The-Leader_2008-03-13

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FHS shares a book with Israel!
LANA BERNHARDT, U. S. coordinator for the International Book Sharing Project, guides Freeport High School senior Donna Umana through the project's Web site where students can post to monitored message boards and discuss assignments with their partner school in Israel.
Students from Freeport High School and Amal Zarzir High School in Beit Zarzir, Israel, are discussing the book "Night," by Elie Wiesel, virtually, as part of the International Book Sharing project.
The International Book Sharing Project was developed as an exercise in internation­al cooperative learning about the Holocaust and its meaning for youth today.
It comes to Freeport under the direction of high school psychology teacher Wendy Lindner and was created by the Ghetto Fighters' Museum and its Yad Layeled Children's Memorial Museum in coopera­tion with the American Friends of the Ghetto Fighters' Museum.
The project pairs together schools from around the world where students read the .^ame book in their respective classrooms . and' then discliss subjects' related "to • the -Holocaust-.'via forums hosted' on the Korczak International School "Web site, .which, serves as the onUne home for the International Book'Sharing Project. ..
"This is a wonderful opportunity for the students in Freeport to connects with stu­dents . in another country," said Laura Holder-Gibbs, Freeport's social studies coordinator. "This program incorporates social studies content and literacy, and gets our students thinking about global citizen­ship."
'.'Confronting Evil, in Our Time" is the International Book Sharing Project's theme for high school students. Participants learn about the human experience during the Holocaust through the study of personal memoirs and other literary works.
By promoting the discussion of moral dilemmas raised in the works read, the proj­ect enables students to contend with ques­tions of values and encourages the exchange of ideas.
The project brings together teenagers from different countries to deal with the Holocaust, examine their own attitude towards it, and try to find ways to applythe lessons learned to their lives today. Students also learn mutual trust and respect for others as they work in an atmosphere of creativity and cooperation.
•~ During the program's kick off and train-., ing session, Lana Bernhardt, U. S. coordina­tor for the book sharing, worked with Freeport High School students, explained the. program to them and gave them an overview of the Web site and its compo­nents.
Ms. Bernhardt explained to students, "We hope this program will allow you to have a better understanding of the experience of Jewish youth in'the Holocaust and inspire you to make a difference in your school and community."
Comptroller: Baldwin incorrectly classified lawyer
Five Long Island school districts incor­rectly classified their attorney as an employee rather than an independent con­tractor and erroneously reported the attor­ney to the New York State and Local Retirement System, according to an audit released by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. •
"There are guidelines for school districts and municipalities to follow in determin; ing whether or not someone performing-professional services should be eligible for state pension credits," Mr. DiNapoli said. "Mr. Reich's work for the school districts we audited did not meet those guidelines. He was not an employee.
"Our audit determined that the school
districts involved should send corrected retirement reports to the retirement system so my office can make necessary adjust­ments to Mr. Reich's pension benefit."
The five school districts, Baldwin, Bellmore-Merrick, Copiague, East Meadow and Harbor fields, had no formal procedures to distinguish between employ­ees and independent contractors.
As a result, the districts incorrectly clas­sified Lawrence Reich as an employee! They put him on their payroll and reported him to the retirement system".
The audit identified numerous factors that determined Mr. Reich should not be classified as an employee, including:
• district officials at all five schools did
not supervise, control or direct how Reich performed his work;
• none of the districts provided Mr. Reich with a workplace or facility; and
• none of the districts set established hours for Mr. Reich or had documentation indicating the days or hours worked.
The aiidit recommends the districts submit corrected retirement reports to the New York State and Local Retirement System. All of-the districts agreed with the audit's finding that Mr.' Reich was not an employee of the dis­tricts and should not have been reported to the retirement system.
The retirement system will send letters to the districts asking them to correct Mr.
Reich's credits in the retirement system so necessary adjustments can be made to his pension benefit.
Mr. DiNapoli's office, is also reviewing the employment status of individuals with professional titles at school districts and municipalities across the state.
The Baldwin School District released the following statement in response to the report: "The Baldwin School District received the report from the New York State Comptroller's Office late Friday afternoon and is reviewing the recommen­dation. We will continue to cooperate with the comptroller's office and the other state and federal agencies as they conduct the investigation."
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