Schools

6 Kings Park School Stories of 2013

A look back at the top news, issues affecting Kings Park schools and students in 2013.

Kings Park Central School District is a core of the local community and the heated debates over issues within the schools stole the spotlight in 2013. 

Controversial debate has raged on over the new federal Common Core curriculum and the state's implementation of it, high-stakes testing and sharing of student data for the better part of the year. 

Here's an overview of the biggest and most impactful news out of Kings Park schools in 2013: 

Liz Barrett Resigns From Kings Park Board of Education
Kings Park Board of Education Trustee Liz Barrett has given her resignation to the school district after standing at the center of a community controversy for the past four months. 

Kings Park Board of Ed Voices Concerns, Suggests Changes to Common Core
After months of debate, Kings Park Board of Education formally gave a voice its community concerns on the state's implementation of its new Common Core curriculum and new high-stakes testing in December offering 9 suggestions to the state for changes. 

School Chorus Sings Altered 'Silent Night,' Removes Religious References
A fifth-grade chorus's rendition of the Christmas carol "Silent Night" altered to remove all religious reference offended several members of the Kings Park community in December.

Board of Ed: No Wrongdoing in Supe's Investigation of Community Member Complaint
An investigation into a complaint by a community member regarding a district employee was handled correctly according to the Board of Education, which released a statement regarding the incident at the Tuesday evening meeting, at which time it was also revealed that a board member had her petition to run for the board of education signed while she was on school property during school hours.

Kings Park Places in Newsweek Top High School Rankings
Kings Park High School has scored a place on Newsweek's top 5,000 U.S. high schools rankings.According to Newsweek, Kings Park ranked 562, with a graduation rate of 97 percent, a 94 percent college attendance rate, an average SAT score of 1588, an average ACT score of 24 and an average advanced placement testing score of 3.2.

Park View Elementary Reopens to Students and Staff
A new roofing system, fresh paint, sanitized classrooms and a red bow on the door greeted Park View Elementary students as they headed back to their school building, which suffered severe roof damage during Hurricane Sandy.


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