Welcome to the North Shore Report, a weekly post that looks at some of the top headlines from Patch.com sites along the North Shore of Long Island in the towns of Smithtown and Brookhaven.

The first school board meetings of the year got pretty heated in North Shore markets, with school policies coming under fire in several districts.

In Hauppauge, two parents of special education students in the district came forward to accuse the school of calling the Child Protective Services because their students had logged too many unexcused absences.

The district would not comment on the specific allegations, but Assistant Superintendent James Stucchio did say the district is legally bound to reports signs of abuse to CPS.

It wasn’t the only news related to special education this week. In Rocky Point, a parent of a child in special education filed a complaint with the state claiming the district's restructuring of the special ed department has meant less care for her child.

Meanwhile, jaws dropped at the board of education meeting in Smithtown when Smithtown West high school student Gabrielle Petagna took to the podium to describe a brutal attack she suffered at the hand of classmates that left her with a concussion and emotionally scarred.

Petagna was attacked in a bathroom by eight other students, though the teen placed some of he responsibility on the school for not only failing to protect her, but not fully punishing the students involved. Parents at the meeting, and the next day on Patch’s comment boards, expressed their outrage.

Ironically, shortly after Petagna’s comments, the Smithtown school board voted to limit the amount of time the public can speak at board meetings.

The start of 2012 also meant the enactment of the state’s 2 percent tax cap for municipalities including libraries, fire districts and, of course, schools. In preparation, the Three Village Central School District will videotape informational sessions for the public to prep the community for a tense budget season, especially since the district said it will likely float a budget that extends beyond the cap.

Meanwhile, in Hauppauge the board explained that adhering to the 2 percent cap could mean a $2.1 million shortfall for the district.

And lastly, the board of eduction in Kings Park told locals that they are considering a 125-foot cell phone tower for the grounds of the administration building. The proposal was met with community concerns over height and health risks.