Week in Review: Toxic Brownies, School Testing Top Headlines

5 Students Sickened by Brownies Thought to Contain Toxins

Suffolk police and Three Village school officials are investigating an incident Tuesday in which five 10th-grade students became sick after eating brownies given to them by another classmate. The students were treated at Stony Brook University Hospital and released Tuesday evening. "The district believes that these symptoms were the result of the consumption of brownies potentially containing harmful toxins, which were obtained by a fellow classmate. The district’s utmost concern is for the safety and well-being of these students,” school superintendent Cheryl Pedisich said in a statement. “... The district is conducting an internal investigation and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken as necessary."

School Admins: No Way to Opt Out of Standardized Testing

The buzzwords in educational communities across Long Island right now go like this: "opt out." The term refers to the question of whether parents can choose to have their children in grades 3 through 8 not take the upcoming state standardized tests, which are designed to measure proficiency in English and math based on the "common core" school curriculum. The common core curriculum, adopted by 42 states so far, is a national standard to align student learning and better prepare them for college and careers. Three Village school officials on Tuesday addressed this question for parents, saying that a choice to "opt out" simply doesn't exist within state law. "You may be reading in the newspaper lately or have even received information via Facebook or other modes," superintendent Cheryl Pedisich said. "There is no such thing as a parental 'opt out' for taking the test."

Yet Another Sign Pops Up on Christian Avenue

As water main and natural gas line upgrades continue on Christian Avenue, according to local municipal officials, yet another set of illegal signs has mysteriously appeared on Christian Avenue. Residents reported seeing this sign pop up over the weekend: "Your Tax Dollars At Work." 

Police Revive Heroin Overdose Victim 

Suffolk police on Friday revived a 23-year-old male they believed to be suffering from a heroin overdose in a car in a Smith Haven Mall parking lot.

Driver Hits Pair of Light Poles on Sycamore Circle

Suffolk County police responded Monday morning to an accident on Sycamore Circle in which a driver crashed into two light poles at approximately 7:30 a.m. According to a police report, a 43-year-old Florida man driving a 2000 Saturn said he was run off the road while driving on Sycamore Circle. He hit a light pole at Sycamore Circle and 34th Street and struck his head, which caused him to hit a second light pole, located at Sycamore Circle and Sunbury Lane.

'The Living Book Project' Unites Students Across Suffolk

Students from across Suffolk County joined Three Village students on Friday to bring a book to life. Through “The Living Book Project,” a diverse summit of more than 200 students convened at Stony Brook University’s Wang Center to discuss a work that they had all recently finished reading: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot.