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Schools
15-Year-Old Threatened To 'Shoot Up' Watervliet High School Over Policy, Police Say 15-Year-Old Threatened To 'Shoot Up' Watervliet High School Over Policy, Police Say
15-Year-Old Threatened To 'Shoot Up' Watervliet High School Over Policy, Police Say A student upset over a school policy threatened to carry out a mass shooting at a high school in the region, authorities said. In Albany County, the Watervliet Police Department was contacted on Thursday, May 18, with reports of a physical threat against Watervliet High School. An investigation determined that a 15-year-old girl was angry over a school policy and took to social media, threatening to “shoot (the school) up,” police said. The student was arrested and charged with making a terroristic threat, a felony. She was arraigned in Albany County Family Court and later released on he…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Student Turned Politician: 18-Year-Old Elected To NY School Board Student Turned Politician: 18-Year-Old Elected To NY School Board
Student Turned Politician: 18-Year-Old Elected To NY School Board A New York high school senior is going from the classroom to the boardroom - the school boardroom that is. Long Island’s Quinn Bedell, an 18-year-old senior at West Islip High School, was elected to the West Islip Board of Education as a write-in candidate in the election held Tuesday, May 16. “I would like to thank the West Islip community for choosing me to be a trustee on the Board of Education. I am truly honored,” Bedell wrote on Facebook Wednesday, May 17. “I could not have done this without the overwhelming support of this community. I am forever grateful to every one of you and I …

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
This School District In Albany County Ranks Best In Capital Region, Report Says This School District In Albany County Ranks Best In Capital Region, Report Says
This School District In Albany County Ranks Best In Capital Region, Report Says When it comes to getting a quality education in the Capital Region, one school district is a cut above the rest, according to a new report. In Albany County, the North Colonie Central School District in Latham was ranked No. 1 in the Albany metro area, according to Niche’s new 2023 rankings. The district received an overall grade of A+, with high marks in the categories of academics, teachers, college prep, and clubs & activities. It received an A for sports, and A- for diversity, administration, and resources & facilities. There’s work to do in the lunchroom, however, as the dist…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
School Swatting Threats: 50 NY Districts Report New Round Of Incidents School Swatting Threats: 50 NY Districts Report New Round Of Incidents
School Swatting Threats: 50 NY Districts Report New Round Of Incidents More than 50 school districts across New York reported receiving swatting threats of an active shooter. The districts reporting the incidents on Tuesday, April 4 were located on Long Island, in Central New York, the Southern Tier, and the North Country, authorities said.  "I want to reassure parents that their children are safe at school - swatting threats are false and intended to cause panic and scare students, teachers, and families," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement on Tuesday. On Thursday, March 30, numerous school districts reported receiving swatting calls of…

