Congratulations to Carly Santangelo, a middle and high school agriculture teacher at Cuba-Rushford Central School, the 2022 New York State Teacher of the Year.

This week, Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr., the Board of Regents, and State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa presented Mrs. Santangelo with the Thomas Sobol Award and the Tony Lofrumento Award, both created as annual gifts for recipients of the Teacher of the Year award.

An active 4-H and Future Farmers of America member, Mrs. Santangelo studied agriculture in high school. Always passionate about sharing her knowledge with others, she went on to complete her Master of Arts in Teaching with dual certification in agriculture and biology at Cornell University.

Mrs. Santangelo engages students, colleagues, and the community by connecting academic content to life-long skills through school-wide, hands-on projects. She actively pursues opportunities to expand the walls of her classroom through grants, field trips, community connections, and guest speakers. She believes in service learning and works alongside her students to give back to the community in and outside of school.

Prior to teaching at Cuba-Rushford, Mrs. Santangelo taught at the Belmont Career and Technical Center, first in Animal Science and then as the integrated academic science teacher. She continues to teach informally as a volunteer with Allegany County 4-H.

In the coming year, Mrs. Santangelo will serve as an ambassador for teachers throughout the state and will be the New York State nominee for the National Teacher of the Year.

Finalists for the 2022 New York State Teacher of the Year were also honored this week. They are as follows:

The Board of Regents awarded the 2021 Marge A. Tierney Memorial Scholarship to Jamimaleson Alexander, a graduate student in the Rehabilitation Counseling program at The State University of New York at Buffalo.

Mr. Alexander, who has earned a 3.9 GPA, has worked as a special education teacher, client care specialist for a homeless shelter, and care manager for a center working with individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities. Mr. Alexander is committed to sharing his knowledge about disability services and empowering others to take charge of their lives and function as full partners in the rehabilitation process.

In August, NYSED issued a Health and Safety Guide to aid schools and districts as they prepared for the 2021-2022 school year. The guide was a result of close collaboration with a wide variety of stakeholders at the local, state, and national levels to enable New York's schools to continue to safely educate their students this fall.

As the start of the school year gets underway, NYSED is mindful of the many uncertainties faced statewide. The Health and Safety Guide describes important considerations and strategies for schools and districts to manage the risks for students and staff from COVID-19 while supporting robust and engaging teaching and learning experiences. We will continue to assess the circumstances and provide updated information as the situation requires. The Health and Safety Guide is available on NYSED's Back to School web page.

To help ease the burden on schools and districts, federal funding is available to support a safe return to school. The U.S. Department of Education recently announced its approval of New York’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) State Plan and released the remaining $3 billion of New York’s $8.9 billion total ARP ESSER funds. The funds will be used to help meet the vast array of additional needs brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the safe opening and operation of schools this September. With input from stakeholders, NYSED has developed a plan to best disperse these funds to benefit all students.

New York’s ARP ESSER State Plan is available on NYSED's website.

Twenty years ago Americans watched in horror as the terrorist attacks of 9/11 irrevocably transformed the world we knew. We commemorate the approximately 3,000 people who were killed, the families who lost cherished loved ones, and the survivors who are still dealing with the aftereffects of that horrible day today and every day.

New Yorkers will forever bear on our hearts the scars left behind within the footprint of the World Trade Center. The memories are profoundly personal for those of us who call New York City home.

With the passage of time, it is becoming increasingly crucial to keep this history alive in a meaningful way and to reach out to a new generation of students who were born long after these events that continue to affect our world, nation, state, and community.

There is a lesson for all of us in the words of Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl: “If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.” As educators, we have a duty to instill this important sentiment to all New York’s children.

It is with confidence and optimism for the future of New York that we welcome Governor Kathy Hochul as she takes over the executive office. Governor Hochul has made it abundantly clear that New York’s children are a priority, taking time during her transition to personally visit schools and discuss the critical needs of our students, families and educators in this uncertain time.

Working collaboratively with the Governor, the Board and the Department will ensure students go back to school safely in the coming weeks and schools are prepared to respond to any health and safety concerns that may arise during the school year.

We are committed to creating and sustaining safe, nurturing, and engaging learning environments for all students and are confident that Governor Hochul will be a strong partner in our efforts.

NYSED announced that 47 community and faith-based organizations across New York State will receive over $1 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES Act) funds to provide services and supports for students and families adversely affected by the pandemic. New York’s students have suffered from social isolation, experienced loss of connection, witnessed ongoing civil unrest, faced economic hardship, and for many, lost loved ones. By working with our community and faith-based partners in the neighborhoods hardest hit by the pandemic, we are making strides in supporting and helping children in these communities. A full listing of the awardees can be found on NYSED’s website.

NYSED’s Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR) Offices reopened to the public in August, by appointment, with COVID-19 protocols in place.

ACCES-VR assists individuals with disabilities to achieve and maintain employment and to support independent living through training, education, rehabilitation, and career development. Please visit NYSED’s ACCES-VR website for additional information about the program.

NYSED announced that more than $6.2 million in federal funds are available to help libraries and other cultural institutions across the state address the digital divide, increase access to the state’s cultural history, and expand student access to digital learning materials. These funds will support collaborative efforts to find real and sustainable solutions to address the digital divide in New York State.

The State Library, State Museum, and State Archives will also use $700,000 to improve and expand access to the Office of Cultural Education’s services for all New Yorkers through a range of collaborative initiatives. These initiatives include: supporting the implementation of collaborative digital inclusion solutions statewide; conducting a broadband infrastructure needs assessment for New York’s small and rural public libraries; creating a diversity, equity, and inclusion framework and toolkit for libraries, museums, and cultural institutions; making core collections from the State Library, State Archives, and State Museum available online for increased public access; developing collaborative online Museum exhibits; and expanding New York’s online summer reading program tools.

As children, parents, caregivers, faculty, and staff embark on a new school year, help is available for ALL New York residents through NY Project Hope.

Call the statewide NY Project Hope Emotional Support Helpline at 1-844-863-9314 any day from 8 am-10 pm to talk with trained crisis counselors who provide a listening ear, information, and referrals to a vast array of community resources.

NY Project Hope Provider Agencies are also available in several NYS counties, offering free and confidential crisis counseling and linkages to local resources in those communities.

Visit the NY Project Hope website for more information and to find additional coping tips and relaxation strategies.