A $20 million federal lawsuit claiming that the Riverhead School District discriminated against an African-American elementary school teacher by firing him after he was arrested for driving while intoxicated in 2012 has been dismissed.
Joe Johnson II, who had been a tenured fourth-grade teacher at Phillips Avenue Elementary School, was arrested by Southampton Village police in April 2012 and initially charged with criminal possession of a weapon and DWI. READ
For the first time, Riverhead High School plans to host an evening graduation ceremony in 2019.
High school principal Dr. Charles Regan announced the change in a letter welcoming parents and students back for the school year. A school district calendar shows the high school commencement scheduled for Wednesday, June 26, at 5:30 p.m. on the high school football field, weather permitting. READ
Students sat on the floor or huddled around a desk, racing to build the tallest spaghetti tower that would hold a marshmallow on top of it.
The point of the 20-minute activity was to teach the students, high schoolers in the Riverhead district, team-building skills and to have a shared experience, along with the opportunity to learn prototyping. READ
After mold and mildew were found at Aquebogue Elementary School earlier this week, similar conditions were reported at Riverhead Middle School Thursday. READ
UPDATE (9:45 p.m.): At Wednesday night’s Board of Education meeting, Riverhead Superintendent Aurelia Henriquez addressed concerns over the presence of mold discovered at Aquebogue Elementary School over the weekend. (more…)
The Riverhead Board of Education approved the hiring of a new security firm last Tuesday — the fourth time in the last five years that the district will start a year with a new head of security.
The board approved a one-year contract with Summit Security Services of Uniondale for an annual fee of $114,400. READ
Last month, the Riverhead Board of Education honored 22 people set to retire from the district at the culmination of the school year.
Two of them — Elizabeth “Tippy” Macksel and Jacqueline Case — have a combined 53 years in the district and together have worked in every school except the high school. READ
The Riverhead Board of Education named a new president and vice president at Monday night’s meeting.
The board elected Susan Koukounas as president by a vote of 5-2. Board members Laurie Downs and Therese Zuhoski abstained. READ