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
School Swatting Incidents Occurring Across NY, State Police Say School Swatting Incidents Occurring Across NY, State Police Say
School Swatting Incidents Occurring Across NY, State Police Say Authorities are investigating numerous incidents of schools in New York state receiving swatting calls claiming there is an active shooter in the building, state police said.  The threatening calls were received by schools on Thursday morning, March 30, and have all been found to be false, state police announced.  The State Police is aware of swatting incidents that have occurred across the state, in which a caller states that there is an active shooter in a school. All of the reports are unfounded. We are working alongside our federal & local partners to investigate the threats. pi…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Reports Of Student With Gun Prompt Lockdown At Capital Region High School Reports Of Student With Gun Prompt Lockdown At Capital Region High School
Reports Of Student With Gun Prompt Lockdown At Capital Region High School A high school in the region was placed on a lockdown after several students reported that a classmate had a gun. Saratoga County Sheriff’s deputies were called to Shenendehowa High School West in Clifton Park at around 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, after a student told their parent that another student possibly had a gun, officials said. Other students at the school made similar reports directly to the school resource officer, who is a Saratoga County Sheriff’s deputy. The school was placed on a lockdown while deputies and State Police troopers searched the campus. They eventually located the…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
School District Reassigns Superintendent In NY After Federal Subpoena School District Reassigns Superintendent In NY After Federal Subpoena
School District Reassigns Superintendent In NY After Federal Subpoena A superintendent in New York is no longer in charge of her school district, which is currently under investigation by federal officials.  On Monday night, Feb. 13 in Westchester County, the Mount Vernon City School District Board of Education voted to "administratively reassign" Superintendent Waveline Bennett-Conroy and instead appoint Veronica (Kim) Smith as the district's Acting Superintendent of Schools, district officials announced. The vote came after news broke on Friday, Feb. 10 that Mount Vernon Schools were under investigation by the United States Att…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Marist College Student Bitten By Animal Believed To Be Coyote Marist College Student Bitten By Animal Believed To Be Coyote
Marist College Student Bitten By Animal Believed To Be Coyote A student at a Hudson Valley college was bitten by what is believed to be a coyote. The incident took place in Dutchess County at Marist College in the town of Poughkeepsie around midnight on Tuesday, Feb. 7 near Leo Hall, according to the college's office of Safety of Security in a statement to students. Following the incident, the Dutchess County Health Department issued a warning alerting residents, including Marist College students, that an aggressive coyote was spotted on the college campus in the town of Poughkeepsie. It is unknown at this time if the animal is rabid, the department…

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
'Diverse' Snowman Post Lands Capital Region School District In Hot Water 'Diverse' Snowman Post Lands Capital Region School District In Hot Water
'Diverse' Snowman Post Lands Capital Region School District In Hot Water A school district in New York is apologizing after a Facebook post about a snowman sparked allegations of racism. In a now-deleted post on Tuesday, Jan. 31, Greene County’s Coxsackie-Athens Central School District included a photo of three students standing next to a noticeably dirty snowman. The caption reads, “Today’s CE Fourth Grade Playground Fun! This snowman is just as diverse as our students!” The Coxsackie-Athens Central School District apologized over a Facebook post about a "diverse" snowman that sparked allegations of racism.Coxsackie-Athens Central School District It didn’…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
NY School District Asks Hochul Not To Mandate COVID-19 Vaccine For Students NY School District Asks Hochul Not To Mandate COVID-19 Vaccine For Students
NY School District Asks Hochul Not To Mandate Covid-19 Vaccine For Students A school district in the Hudson Valley has sent a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul asking her not to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for public school students.  The letter, sent on Monday, Jan. 23 by the Brewster Central School District's Board of Education in Putnam County, was sent in the wake of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommending that the COVID vaccine be received by all children younger than 18.  School officials also recognized that there may be proposed legislation that would mandate the vaccine for all New York public school students.  "We s…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Bomb Threat At Albany High School Disrupts First Classes Of New Year Bomb Threat At Albany High School Disrupts First Classes Of New Year
Bomb Threat At Albany High School Disrupts First Classes Of New Year A bomb threat disrupted the first classes of 2023 at a Capital Region high school, authorities said. The threat against both Albany High School and the Tony Clement Center for Education was called in to the Albany Police Department at around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, according to a school statement. Both buildings were placed in a lockout while police investigated, meaning students and staff were not allowed to enter or exit the campuses. The Albany Police Department has cleared Albany High School and Tony Clement Center for Education to begin the school... Posted by Albany High Scho…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Here's Where New York Ranks Among States With Best Public School Systems, Forbes Says Here's Where New York Ranks Among States With Best Public School Systems, Forbes Says
Here's Where New York Ranks Among States With Best Public School Systems, Forbes Says New York ranks in the top half of states with the best public school systems, according to a report from Forbes.  The state ranks 22nd in the nation for its public schools, according to the news outlet. The schools in the state benefit from the cultural diversity of places like New York City, which is "widely deemed the cultural capital of the world," the Forbes report said.  One advantage that this cultural diversity brings is the number of languages that are spoken in the city, which total as many as 800, according to Forbes.  Click here to read the full report from Forbe…

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by Ben Crnic