Schools

Community Meeting About Homeless Shelter Set for October

Legislator will meet with the community on Oct. 9.

In a letter to the Hauppauge school community posted this week on the school website, superintendent Patricia Sullivan-Kriss addressed some parents' concerns and announced a meeting set up by Suffolk Legis. John M. Kennedy Jr. to answer the community's questions about the homeless shelter.

The meeting is set for Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Hauppauge High School auditorium.

In her Sept. 27 letter, Sullivan-Kriss responded to concerns parents raised at the Sept. 17 school board meeting, addressed topics including class sizes and behavioral issues, and gave an approach in case there are additional students who enter the district from the homeless shelter.

To respond to those who were concerned over behavioral concerns or health matters among the homeless students, Sullivan-Kriss said: "We have looked into these questions and have no evidence that, as a group, children residing at the facility have any behavioral or health concerns disproportionate to the general population."

She said average class sizes have held steady at the levels dictated by the district's class size policy: 26 students in kindergarten through second grade and 30 students in grades three through five. 

"The district continually monitors class sizes and provides additional support in classrooms that exceed these guidelines," Sullivan-Kriss wrote. "It is important to note that, at the August 27th meeting, before this became an issue, the Board of Education requested a class size analysis be conducted by administration during this school year."

Based on her own meeting with county officials, the superintendent said the county has no plans to place more families at the shelter, and that there is ongoing construction there not to add more housing but to add meeting and general purpose room space to the facility. She said the property is still on the public tax rolls and that the operator of the facility is paying taxes.

At the Sept. 17 board meeting, some parents criticized the district for not having a concrete plan in case there are more students entering the schools.

"We do have a plan – each student will be handled on a case-by-case basis," Sullivan-Kriss wrote. "To reiterate, the county has made it clear that it does not anticipate a large influx of additional students from this facility. If this changes, we will make our decisions based upon the needs of the students, class sizes in the schools, and the cost to taxpayers."

Currently, 24 children from homeless shelters are educated in the Hauppauge School District, with 10 students newly placed at Forest Brook while the rest are educated at other schools in the district, according to Sullivan-Kriss.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here