With multiple news outlets reporting that the Trump administration is drafting an executive measure to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, local educational advocates and experts had a message for Long Islanders.

"Don’t panic, but we’re going to pay attention," said Bob Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association. "Know that organizations like mine and school board members from across Long Island and New York State and the nation will be advocating to make sure that whatever changes come about will not negatively impact the children and their public education." Darwin Yanes and Laura Figueroa Hernandez report in NEWSDAY that the executive order would reportedly halt all functions of the department that aren’t enshrined in law or transfer powers to other agencies.

Vecchio noted that two federal laws would remain in place, even if the department was dismantled: The Every Student Succeeds Act, which governs public education and sets academic standards for K-12 students, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which guarantees "free and appropriate" public education for children with disabilities. Vecchio also pointed out that federal funding is usually a small portion of a school district’s funding, but he said people should be paying attention to any decrease.

Lars Clemensen, Hampton Bays Schools superintendent and president of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, said the state's constitution protects the right to a free and appropriate education.

"We’re not at a point of panic," he said. "Schools districts will continue to deliver and be creative and respond to challenges sent our way."

***

More than half of New York State’s first responders, including those in law enforcement, fire services and emergency medical services, experience high levels of stress, burnout and anxiety, according to a state-funded report being released today.

Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that the approximately $14,000 state-funded survey and subsequent report aim to identify the unique mental health challenges faced by first responders.

Chronic stress from exposure to traumatic events and everyday strain can significantly impact the mental health and wellness of first responders, according to the report, conducted by the State University of New York at New Paltz’s Institute for Disaster Mental Health and the Benjamin Center.

The report found that 68% of those surveyed experienced stress, 59% felt burned out, and 52% faced anxiety.

The report was commissioned by the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and conducted in 2024. More than 6,000 first responders from across the state took part in the voluntary survey, including those in law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, emergency communications and emergency management. Five follow-up focus groups were also held with emergency responders with varying lengths of service, including both those who volunteer and those for whom this is a career.

Governor Kathy Hochul, in her January executive budget proposal, announced the creation of a first responder counseling scholarship program through SUNY to encourage first responders to pursue counseling degrees and micro-credentials in areas such as trauma-informed care and peer support leadership. The scholarship aims to create a pipeline of mental health professionals who are equipped to support the emergency responder community.

***

Riverhead Town’s first committee focusing on the needs of the town’s Hispanic and Latino communities was formed by the Town Board yesterday. Alek Lewis reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the Hispanic Development, Empowerment and Education Committee is expected to “develop and recommend strategies to abate and address the issues related to and necessary to improve quality of life of Hispanic members of the community and build a bridge between the Town government and the Hispanic community to better serve everyone and represent everyone.” The resolution was passed by the Riverhead Town Board establishing the committee. Council Member Ken Rothwell will serve as liaison to the committee. "The Hispanic Development, Empowerment and Education Committee is dedicated to advancing the economic development, empowerment and education of the Hispanic community in Riverhead,” according to Counci member Rothwell.

***

Nassau County is authorizing 10 of its police detectives to work with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest and deport immigrants accused of a crime, officials announced yesterday. Nassau police will detain arrested immigrants accused of a crime in jail for 72 hours, then U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will either jail them in a federal detainment facility or deport them, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said at a news conference on Tuesday. The New York Civil Liberties Union assailed Blakeman's directive, releasing a statement saying it will only create a tougher relationship between immigrant communities and police officers. Bahar Ostadan reports in NEWSDAY that the Nassau County Police Department’s cooperation with ICE is not new, according to Commissioner Patrick Ryder. But under the new program, police "will be notifying ICE" to come pick up people in the country illegally who have been arrested even for low-level crimes who would normally be released with a ticket, Ryder said yesterday. Ryder also warned those hanging with illegal immigrants subject to arrest will also be detained. "If there are people in those targeted enforcements that are illegally in that house with that MS- 13 gangbanger and their name was checked, yes we will be detaining them along with ICE," Ryder said. If an ICE officer is not immediately available to detain the person, the newly appointed detectives will jail them until ICE arrives, according to Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.

