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Wrestling Coach Molested Child At NY Elementary School, Police Say Wrestling Coach Molested Child At NY Elementary School, Police Say
Wrestling Coach Molested Child At NY Elementary School, Police Say A man who worked as an assistant wrestling coach at a Long Island elementary school stands accused of molesting a student on campus, police said. The incident occurred at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2025, at Lido Elementary School in Lido Beach, according to Nassau County Police. Investigators determined that John Anfossi, 54, touched a juvenile female student in a “sexually inappropriate manner” during a wrestling practice session at the school, police said. Anfossi, of Long Beach, was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child. He was arraigned at First District…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
NY Coach Admits Blackmailing Minors Into Sending Sexually Explicit Images NY Coach Admits Blackmailing Minors Into Sending Sexually Explicit Images
NY Coach Admits Blackmailing Minors Into Sending Sexually Explicit Images A former Long Island high school assistant coach admitted in federal court that he sexually exploited dozens of minors online, using threats and blackmail to coerce children into sending explicit images. Joseph Garofalo, 21, of Valley Stream, pleaded guilty in Central Islip Thursday, Feb. 5, to sexual exploitation of a child, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. At the time of the crimes, Garofalo was employed as an assistant lacrosse coach at Valley Stream Central High School. Investigators determined he used social media to contact minors and engage …

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
School Officials Confirm ICE Activity Reported In Westchester, Reassure Families School Officials Confirm ICE Activity Reported In Westchester, Reassure Families
School Officials Confirm ICE Activity Reported In Westchester, Reassure Families A Westchester County school district is reassuring families after confirming that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were in the area looking for a specific individual. In a message sent to families on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 4, Bedford Central School District officials acknowledged concerns circulating in the community about ICE's presence in Mount Kisco and emphasized that schools remain safe and supportive spaces for students. “We have heard and now confirmed reports that ICE was in Mount Kisco this morning looking for a specific individual,” Superintendent Rob Gl…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
10 Scholar-Athletes Commit To College Athletics On Signing Day At Westchester School 10 Scholar-Athletes Commit To College Athletics On Signing Day At Westchester School
10 Scholar-Athletes Commit To College Athletics On Signing Day At Westchester School Ten student-athletes at a Westchester County school officially took the next step in their academic and athletic careers during a National Signing Day celebration this week. Officials at Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle said the event recognized 10 senior scholar-athletes who have committed to continue competing at the collegiate level across Division I, II, and III programs.  Athletic Director Ryan Mahoney, along with school leaders and coaches, praised the students for balancing athletics with academics and representing Iona Prep with discipline and sportsmanship. T…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
ICE Arrests Prompt 25% Of Students To Stay Home From NY School, District Says ICE Arrests Prompt 25% Of Students To Stay Home From NY School, District Says
ICE Arrests Prompt 25% Of Students To Stay Home From NY School, District Says Reports of federal immigration enforcement activity rippled through a Long Island community, leaving one in four students absent from school and prompting district leaders to reassure families. Approximately 25 percent of students were absent from the Greenport Union Free School District on Wednesday, Feb. 4, following reports of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the village, the district confirmed. Superintendent Beth Doyle said the district shifted to a closed campus for lunch for grades 7 through 12 so students could remain on school grounds and feel safe and secur…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
ICE Detains Family With Kids At NY Apartment Complex, School District Confirms ICE Detains Family With Kids At NY Apartment Complex, School District Confirms
ICE Detains Family With Kids At NY Apartment Complex, School District Confirms School officials in Saratoga County say protocols are in place to protect students after federal immigration agents detained a family with school-aged children. The Shenendehowa Central School District confirmed Thursday, Jan. 29, that it was notified of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity at the North Pointe Apartments on Route 9 in Clifton Park, where a family with children was taken into federal custody the previous morning. Advocacy group Capital Region Sanctuary Coalition first reported the activity Wednesday morning, Jan. 28, saying federal agents were seen entering an …

