The Rye City Schools issued the following "Swine Flu Update" this evening:
From the Superintendent of Schools,
Dr. Edward J. Shine:
Last Sunday night, April 26, the District sent information via our E-Newsletter about the Rye School of Leadership and on Friday, May 1, the District sent another communication as a result of information which we received from the Westchester County Health Department that a Rye student had been diagnosed with Influenza A – probable H1N1.
On Saturday I was notified by a County Health Department official that another Rye student had been tested and received the same diagnosis. In both the Friday announcement and the Saturday announcement the County Health Department indicated it was not recommending closing a school or schools in the District. I was informed that the students had been out of school before the onset of symptoms and remained absent from school for 7 or more days, and student and faculty absenteeism remained within the normal range during the entire school week of April 27 through May 1.
Based on the County Health Department's recommendation, all schools will be open tomorrow and all programs and activities will go forward as planned.
Many parents have asked for more information about this illness and the students involved. The parents of the students involved have asked the County and the District to maintain their privacy as they help their children recover from this illness.
Other students were tested by either their physician or the County and found to have seasonal flu or the tests were negative. As best we can, we will maintain the privacy of all these students. Within that frame I can advise you that all the students tested to date with negative results, seasonal flu or probable H1N1 that I am aware of, are students who attend school in the Rye High School/Rye Middle School complex on Parsons Street or the Rye School of Leadership.
Mrs. Tracey Barnett, director of Health Services for the District and Dr. Bruno DiCosmo, School Physician, have been in constant contact with local physicians and the County Health Department and Mrs. Barnett has been in contact with numerous parents answering questions and providing advice.
If the County Health Department felt there was a health concern for students in the Rye Schools the Department would have recommended that I close the schools. If your child has health issues and you are concerned please feel free to keep your child at home.
As noted below, parents who have questions may call their school nurse or Mrs. Barnett at 967- 6100, Ext. 1930.
Health Advice for Parents and Students
As outlined last week, it is prudent to follow health recommendations from the Center for Disease Control that include:
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, for 20 seconds or more, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Stay home if you get sick. The CDC recommends that you stay home from school or work and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
Please feel free to call the District Health Care Services Coordinator, Tracey Barnett, if you have any questions or concerns that are not addressed here. 914-967-6100, ext. 1930."
Why are we not closing our schools for 2 days and cleaning them throughly to prevent an outbreak. this is a small community! I am sure our families and faculty of our schools would like to feel safer and no one is helping with that. Why can we not know which school that child attends, in the safe and well being of others. There are many people with newborns and young children, we need to protect our community!
Beth,
Rye City and the County Health Department officials don’t protect us from effluents entering our Harbor from Hen Island by allowing leaking sewage pits to continue. Rye City and the County Health Department don’t protect us from the threat of West Nile Virus by allowing over 37,000 gallons of stagnant water to remain on Hen Island. Take a look at the case of the Amico tragedy, years later and we still have no movement. What makes you think this would be any different? The City and the County is acting like two parents in a dysfunctional household. This is the unfortunate position we are left in when it comes to protecting our families in Rye. Hopefully with some new blood this will change but for now all we can do is bring attention to the issues of neglect in Rye.
Ray
Any excuse to jump someone’s band wagon to spew your hate against Rye government and West. dept of Health and I may add the people on Hen Island.
You seem to be the same social dysfuctional brat you were 35 years ago.
Ray,
Thank You for the mention.
Beth,
I would have to agree with Ray on this one. Where other districts shut down to protect the kids we move on in denial. I JUST DON’T GET IT!!!
LIEnus,
Why is it when someone points out the obvious your right there to twist it. HATE is a very strong word & do not remember ever seeing Ray use it or act it in any fashion. We all just want things done in a respectful manor. WE don’t hate anyone.
if any of you had kept up with the news story the sick kid hasn’t been in school in over a week. so chances are they didn’t even have this germ the last time they were in school.
this flu is nothing anyway. get real. i just had pneumonia that was much worse than this lame flu.
Linus,
Contrary to what you may believe I don’t hate anyone, not even my enemies, yourself included. I kind of feel sorry for those that are not willing to open their eyes, again yourself included. Although the street vocabulary I use at times may not be to your liking, I pride myself in not using the word hate.
I am not jumping on anyone’s band wagon, I am just stating the facts and I will keep stating them until the issues are corrected. I do appreciate that the City has admitted that they were “misinformed” about the safety and building code violations on Hen Island. That would be the same violations I have been complaining about for the past two years, and that would also be the same violations that you claimed didn’t exist. As you can see from the recent violations issued on Hen Island, “persistence is a virtue” so here it is for you once again.
