 13 led the attack, and he also had five steals. Jaylin and Jordan Harding each scored 12 points and Feaster and Alex Davis each scored ... by Staff Writer

Bonac Wrestlers Boast Plenty of Varsity Experience This Season

The East Hampton/Pierson/Bridgehampton wrestling team turned the proverbial corner last winter, accomplishing a lot that ... by Drew Budd

Bonacker Boys Swimmers Already Boasting Best Times To Start the Season

These East Hampton/Pierson boys swimmers are already making a name for themselves. Despite a losing ... by Desirée Keegan