The June 2020 administration of Regents Exams has been cancelled by the New York State Education Department and the Board of Regents. Students in grades 8-12 who pass or have passed a Regents-level class and were scheduled to take (or re-take) the Regents exam this June will receive credit for the test. There is no requirement to make up 2020 Regents exams in the future.
If a student failed a Regents exam or multiple Regents exams previously and passed the respective class(es), those students have been automatically signed up to take the Regents this spring. Since the exams were canceled, students will automatically get the Regents credit as long as they passed the course. The district is taking this action on behalf of all of our students.
"Farmingdale High School faculty and staff continues to consider ways to support our Class of 2020 who has lost so much from the school closure," said FHS Principal Dr. Samuel Thompson. "Our Student Government Association advisors and many generous donations from people and extra-curricular clubs in the Farmingdale High School community were able to provide this Class of 2020 Tribute banner to send a caring message to our seniors."
On Friday, May 1, 2020, at 8:20PM (20:20 military time), Farmingdale Schools, along with other districts across both Nassau and Suffolk Counties, will honor the Class of 2020 in a unique way. Stadium lights at Farmingdale High School and Weldon E. Howitt Middle School will be illuminated for 20 minutes to represent the class of 2020, and scoreboards will be set to read 20:20. The date May 1st was chosen because it’s the date that all seniors need to commit to their college choices. The community is invited to play a role by dressing in Daler gear and flickering their front lights during this time.
“We’ve been looking at everything we can think of to honor our students whose milestone events have been sidelined because of the pandemic,” said FHS Principal Dr. Samuel Thompson. “Our seniors are missing out on a lot and this is an opportunity to show our support for them.”
Farmingdale Athletics Director Jeanne Berkoski brought the idea to the attention of administrators after meeting with other athletic directors. “The original intention was that it would be a tribute to senior athletes,” she said. “But then we decided to do it for the whole class.”
Superintendent Paul Defendini wants anyone who lives near the stadiums, or might be passing by, to understand the significance and not be surprised by the lights being on during a time when schools are closed.
Gates will remain locked, entrance to the fields are prohibited, and security will be on-site to discourage gatherings of any kind.
On Wednesday, April 29, 2020, Farmingdale teachers and administrative staff gave the town of Farmingdale a parade to remember. Beginning at 9am and continuing for ten hours, they zigzagged their way through nearly every street in the district, waving and beeping their horns for all the students and families who came out of their homes to hold up signs and cheer them on. A total of six hundred staff members participated during the course of the day, decorating their vehicles in unique ways and writing notes of inspiration on their windows.
“This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to drive through our entire district and wave at our kids,” said Mr. Defendini. “They’ve been through a tough couple of weeks, as have all of us, and this was a way to bring the community together.”
"We were in the queue for three and a half hours waiting to join, but it was so worth the wait!" said ENL high school teacher Michelle Angiulo. "I got a little choked up when I saw all the families waiting in the cold with signs thanking us."
"The sense of family and community that we have here in Farmingdale is like no other,” said Woodward Parkway Elementary School Principal Patrick Klocek. “We are so grateful to our faculty and staff for coming out in full force, as there were nearly 200 cars in the parade at different times of the day. To get such a warm and emotional response from our students and their families meant the world to us!"
“My participation in the parade is something I’ll never forget,” said Carey Persico, a Senior Clerk-Typist at Saltzman East Memorial Elementary School. “The outpouring of love was overwhelming as we drove through the community and heard the cheers of the students and saw their beautiful signs. I’m so proud to be a member of the Daler family.”
"As a lifelong Daler, I couldn’t have been more proud than I was during our parade!” said Board of Education Trustee Arlene Soete, who participated in the procession. “It was full of smiles, laughter, and true love for a great community. It gave us all hope and inspiration for better days ahead."
"Today I became a true Daler!" said Supervisor of Transportation Marc Medina as the parade came to a finish. He spent two weeks planning the route, using software he traditionally uses to route buses. “This was a monumental task for Dispatcher Troy Hill, who led the parade in our school bus. He did an outstanding job of navigating through the entire district.” Transportation staffer Mari Del Gais and Mr. Medina took turns monitoring the GPS and helping with directions. Text messages were sent throughout the day to update residents on where the parade was, and when it could be getting close to them. The Nassau County Police Department and the local fire departments escorted it during the morning hours, and Farmingdale Village Code Enforcement accompanied the procession for all ten hours.
“With the exception of a few momentous days, this may very well have been the best day of my life.” said Superintendent Paul Defendini. “There are so many people to thank but most notably I would like to thank our amazing staff for stepping up. We took over the town and spread an infectious dose of goodwill. This will live on for a long time as a day to remember in Farmingdale’s history. I am proud to have been a small part of such a big day!”
Please be advised that Section VIII (Nassau County Athletic Association) has decided to re-evaluate within the coming weeks and keep the possible start date of 9/21 for high school Fall Sports. If the start date gets postponed the plan would be running three sports seasons for the high school starting in January. No start date has been released for middle school sports.