The City of Rye and the County of Westchester allows the residents of Hen Island thru the use of illegal leaking sewage pits to pollute the waters of the Long Island sound. They also allow the use of bird feces infected water collected from the rooftops for domestic use in the cottages. (Think about the health ramifications with that one Linus) Below are a few pictures just in case you care.
http://healtheharbor.com/gallery/pages/water/water2.html
http://healtheharbor.com/gallery/pages/sewage/sewage10.html
One more thing just “in case you care” you can tune in to WVOX 1460 @ 11:00am You can hear me informing Westchester residents about How Westchester County and The City of Rye treats there residents like a dysfunctional family. It’s a live show so feel free to call in with your propaganda and I will be happy to answer any of your questions. This will be my second show on VOX, if you would like to see the first one click on the link below.
http://healtheharbor.com/video/hth_ontheair.html
Ray Tartaglione
Sorry I left out the date for the radio show. It is The Midday’s with Meg Miller Show and it will be live this Friday May 8th @ 11:00 am. Maybe some of the Polluters can call in and try to be vindicated, or maybe we will be graced by a call from Scooter or Linus.
Ray…..37,000 gallons of stagnant water??…If you’re speaking of the rainwater the campers at Hen Island collect off their rooftops, you know as well as anyone, the water they gather is treated with chlorine, so they can use it to wash windows,etc….You collect rainwater off your roof, do you not??…..Maybe you can stay indoors at your home in Purchase, if you’re afraid of West Nile Virus…Didn’t you know there were mosquitos on Hen Island, when you purchased “my piece of paradise” out there?…Didn’t you know about them when you were President of the Board of Directors?….Perhaps you don’t “hate” your neighbors at Hen Island…But, it’s obvious you don’t like them..I hear you’ve cost them almost $200,000 in legal fees…curiously, your paying both your attorney, to pursue the matter and the Hen Island attorney to defend the matter….like a guy betting on all the numbers at the roulette wheel and yelling, “I won”, when a number he has a chip on is landed on….kind of silly, I’d say….Good Luck with everything….
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/08/nyregion/willing-to-share-but-only-with-the-sea-gulls.html
I Know Why, Ray….
I Know Why, Ray:
That was a great article. Why doesn’t someone just offer Ray $3,500,000 for his Hen Island slice of paradise? Perhaps he will take it and be gone.
Dear I know why Ray,
Maybe you can call in on Friday and voice your concerns. I would like pursue that dialogue in a public forum where we can exchange words. Sounds to me like you are ready to panic because you realize the hammer is about to fall. Let me lay it out the way I see it.
Everyone that was covering up the Hen Island controversy is no longer willing to do so, now they are just trying to cover their butts. In the written violation the City of Rye has put the island on notice about any future mosquito infestations. The City has also written the violations with regards to most of the building, safety, and propane issues. All we have left is to address the sewage and potable water issues. Rye has asked Westchester County to re-evaluate the sewer and septic issues. Even though the ultimate responsibility is Rye’s they are trying to get the county to reverse their earlier improper statements of Commissioner Meyerson. The County Health Department may admit past mistakes or they may to try and continue the cover-up.
Either way we are half way to fixing the problems on Hen Island. It’s time to stop the denial, there is not too many that can take showers in chlorine, it tends to burns when you get it in the eye. If a child should drink that water from the sink, what do you think might happen there? If I were you, I would start directing my energy towards a remedy and a solution plan. If you would like my help and suggestions I am here. I would even be happy to discuss it on Friday should you decide to call in. If you would like to continue this discussion, I suggest we do it under one of the Hen Island threads or let’s speak on Friday on the VOX call in line 914-636-0110.
Ray Tartaglione
PS Dear Buy? Drologist,
I would not sell my little piece of paradise for any amount, I just get stuck on certain things! LOL
Ray: why don’t you get YOUR OWN WEBSITE OR BLOG and quit making every single story about YOU and your PROBLEM??????????
I can’t imagine how your family lives with you … blechhhh
Sick of this,
Lame Flu?…… So…. we should sit around and wait for it to show it’s ugly side instead of being proactive. Ya,that’s a smart move. I guess we handle everything the same way…well almost. A little girl gets hit by a car,receives only a broken leg(THANK GOD) along w/some bumps & bruises and BINGO we have the BPR DIET! A little boy gets hit by a car,receives the death penalty,and BINGO…3 YEARS LATER WE ARE WAITING FOR IT TO HAPPEN AGAIN(GOD FOR BID)!!!! Yes…..by all means lets all sit around and wait and do NOTHING!!!
LUV UR THINKING!!!!!!!
BTW- I am also “SICK OF THIS”!!!!
If Laura Slack did not make the statements about Jamie Saracino that Dr. Shine says she did, why hasn’t Dr. Shine been fired yet?
The statements that Dr. Shine attributed to Laura Slack have enflamed an already contentious relationship between the teachers and the School Board. Did Dr. Shine make these statements up? If he did then he should be fired.
