Syosset schools’ schedule shift could impact traffic

BY RIKKI MASSAND

A report presented by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Rogers at the Syosset Board of Education’s July 6 meeting outlined a change to the daily schedule for Syosset High School students and faculty, and how that change will impact traffic.

At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Syosset CSD shortened the formal high school schedule by nine minutes a day – taking away one minute from each period.

Rogers said the goal at the time was to alleviate traffic conditions during school dismissal times.

“Now that the pandemic is officially over the State’s rules are back in effect for the amount of time students need to be in class for, so we have to restore the original daily schedule to the high school. We are hoping it will work as well as it did prior to the pandemic, but the district is also aware that traffic patterns and people’s commuting patterns have changed. We have no guarantees and no way of knowing if it will work the way it did prior to the pandemic though, at least until after the school year starts,” he explained.

Parents and guardians will soon receive communications about the change back to the instructional day. Some discussions have started with bus company Huntington Coach for the district to consider changes from an infrastructure perspective at South Woods

MS and the high school’s shared campus, “to alleviate any traffic congestion that might occur in returning to the regular daily schedule,” Dr. Rogers said.

His report for July ended on the note of potential impacts from a proposed housing development on Jericho Turnpike, at the site of Ralph’s Ices and the trailer park just west of Underhill Boulevard (close to Comfort Inn).

“We learned last month that the Town of Oyster Bay was considering an application for a trucking and logistics facility that would have semi-trailers, tractor trailers and the truck bobtails (with no trailer behind) as well as some passenger vehicles for operators of the large trucks. The site would be used as a staging site of trucking and logistics operations, and it would add significantly to the traffic on Jericho Turnpike during hours when we’re trying to run the school bus operations through there – we anticipate this project could create additional delays,” he told the board.

The district is planning to communicate its concerns about the project, with the school district attorney preparing a letter to the Town of Oyster Bay. Dr. Rogers has shared a copy of the draft letter with the Syosset Board of Education, and he was prepared to work with any further input from the board on it.

The Town’s designated period of open public comments and input on the proposed project expired at the end of the day on Friday, July 7.