1971-07-15

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WEEKLY
An Official" Newspaper of The Incorporated Village of Farmingdale — Serving Greater Farmingdale. Bethpage and Melville
VOL. 8 NO. 47 Second Class Postage has been paid at Farmingdale, N. Y. 11735 • Published by THE OBSERVER, INC., Box 146, Farmingdale, N. Y. Thursday, July 15, 1971
School District Appeals
Ruling on Maternity Leave
The New York State Commission on Human Rights has ruled that
the Farmingdale School District's policy in regard to maternity
leaves is invalid. Four teachers from the district recently appealed
the policy to the Commission, stating that it was discriminatory in
regard to their rights to equal employment opportunity.
The Board of Education an­nounced
last week that it will
take whatever steps necessary to
appeal the decision of the Human
Rights Commissioner, Jack
Sable. The district's action is
Main Street Parking
Rules Are Adopted
As long as they provide justification for it, the saying that you can
not believe everything you read in a newspaper, will retain its
validity. Last week it was our turn to keep this saying alive - with
our report that on Tuesday the Farmingdale Village Board of
Trustees would adopt the proposed new parking rules for Main
Street.
LOVE IS WONDERFUL: Ewes gamboling on " mom's" back, one
of the many interesting sights at the State University at Far­mingdale
barnyard. More than 30,000 visitors each year enjoy the
model farm facilities at the college.
The parking rules were
adopted, alright - but not on
Tuesday. Farmingdale's village
board never adopts anything on
Tuesdays, for its regular meeting
night is, has been, and most likely
will remain to be, Monday night.
We do not know what possessed
us to write tnat this meeting
would be Tuesday -- except,
Irwin Jacovsky New President
Library Board Increases Fines for Overdue Books
The Farmingdale Library Board reorganized itself Tuesday night -
- because the law requires such a reorganization and because such
action would have been needed anyway since board president
Warren Altmann made his unofficial resignation official His letter of
resignation, stating the fact that his employer has transferred him to
a new assignment in Florida, was read and accepted.
to the last undefeated budget, to
which may be added the balance
on hand as well as monies raised
The library board for the
business year just started is now
headed by Irwin Jacovsky as
president, Joseph Crocco as vice
president, and Mrs. Rose Foucek
as secretary. Joan Maxwell was
reappointed clerk of the board.
Adpotion of the budget for
1971 72, amounting to $ 389,865,
was routine matter which was
decided by the second defeat of
the proposed budget. State law
requires in such cases reverting
internally through fines, use
charges, etc.
To increase this flow of in­ternally
generated income fines
and use charges were increased.
Fines for overdue books are now
5 cents per day, with a maximum
of $ 2.00, for adults, and 3 cents a
day, with a maximum of $ 1.00, for
juveniles. A rental charge of $ 1.00
NEW PUMPER: Farmingdale Village Mayor John T. Hallahan
presents keys to the new 1250 gallon pumper to Chief Joseph Murphy
ui ceremonies held at the Farmingdale Firehouse on Sunday.
Captain Fred Boyd Jr., in truck, Village trustee Owen W. Drugau, Lt.
Joseph Schweitzer, 2nd Deputy Chief Bill Kenney and Commissioner
August Becker look on. Photo: Jack Pokress
per day for the 16 mm sound
projector and of 25 cents a week
for the cassette tape players was
established.
Rental of the meeting room,
which was free during regular
library hours and cost $ 3.00 per
hour at other times, has now been
upped to $ 3.00 per hour during
business hours, and to $ 5.00 per
hour after library closing time.
The board decided not to hold a
regular meeting during August,
although it expressed its
willingness to call a special
meeting should circumstances
require such a get- to- gether.
Starting Monday, September 13,
new library hours will be in ef­fect,
with the hours being the
same at the main building and
the South Farmingdale branch.