If Dr. Shine is telling the truth then Laura Slack needs to resign.
People,
Let’s get over the Hen Island issue for a moment. Rye Country Day has been closed for 2 weeks – they are taking proactive steps to manage this presumed terrible outbreak of the flu. Once again, our Rye City school system fails at managing proactively. We all know the idiocy happening with the School Board, now would be the time to step up and act like a governing body and protect the students of Rye by closing the schools for 2 days and doing a thorough cleaning.
How many families do you know that have kids in Rye Country Day and Rye City schools/ nursery schools? – I know of many.
Kudos to the principal at Rye Country Day – our principals need to take a position – and need to be backed up by the incredibly inept School Board – and yes, Laura Slack should resign.
PS – the Rye City Police Commissioner should be canned. He chooses to enforce laws that he chooses not THE LAW. I think, generally speaking, the police officers of Rye are solid, but their leadership is poor.
Beth,
So what position has our Principals & Dr.Shine taken that the BOE would be willing to back??? BTW-THE ENTIRE CITY OF RYE LEADERSHIP IS INEPT ON THE TERM PROACTIVE! There are certainly teachers all over including Rye that deserve tenure. But there is definitely some in RYE that do not. I can name one right off the top of my head that I would not have ever given it to. I don’t know Jaime or anything about her except for what I hear… which doesn’t sound like Tenure. I can tell you I have had my share of run ins with a couple of teachers,Dr.Grille,Dr.Shine, and none of them have ever impressed me & certainly do not deserve the time of day!!!
Two weeks of school closure is a bit excessive. Glad I’m not paying that tuition. Will they stay open an extra two weeks?
Glad the Rye City School district decided to keep our kids safely in school instead of at the mall, movies, or hanging in town like its a two week snowday.
i agree two weeks is a bit excessive but at least they (RCDS) are informing their families and taking some action. There is a rumor that some of our elementary schools were professionally cleaned this weekend. I hope that is true, but why are we not hearing about it? Let’s get to basics and implement a mandatory hand washing for all students several times though out the day, start some where with trying to change what could be occurring.. an epidemic!
-beth
Councilman Aaron,
Yes,two weeks is a bit much. Better to be safe than sorry.
Last time I checked it was the parents responsibility of their kids where abouts. What makes you think your kids are always safely in school??? I thought my 5 year old daughter (now 10) was safely in school until we got a call that she was missing for a half an hour. Two weeks later her classmate met the same fate. The Teacher actually had the nerve to blame me & my wife for her short comings. Sure glad this teacher(HEIDI) got Tenure.
As far as I know “ZERO PUNISHMENT”
This Year Mr.Moritas had the odascity to call my daughter a BULLY!
Many of the School faculty speed to work on Midland Ave.
Barbara D’Alois wrote me a nasty threatning email.
Now they use the kids as a crutch for their contract dispute.
I’M SORRY….BUT I WON’T SIDE WITH THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR!!!
Suggestion to the primary blogger: Let’s open this up to a really honest discussion about the BOE, the Superintendent, and the upcoming election.
In an earlier post the valid question “Why hasn’t Shine been fired?” was raised. Why indeed?
What needs to be also asked is why has Shine received nearly 70% in raises over the past 8 years? Why did he receive a nearly 14% raise last year, and why – in the midst of firings and salary freezes – did this Board allow him to take a bonus for 100 sick days that he did not take over the last four years? Yes – he will be receiving over 20,000 on top of his salary (already double the median family income in Rye)for 22 vacation days.
That meeting was a slugfest with zero leadership from the Board or the Superintendent. At issue was an email written by Shine yet he sat there and in the most ungentlemanly fashion allowed someone else to take the hit. Not once did he stand up to clarify the issue.
Josh Nathan is no stranger to passive-aggressive behavior either. His repeated use of the word “stunning” was as inflammatory as Jamie Zung’s presentation. Let’s own up to some responsibility, Nathan. It’s a new world.
None of this contentiousness would exist if the teachers had a contract or if the Board stood up to Shine and his history of spending that gives a drunken sailor a bad name.
Laura Slack and Josh Nathan could be Mother Teresa and St. Francis combined but nothing will progress until there is a new board.
Start a new thread dealing with this, please.
Sounds like you all think the world would be better off if everyone resigned. Is there anyone out there doing a good job, in your minds?
Susie…….Your remarks are somewhat prophetic…..Ray lives alone. Understandable.
Ray…I guess public pools should be chlorine-free, based on your statement about burning eyes….Makes good sense…Please pursue that arguement on your paid for radio rant…If you didn’t provide advertising money WVOX wouldn’t care a hoot what you have to say…similar to most people.
Are you aware of any children becoming sick from drinking water on Hen Island. Please provide that information on the show too….We’ll need names, so we can check up on you..as you have a history of mistruths….thanks,
I Know Why, Ray…