Schools
Residents Up in Arms About Partying Teens
Residents living near Farmingdale High School spoke about issues with students to the BOE.
After months of complaints, residents of Farmingdale stood before the Board of Education once again on Sep. 12 speaking on issues with students.
Multiple citizens came before the board to address an event on Sep. 7 in which they claim that an estimated 100 adolescents gathered near the school and their homes.
"[They were] drinking, loitering, cursing, screaming on Saturday evening. These are all students. These are all your students," said resident, Nick Diaz.
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One 10th Avenue resident said he has witnessed teens using illegal drugs and alcohol and even even threatening those who try to alleviate the congregations near the Massapequa Perserve.
"They threatened my neighbor. The vulgarity that the teens used to this man is incredible and to be spiteful when they left, they throw beer bottles in front of his house that he had to pick up. What is the school addressing as to the students attitude about life? Is somebody informing them that this is irresponsible behavior?" he said.
Find out what's happening in Farmingdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Another neighbor commented that the latest gathering make her feel unsafe to leave her own home.
"This obviously is a high school problem if is coincides with the beginning of an academic year. It doesn't take a rocket scientist. We've been here before, we are not asking for much. We just want to be safe. My taxes are going up and my insecurities and fears are not being relieved," she said.
In the past, the board has installed gates, perimeter fencing, speed bumps, employed a weekend security officer and added additional security cameras in an effort to alleviate the problem.
The board announced plans to add additional security lighting to the school parking lot by the end of October and said they will remain in contact with Nassau Police about the issue.
"The amount that we have the ability to control is limited," said Assistant Superintendent for Business Paul Defendini.
"I'm not sugarcoating anything. A lot of the things we could have done, a lot of the provisions that we could have put in place, we have put in place."
Despite their attempts to resolve the situation, the board said that the school district can only do so much.
"You can do as much as you can in the school but it starts at home," said Board of Education Trustee Kathy Lively.
