Port Jefferson School Board Paves the Way for Closed Campus Policy

UPDATE 5:00 p.m. – According to a school spokesperson, the Port Jefferson school board voted 7-0 in favor of accepting the first reading of the policy. After it was first read, the board then voted 5-2 to clarify that the start of the new closed campus policy would be July 1. A second reading of the policy will be held April 9, at which point board approval would formally yield a closed campus beginning July 1.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Paving the way The Port Jefferson Board of Education on Tuesday voted to approve a first reading of a policy that would close the high school campus for seniors, according to a report published Wednesday in The Port Times Record.

"This [measure] is something we discussed as an administrative team in our entirety and there was unilateral support from the district for moving in this direction," Superintendent Ken Bossert said. "I would rather do it proactively than in response to a student tragedy."

While students continued to protest the policy, some came forward with the idea to institute a sign-out process for students who leave campus for lunch. Student government vice president Gabe Davis said, "We see improvements that can be made to the system and we believe that they should at least be tried."

Trustee Ellen Boehm voted against the acceptance of the policy draft, saying that the open campus rule is good for students because it allows students to become more "career and college-ready."

Click here to read the full story from The Port Times Record.