New York State Department of Education
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,34 NOVEMBER 13-19, 2020 BTR
Photo via Getty Images
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Police are searching for a gunman
who discharged rounds just steps from an
elementary school in the south Bronx.
The man, who did not appeared be fi ring
randomly and without a target, did
so in front of a Franklin Avenue school at
about 3:25 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, the
NYPD recently reported.
That location where the perp began
shooting is a single property away from
the elementary school P.S. 63.
Although no injuries resulted from
the incident, the shooter is wanted by police
on reckless endangerment charges.
Police released surveillance video and
photos of the suspect.
Anyone with information in regard to
the identity of the individual is asked to
call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline
at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish,
1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can
also submit their tips by logging onto the
CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.
COM or on Twitter @
NYPDTips.
All calls and messages are strictly
confi dential.
Photos and video courtesy of the NYPD
BY ALEJANDRA
O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
The January Regents exam
has been canceled after New
York State Department of Education
offi cials determined
the exam could not be “safely,
equitably or fairly” administered
amid the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic, Interim
Commissioner of Education
Betty A. Rosa announced
on Thursday.
“Whether they are engaged
in in-school, hybrid or remote
learning, we are committed to
ensuring each of New York’s
students has access to the rigorous
coursework necessary
to prepare them for success
this year and beyond. The
cancellation of the January
Regents Examinations will
not impact that priority,” said
Board of Regents Vice Chancellor
T. Andrew Brown.
New York City high schoolers
scheduled to take any Regent
exams in January of
2021 will be exempt from any
requirements of passing regents
exams in order to receive
their diplomas, just like
in June and August when exams
were also canceled due
to the pandemic. The Board
of Regents has yet to make a
decision on whether to cancel
exams in June or August of
next year.
“Throughout the pandemic
our priority has been
the health and wellbeing of
our students and educators,”
said Interim Commissioner
Rosa in a statement. “ We will
continue to monitor applicable
data and make a decision
on other state assessment programs
as the school year progresses,
being mindful of the
evolving situation.”
The Board of Regents provided
a list of requirements
students need to meet in order
to be exempt from regent
exam related graduation requirements.
High schoolers
may be exempt from taking
any Regents exams if they are
enrolled in a course of study
that would normally end in
taking a January 2021 Regents
exam and would earn
credit for that course by the
end of this fall semester. Students
who complete a makeup
program for the purposes
of earning course credit during
this fall semester are
also exempt from sitting for
a January 2021 Regent exam
as well as those preparing to
take a required Regents exam
to graduate by end of this
fall term.
“In the interest of safety,
equity and fairness, canceling
the January Regents exams
is the right choice,” said
New York State United Teachers
President Andy Pallotta.
“We applaud Interim Commissioner
Rosa, the Board of
Regents and the State Education
Department for putting
students fi rst with changes to
state exam requirements that
still allow them to achieve a
diploma without being penalized
during the pandemic.”
Regents exams that students
have been given an exemption
for due to COVID-19
will not be included in any
calculations used for determining
Honors or Mastery
level distinctions on diplomas.
If a student scores an
average of 90 or above on all
Regent exams applicable to
their diploma type they will
be able to receive honors on
that diploma.
January Regents
exams canceled
Man opens fi re near south
Bronx elementary school
cite COVID-19 as the reason