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Connetquot School District

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Connetquot School District
Location
Town of Islip, Suffolk County, New York
United States
District information
TypePublic
MottoExcellence in Education
GradesPreK-12
Established1963 (1963)
SuperintendentDr. Joseph Centamore
Asst. superintendent(s)Christina Poppe, Reza Kolahifar, Robert Hauser
Schools10
Students and staff
Students5,393 (2022-2023)
District mascotThunderbirds
Colors   Red and white
Other information
Websiteccsdli.org
Connetquot Central School District's office in Bohemia, NY

The Connetquot Central School District of Islip is a school district located in the Town of Islip of Suffolk County, New York on Long Island. There is one preschool, seven elementary schools, two middle schools, and one senior high school.

The district includes the entirety of the communities of Oakdale and Ronkonkoma, and almost all of Bohemia, while it also serves parts of Islandia, Sayville, and West Sayville. Most parts of Sayville and West Sayville are zoned to the neighboring Sayville School District.[1]

Enrollment

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The total enrollment of the 2022–2023 school year among Connetquot's ten schools was 5,393 students.[2]

Demographics

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Data from USN states that Connetquot District's students are 51% male and 49% female. The majority of students are white, with a 69.4% majority. Furthermore, 19% of students are Hispanic, 6% are Asian, 3.2% are black, and 2% are of mixed race. The website also says that 16.6% of students are "economically disadvantaged".[3]

Schools

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  • Edward J. Bosti Elementary School (PK–5) – Oakdale
  • Cherokee Street Elementary School (K–5) – Ronkonkoma
  • Helen B. Duffield Elementary School (K–5) – Ronkonkoma
  • Idle Hour Elementary School (K–5) – Oakdale
  • John Pearl Elementary School (K–5) – Bohemia
  • Edith L. Slocum Elementary School (K–5) – Ronkonkoma
  • Sycamore Avenue Elementary School (K–5) – Bohemia
  • Oakdale-Bohemia Middle School (6–8) – Oakdale
  • Ronkonkoma Middle School (6–8) – Ronkonkoma
  • Connetquot High School (9–12) – Bohemia

History

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In 1960, with continuing suburban growth, voters in the existing Oakdale-Bohemia and Ronkonkoma school districts voted to consolidate their two districts, which paved the way for construction of a high school.[4]

In January 1962, the entire district was shuttered for a week due to an outbreak of scarlet fever.[5]

The district closed all of its schools on October 29, 2012 and the following days as a result of Hurricane Sandy.[6]

At the start of the 2018 school year, Oakdale-Bohemia Middle School faced widespread mold growth, leading to many parents' concern with their children's safety.[7]

Like most school districts in the United States, Connetquot temporarily closed its schools in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

The district faced widespread protests both in and outside their schools, after it was believed by the community that they had ordered the resignation of Connetquot High School's principal in March 2023.[9][10]

In January 2024, the Government of New York State mandated that all new school buses purchased by the district, from 2027 onward, be electric.[11]

The district was one of the beneficiaries of a government program that guarantees free school lunch for students, in February 2024.[12]

School shooting plot

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In July 2007, the school district received national attention when two teenagers who attended Connetquot High School were arrested for planning an attack on the school mirroring that of Columbine. The plans, discovered in a notebook left in a Bohemia parking lot, reportedly included a hit list of students and staff and how to ignite explosives.[13] One of the teenagers involved in the plot, Christopher Franko, was arrested again in June 2010 for planning a similar attack. The plan failed when Franko and another conspirator were denied the purchase of a shotgun, and turned over to Suffolk County Police.[14]

Bomb plot

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In May 2019, three students of Connetquot High School were arrested for discussing plans to detonate explosives at the school. The three were discussing their plans on a school bus, when another student heard them, and reported the conversation to an administrator. The administrator then reported the incident to Suffolk County Police, and the school was evacuated. The entire conversation was caught on the school bus's surveillance system. Police also found a copy of The Anarchist Cookbook, a book with bomb-making instructions, in one of the conspirators' homes. The three were taken into custody and charged with conspiracy.[15][16]