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
School Built 'Wooden Dog Cage' For Nonverbal Child, NY Parents Claim Ahead Of Lawsuit School Built 'Wooden Dog Cage' For Nonverbal Child, NY Parents Claim Ahead Of Lawsuit
School Built 'Wooden Dog Cage' For Nonverbal Child, NY Parents Claim Ahead Of Lawsuit A New York elementary school built a wooden cage for a nonverbal, disabled student, his parents claim, intensifying a controversy that has already put multiple district officials on administrative leave. The parents of an 8-year-old Native American student allege the Salmon River Central School District constructed what they describe as a “wooden dog cage” specifically for their child while he attended St. Regis Mohawk School in Akwesasne, according to a notice of claim provided to Daily Voice. The filing comes amid an ongoing investigation into allegations that students — including those w…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Librarian Caught Standing On Special Needs Student At NY Elementary School Resigns Librarian Caught Standing On Special Needs Student At NY Elementary School Resigns
Librarian Caught Standing On Special Needs Student At NY Elementary School Resigns A librarian at a New York elementary school has resigned after a photo circulated online showing her standing on the back of a special needs student. The Schenectady Board of Education voted to accept the resignation of Maria Mawson, a librarian at Lincoln Elementary School, during its meeting Wednesday, Jan. 14. The resignation follows widespread outrage over an image that appeared to show an adult with a foot placed on the back of a child lying face-down on the floor of a classroom, as Daily Voice reported. The child’s mother, Ashley Rivera, told Albany television station WNYT that the …

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Outrage Grows As Teacher Seen Standing On Special Needs Student At NY Elementary School Outrage Grows As Teacher Seen Standing On Special Needs Student At NY Elementary School
Outrage Grows As Teacher Seen Standing On Special Needs Student At NY Elementary School Community anger is mounting after a photo circulated online that appears to show a staff member standing on the back of a special needs student inside a New York elementary school classroom. The image, which spread widely on social media this week, allegedly shows a woman with her foot on the back of a child lying face-down on the floor of a classroom at Lincoln Elementary School in Schenectady. The child’s mother, Ashley Rivera, told Albany station WNYT that the student is her 8-year-old son, Gian, a second grader with ADHD who struggles to express himself. Rivera’s son was restrained on…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Elementary Student Dies After Short-Term Illness In Hudson Valley, District Says Elementary Student Dies After Short-Term Illness In Hudson Valley, District Says
Elementary Student Dies After Short-Term Illness In Hudson Valley, District Says An Orange County school district is mourning the death of a student who died after a short illness.  New, updated report - PTO Organizes Help For Family Of Girl, 6, Who Died From Short Illness In Orange County (UPDATE) In a letter sent to families on Monday, Jan. 5, the Enlarged City School District of Middletown's Acting Superintendent Camille Adoma said a student who had attended the Maple Hill Annex at Truman Moon Elementary School died over the weekend after a short-term illness.  The district said the loss has left the school community in grief and shock. To suppo…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Longtime Athletic Director Steps Down After Over 3 Decades At Westchester School District Longtime Athletic Director Steps Down After Over 3 Decades At Westchester School District
Longtime Athletic Director Steps Down After Over 3 Decades At Westchester School District After more than three decades shaping athletics and student life at a school district in Northern Westchester, a longtime athletic director is saying goodbye. Hendrick Hudson School District Athletic Director Tom Baker, who spent 34 years with the district, shared a farewell letter with the community on Tuesday, Dec. 23, reflecting on a career that began in September 1992 and grew into a defining chapter of his life. “Beginning in September 1992, I embarked on the most wonderful career in the Hendrick Hudson School District,” Baker wrote, noting that after 10 years teaching m…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
'This Is Sick!' NY School's 'Timeout Box' Draws Outrage, Triggers State Investigation 'This Is Sick!' NY School's 'Timeout Box' Draws Outrage, Triggers State Investigation
'This Is Sick!' NY School's 'Timeout Box' Draws Outrage, Triggers State Investigation A New York school superintendent has been placed on home assignment amid explosive allegations that special needs students were subjected to a so-called classroom “timeout box” at an elementary school. The Salmon River Central School District launched an investigation after a former school board member alleged that students at St. Regis Mohawk School in Akwesasne were subjected to improper restraint and seclusion practices, the district’s Board of Education confirmed Thursday, Dec. 18. The school is located within the Saint Regis Mohawk Reservation. In a Facebook post that has since gone vi…

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by Michael Mashburn