The Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District said goodbye to many longtime members, acknowledged decades of service to its employees and also spoke with members of the Floral Park Police Department on crisis response Monday night.
Trustee Douglas Vigo, administrator Susan Rispoli and Superintendent of Curriculum Juli Mulcahy each were read a distinguished service resolution for their time in the district. Vigo, who has served as president, vice president and trustee for the district and trustee for the Sewanhaka Central High School District Board of Education for a collective nine years, did not seek re-election this year. Rosemarie Peltonen, who won the race for his vacant seat, will be sworn into the board in July.
“I just want to say it’s been an honor to serve as one of the wonderful residents of our district,” Vigo said during his last report. “I decided to run for a board seat because I wanted to give back to a community that I grew up in, a district where I attended both elementary school and high school and ensure that this generation of young students got as much out of the school district that I did. Lasting memories, a quality foundation for education and build some lifelong friendships.”
In unrelated district news, the district presented certificates of appreciation to faculty members who have been with the district for five, 10, 15, 20 and over 25 years, respectively.
Lt. William Doherty of the Floral Park Police Department also spoke to parents and trustees at the beginning of the meeting to provide a breakdown of the relationship the department has with the district as well as protocols that are in place in case of emergency situations.
Doherty and other officers were invited to speak because there were concerns after the shooting in Uvalde, Tex, where 19 children and two adults were killed at an elementary school. The lone 18-year-old gunman arrived at Robb Elementary School with a long rifle and body armor before being shot and killed by law enforcement, according to multiple reports.
Doherty reiterated that members of the police department are in communication with district leadership “at least weekly” and even more than that in some cases.
The Lieutenant went further into responses towards hypotheticals parents had while also explaining the training the department undergoes to be ready for anything, without getting into specifics.
“We have an incredible working relationship and that’s a testament to the school board, the school administration and the district administration because we’re involved in everything here related to safety,” Doherty said. “Communication is really what drives any relationship. And I’m very proud of the relationship that we’ve fostered between these two organizations.”