These hours are 9 a. m. - 9 p. m.
from Monday through Thursday
and from 10 a. m. - 5 p. m. on
Saturday. Both libraries will be
closed Fridays and Sundays.
Some time was spent
discussing the matter of filling
the board seat that has become
vacant due to Warren Altmann's
resignation. The board expressed
its willingness to proceed rapidly
in searching for a successor, who
would be appointed by a majority
of the board members.
While details remain to be
worked out it was felt that all
those who had previously ex­pressed
interest in serving on the
board would be invited to restate
their interest and that special
efforts would be undertaken to
appraise young adults between
18- 21 years of age that they are
now eligible not only to vote, but
to be elected as well.
The board's special thanks and
commendation was expressed to
Jim Ryan, who served the board
for the past 14 years as treasurer.
maybe, to provide additional
proof that you just can not believe
everything you read in a
newspaper.
But to go back to the matter at
hand: Alternate side of the street
parking for Main Street, between
Prospect Street and Melville
Road, will take effect on August
1. The board decided to give this
method of alleviating traffic
congestions a try.
A companion measure is the
opening to the general public of
the restricted parking field just
north of the railroad tracks on
Main Street, near the Shell
service station. Starting August
1, all parking restrictions there
will be lifted at 6 p. m.
Traffic of another sort, the
stationary rather than moving
kind, also concerned the village
board. The employees of the
Farmingdale Post Office have
( Continued on Page 6)
based on the fact that in 1967,
Judge Lynde of the Supreme
Court of the State of New York
upheld the district in a similar
case. Further, a district
spokesman indicated that the
present decision denies any
rights of the Board of Education
which would protect the con­tinuous
education of the students.
The decision was labeled as
" arbitrary" in that it did not take
into account the employer's
rights to set certain conditions of
employment and it did not take
into consideration the obligation
of the Board to employ long- term
substitute teachers.
The present policy calls for
teachers to start their leave of
absence at the end of the fourth
month of pregnancy and to return
at the beginning of the next
school year if six months have
elapsed since confinement. It was
stated that such a policy would
not have teachers leaving at the
end of October and coming back
at another point in the same
school year. The consequence, of
course, is that children in a class
would have the regular teacher, a
substitute for a period of a few
months, and then the regular
teacher again.
The case was brought before
the Commission by Cyla Allison,
Carol Feldhaus, and Linda Lamel
at the High School and Betty
Bock at the Mill Lane Junior High
School. The 1967 ruling upholding
the policy involved a teacher no
longer with the district.
Several such cases are
presently in different stages of
appeal in courts throughout the
country. The Farmingdale case
may have bearing on maternity
regulations for all school districts
in New York State.
Mrs. Patricia Desch New
Woodward School Principal
Mrs. Patricia Desch, principal
of the Main Street School, has
been designated principal of the
the Woodward Parkway
Elementary School. She will
replace Miss M. Genevieve
Douglass, who is retiring after
twenty- six years of service as
principal in the Farmingdale
Public Schools.
Earlier this year the School
Board announced that the Main
Street School will operate as a
Kindergarten to grade 3 facility
starting in September. The
unofficial plans of the district at
this time seem to favor the
phasing out of the Main Street
School at the close of the 1971- 1972
school year. Mrs. Desch has
served as principal of the Main
Street School for the past fours
years. Prior to that time she had
served as assistant principal at
the Parkway Oaks School and as
a teacher for eight years.
Mrs. Desch received her
Bachelors's Degree from
Millersville State Teachers
College in Pennsylvania and her
Master. s Degree at Hofstra
University. She has an extensive
background in reading, early
childhood education, psychology
and administration. Her work in
Farmingdale has been
highlighted by her participation
in ah Extended Readiness
Project, a Pilot Program in
Language Arts, a revision of the
Language Arts Curriculm, a
development of the intermediate
grades reading program and
pilot work in the area of English
for the foreign born.
She is the mother of two
children and a Farmingdale
resident.
Mrs. Patricia Desch