***

Stony Brook Medicine has directed faculty and staff to only allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents facility access after the health system’s legal counsel has validated their warrant or subpoena. Nicholas Spangler reports in NEWSDAY that the move comes in response to President Donald Trump's efforts since his return to the White House to deport millions of immigrants in the United States illegally.

"Local hospital staff should not provide access to hospital patient care areas or medical record areas," an email sent Friday from Stony Brook Medicine to faculty and staff reads. "Please ask the authorities to have a seat in a designated waiting area, and a representative will come by to speak with them shortly ... The ICE agents will not be permitted access to the hospital or its records, or to engage in any enforcement activities (arrests, searches, interrogations) in the hospital without presenting a valid judicial warrant (order signed by a federal judge or magistrate)."

Matthew Lopas, director of state advocacy & technical assistance at the Los Angeles-based National Immigration Law Center, said Stony Brook’s guidance appeared sound and grounded in constitutional protections against unreasonable searches.

Those protections "aren’t just there for immigrants, they are there for all their patients who may not want law enforcement searching confidential patient records and entering patient examination rooms," he said.

***

Carole Brennan, East Hampton Town’s clerk since 2014 and its deputy clerk for 20 years before that, will not seek reelection, completing a 36-year career with the Town of East Hampton. Christopher Walsh reports on 27east.com that the clerk’s office handles most of the permits issued by the town, for things from home improvement licenses, taxis, films and shellfish to boat launching and beach parking. “Carole Brennan has been a joy to work with,” East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said this week. “Folks don’t always realize the breadth of responsibilities entrusted to the town clerk…Carole is the keeper of town records and ensures that the agendas for Town Board meetings are timely and complete, which is no small feat. Her professionalism, vast institutional knowledge and tremendous sense of humor will be greatly missed when she retires.” Along with the supervisor, members of the Town Board were also effusive in their praise for the long-serving town clerk. As her retirement looms, Brennan voiced one lament. “People just aren’t as nice as they used to be,” she said of visitors to the clerk’s office. “I don’t understand it. And I have always maintained that if somebody came in and got loud, I got up. I didn’t expect my counter help to go through that. “Everybody feels they’re entitled now,” she said. “It’s difficult.” Councilwoman Cate Rogers tells 27east.com, “I am deeply appreciative of Carole Brennan’s long service to our community and to our municipal government. Carole has been a trusted gatekeeper for access to many of the services the town provides as well as the town records and has led the town clerk’s office through many challenging times over the years, including weather emergencies and COVID. Carole has set the standard for integrity and respect for her office."

***

A bilingual statement released yesterday by East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez’s office stated that its police will not detain anyone per the request of ICE without a federal warrant signed by a judge, as required by state law. "There is no means for local law enforcement to determine anyone’s citizenship status, nor is the [police] allowed to inquire as to their status," the statement read. Later on Tuesday, East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen held a press conference about local police and immigrants at the village’s Emergency Services Building, where the message was the same, that the village would not be enforcing immigration issues. Christopher Walsh reports on 27east.com that emotions were laid bare in the crowded meeting room at East Hampton Town Hall as some 17 residents, among them an attorney and advocates for immigrants, implored the board to reject the Trump Administration’s moves to round up, detain and deport undocumented immigrants and to refuse cooperation with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency or ICE. Many more would have spoken up, some speakers insisted, were it not for the fear pervasive in the Latino community. “As policies at the federal level continue to evolve,” Burke-Gonzalez read from a prepared statement, the town and the police department “remain committed to protecting public safety and addressing violent crime by focusing resources on those who pose clear threats to our community, such as repeat DWI offenders, violent criminals and sex offenders.” The police department “has a duty to cooperate with federal and state enforcement agents to ensure the safety and security of our community while remaining steadfast in treating all residents with fairness and dignity, recognizing that immigrants are vital to the strength, character and success of our community,” stated East Hampton Town Supervisor Burke-Gonzalez. Speakers including East Hampton Village Police Chief Jeffrey Erickson, Sag Harbor Village Mayor Tom Gardella and East Hampton Superintendent of Schools Adam Fine, reiterated the message. “Public safety is our main concern,” Mayor Gardella said. “We want everybody in the public to feel safe, regardless of what your immigration status is.”