Schools
Are Hauppauge School District's Anti-Bullying Policies Working?
District parents voice concern over whether Hauppauge Public School's anti-bullying policies are working after news of a recent fight at the middle school.
Parents are raising questions about the Hauppauge school district's anti-bullying policies, what are they and whether they are strong enough to protect their children after a recent incident.
Patch reader Beth LaManna posted this question on Hauppauge Patch's Facebook page on Tuesday, " Anti-Bullying programs in your school in the Hauppauge School District, are they working?"
April Buzzanca was quick to respond to LaManna's question.
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"Being a parent of two children in a Hauppauge elementary school, I would say, not enough! I think the programs they are implementing would work IF they would punish the child/ren who disobey the rules, which is not happening. I would hate to read about our school in the paper one day," Buzzanca wrote.
The question comes on the heels of an incident at Hauppauge Middle School that has parents concerned.
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Hauppauge parent Rob Scarito raised his concerns about a rumor he had heard about a fight at on Jan. 30. at Tuesday night's board meeting.
"There was an altercation between a group of students at the middle school last week," said Superintendent Patricia Sullivan-Kriss. "As a district we followed our code of conduct and addressed the issues that existed.
The superintendent said she could not comment further on the specific incident in question due to the student's right to privacy. Suffolk County police said no report of an incident or fight was made to the Fourth Precinct.
Hauppauge parent Rob Scarito said he is concerned for students' safety. His son was previously burned by another student with a soldering iron, who then received one day of in-school suspension, according to Scarito. He would like to see the district take more action in such cases and stricter penalties for students who bully or harm others.
Our question asks: Do you feel Hauppauge Public School's anti-bully policies are working? Do you feel the Code of Conduct is strong enough, or do you believe more action needs to be taken?
Tell us in the comments below.
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