Mascot lawsuit

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The district filed a lawsuit against the New York State Board of Regents in October 2023, when the board tried to enforce a ban on the use of Native American folklore for school mascots. The district was ordered to remove all names, imagery and mascots relating to the thunderbird from its schools by June 2025. Connetquot schools had used the thunderbird, or "T-Bird" as it is often called in Connetquot, as their school mascot since the 1960s. When the lawsuit was filed, the district argued the ban was unconstitutional.[17]

Pride flag policy lawsuit

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As of August 2024, there is an ongoing lawsuit against the school district as a result of their pride flag policy.[18] The district's ban on displaying the flags in school had already caused controversy prior to the lawsuit.[19] The lawsuit was initiated in January 2024 by an openly homosexual teacher of Connetquot High School, who claimed the district's policy regarding the flags was discriminatory against LGBT students, teachers and staff. One of the defendants named in the case was Connetquot High School's Principal, Michael Moran,[20] despite it being widely believed that his resignation in March 2023 was a result of his support for displaying pride flags in the school.[21]

References

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  1. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Suffolk County, NY" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 4 (PDF p. 5/6). Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  2. ^ "Search for Public School Districts - District Detail for CONNETQUOT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  3. ^ "Connetquot Central School District". U.S. News & World Report. April 7, 2024.
  4. ^ "School Consolidation Voted". The New York Times. June 24, 1960. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  5. ^ "5 L.I. SCHOOLS CLOSE; Scarlet Fever Outbreak Hits Connetquot District". The New York Times. January 18, 1962. Retrieved December 4, 2009.("At outbreak of scarlet fever resulted today in a decision to close all schools in the Connetquot School District for a week, starting tomorrow. The enforced vacation for the 2,538 pupils in the new central district...").
  6. ^ "Educators: LI schools need emergency generators, storm safeguards". Newsday. 2017-10-16. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  7. ^ "Concerned Parents Say Mold Is Sickening Students, Teachers Alike At Long Island Middle School - CBS New York". www.cbsnews.com. 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  8. ^ Bolger, Timothy (2020-03-10). "Coronavirus School Closings on Long Island". www.longislandpress.com. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  9. ^ "Connetquot Principal Takes Sudden Leave of Absence, Students Protest". Sayville-Bayport, NY Patch. 2023-03-10. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  10. ^ "Connetquot Community Rallies For Return Of 'Amazing' Principal". Sayville-Bayport, NY Patch. 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  11. ^ Desmond, Sam (2024-02-01). "Electric bus mandate would cost $20B". The Suffolk County News. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  12. ^ "Thousands more LI students getting free school meals following expansion of government program". News 12 - Long Island. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  13. ^ "2 Teens Arrested In Attack Plot Against L.I. School". NBC New York. July 13, 2007. Archived from the original on September 19, 2007.
  14. ^ "Teen charged in second plot on high school". NBC News. 2010-06-08. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  15. ^ Fuller, Nicole (2019-05-03). "3 students arrested in Connetquot High School bomb plot, police say". Newsday. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  16. ^ "Police: 3 teens planned to detonate bomb at Connetquot HS". News 12 - Long Island. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  17. ^ "Connetquot schools sue Regents over Native American mascot ban". Newsday. 2023-10-19. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  18. ^ "Connetquot High School teacher sues school district over Pride flag policy". News 12. January 25, 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  19. ^ "Connetquot school district, teacher at odds over display of Pride flags in classroom". Newsday. 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  20. ^ Desmond, Sam (2024-02-01). "Teacher sues school district over denial of display of Pride flag". The Suffolk County News. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  21. ^ "Connetquot HS students, parents rally in support of principal on leave". News 12 - Long Island. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
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