FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com january 2, 2014 • The Courier SUN 3 Boys & Girls Club dedicates center to Marshall BY KATELYN DI SALVO editorial@queenscourier.com Helen Marshall’s 12 years as borough president were topped off on Friday, December 27, when the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Queens dedicated a new learning center in her honor. A ceremony was held to show off the Helen M. Marshall Learning Center, and attendees took a hard hat tour of the progress in the newly constructed clubhouse. Boys & Girls Club Chairman-Emeritus Joseph Ferrara presented Marshall with a plaque that will hang in the new learning center. This is in recognition for all of Marshall’s support in the expansion of the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens, including donating $4.75 million to the capital campaign. At the ceremony, Marshall reminisced over her times in the Bronx House as a child, and believes that investing in the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens is necessary for the children of the community. “My experience in the Bronx House taught me to get along with others, and taught me wonderful things about life and happiness,” she said. Carol Simon, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens, is excited about the new expansion, saying that they will be able to reach out to many more kids in the community. The new learning center will include educational programs like homework help, tutoring, and the new iReady literacy and math programs. “Basically, we’re enhancing the educational experience for young people,” Simon said. “We can’t just be a local gym and swim organization anymore, we need to work with the local schools and make sure our kids are doing better.” THE COURIER/Photo by Katelyn Di Salvo The Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens dedicated a learning center to outgoing Borough President Helen Marshall. OUTCRY OVER SHARING STUDENT INFO BY MAGGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com Parents and pols are concerned about a plan to share students’ information. The State Education Department (SED) recently began sharing student data with a third-party vendor, InBloom Inc. They collect and store student information released by SED and school districts, including demographics, parental contacts, out-of-school suspension records, course outcomes and state assessment scores. The program is meant to allow educators, administrators, parents and students access to educational materials, resources and student information. The PTA of P.S./M.S. 146 in Howard Beach said it “strongly opposes” the sharing plan and think it should be put to an end, fearing that InBloom could give information gathered to unauthorized companies. “We strongly oppose any plans that InBloom may have to share our children’s personal information with any companies they may deal with,” said Sally Ann Sinisgalli, PTA president. “We believe compiling personal, medical, behavioral, educational or economic data on any student is morally and ethically wrong.” Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder and over 50 state assemblymembers sent a letter to John King, SED Commissioner, expressing their concerns. “I have a lot of serious concerns about sensitive student information being released to a third party and possibly being further distributed to other unauthorized companies,” said Goldfeder. “There are many flaws in SED’s plan to share student data and I strongly believe that student information should not be shared with InBloom at this time. The State Assembly Committee on Education held a hearing last month to address the issues related to the distribution of what Goldfeder said is personally identifiable student information. Earlier this year, Goldfeder announced the passage of legislation that allows parents and students to opt out of the distribution to InBloom and other third-party companies. “It’s unthinkable that a child’s personal information could become compromised before they even reach middle school,” Goldfeder said. “In this day and age with the rampant growth of technology and information flow, it’s important that our families are given the right to keep their children’s information from being released and potentially compromised.” SUPERSTORM SANDY: PUSH FOR PERMITS TO REBUILD BY MAGGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com The push for quicker Sandy recovery continues, and now the pressure is on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC). Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder requested Joe Martens, DEC Commissioner, and the agency expedite all “permits related to recovery projects in the Sandy-damaged communities of southern Queens” to “wherever possible.” “Our families are working around the clock to recover and rebuild from Sandy and every agency on every level of government must do the same,” Goldfeder said. Families throughout Howard Beach, as well as Broad Channel and the rest of the Rockaways, continue to wait on approval for permits from various agencies, including the DEC, Goldfeder said. Additionally, pols and residents want to see repairs to the Rockaway boardwalk as well as the area’s baffle walls. “We need NYS DEC to expedite all permitting for our boardwalk,” said John Cori, Rockaway resident and co-founder of the Friends of Rockaway, “especially the retaining wall that will serve as a protective barrier and help in mitigation efforts to prepare our community for future storms.” The boardwalk and walls, although designed and constructed by the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation and the Economic Development Corporation, needs DEC approval before rebuilding efforts can move forward. “If there is a lesson to be taken from Superstorm Sandy, it is that we cannot afford to wait,” Goldfeder said in a letter to Martens. “Our families have been through enough suffering and there is no excuse for even a moment’s delay,” he said. Rockaway residents and Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder are requesting the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation expedite permit applications that will allow city agencies to rebuild the Rockaway boardwalk. FILE PHOTO
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