These dates will be changed to allow for a 1 week layover between seasons:
Season I- Winter Sports
Dates: Jan. 4-Mar. 13 (10 Weeks)
Sports: basketball (girls & boys), bowling (girls & boys), indoor track & field (girls & boys), swimming (boys), traditional cheer, *wrestling, *competitive cheer.
* Because of the high risk nature of wrestling and competitive cheer, sports may have to be moved to Season II or Season III.
Season II- Fall Sports
Dates: Mar. 1-May 8 (10 Weeks)
Sports: football, traditional cheer, cross country (girls & boys) soccer (girls & boys), swimming (girls), volleyball (girls & boys).
Note: Weather will have an impact upon outdoor sports in some parts of the state in
March and potentially early April. Girls Tennis moved to Season III.
Season III- Spring Sports
Dates: Apr. 5-Jun. 12 (10 Weeks)
Sports: baseball, softball, golf (girls & boys), lacrosse (girls & boys), tennis (girls & boys), outdoor track & field (girls & boys)
**IMPORTANT UPDATE: PLEASE READ BELOW**
NEW YORK STATE PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION - NYSPHSAA Announces the Cancellation of All Winter State Championships and the postponement of high risk sports;
High-Risk Sports Postponed Until Authorization is Provided
LATHAM, NY -The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) announces the cancellation of all 2021 Winter State Championships and the postponement of all high-risk sports until authorization is granted by state officials. The NYSPHSAA Officers rendered these decisions with input from the NYSPHSAA membership and the 11 Section Executive Directors.
“When examining the feasibility of Winter State Championships, it became apparent that travel and overnight accommodations would create a unique challenge for our member schools,” said Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director. “At this time, we must prioritize maximizing student participation without a focus on championship events.”
The Association’s decision to postpone all high-risk sports until authorization is granted was reinforced by the increase in infection and hospitalization rates across the State. The New York State Department of Health has determined the following NYSPHSAA - endorsed sports to be high risk: basketball, boys lacrosse, cheerleading, and dance group, football, volleyball, and wrestling.
The cancellation of the Winter State Championships (bowling, basketball, boys swimming & diving, competitive cheerleading, indoor track & field and wrestling) addresses membership concerns associated with increased travel, hotel accommodations, transportation logistics and the planning for meals. Furthermore, venue capacity limitations and social distancing restrictions make it increasingly difficult to ensure the safety of student-athletes, coaches, and families.
The following PDF files are all listed by their publish date from the school district. All of the letters have been released as public statements to the Farmingdale School District members from Superintendent Paul Defendini.
COVID-19 Positive Data reported on this site includes students, teachers and staff enrolled in the school district On-site and Off-site.
What are the district’s protocols for testing and tracing?
Temperature Testing: All students will have their temperature taken upon arrival at school. Security aides and school staff will be taking student temperatures at the door after getting off the bus. If a student presents a temperature of 100.0, feels ill, or gets sick while in school, they will be sent directly to the school nurse for assessment. If they display any COVID related symptoms, they will be placed into an area isolated from others where they will remain. A parent will be called to pick-up the child immediately. The parent will be advised to have the child seen by their Doctor.
*****The same protocol will be followed for all members of the faculty and staff.
Tracing Protocols: If a student tests positive for COVID, their doctor will alert the Department of Health, contact the school, and perform contact tracing. This will initiate a 14-day quarantine mandate to all students and teachers that were in the same class(s) and possibly additional spaces such as the school bus, cafeteria etc. as the student who tested positive for COVID-19. All siblings of the infected student will need to quarantine as well. If a parent tests positive, the student as well as all family members need to be quarantined for the time that the parent is symptomatic and for the 14 days after the parent is no longer symptomatic. The building principal and nurse’s office will be the COVID -19 point of contact. All nurses in the district have been formally trained via Johns Hopkins Hospital and will be our Contact Tracing experts. Nurses will work with the District physician and Dept. of Health to initiate contact tracing protocols.
The following PDF files are all listed by their call date from the school district. All of the transcriptions have been released as public statements to the Farmingdale School District members from Superintendent Paul Defendini after robocalls were made to the families with the message spoken to them.
All Farmingdale School buildings will remain closed during this time and students are expected to continue with remote learning. All activities and events scheduled at our buildings during this time are cancelled or will be postponed. All Farmingdale School District outdoor facilities (playgrounds, fields, and tracks) are also closed.
Visit our Coronavirus webpage for the latest district developments.
​Weldon E. Howitt Middle School faculty and administrators went all over Farmingdale on June 4 to deliver celebratory lawn signs to our 8th graders
Farmingdale High School Faculty set off June 8 to surprise the Senior Class of 2020 with celebratory signs. Teachers and administrators spread out over Farmingdale to deliver over 500 lawn signs
The videos below this description are messages to community members from Superintendent Paul Defendini of the Farmingdale School District. They were posted along with the robocall transcripts and letters (in the sections above) that were delivered to community members from Superintendent Paul Defendini, as well.
