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Commack School District

Excellence in Education

Educational Advocacy

Educational Advocacy

Our committee meets several times each year with local and state officials. We hope to be able to visit our legislators in Albany again once pandemic restrictions are lifted.

January 2022 Update:
Mental health advocacy is critically important, especially during this pandemic. Commack's Legislative Advocacy Committee, comprised of the Superintendent, Board of Education members, Commack residents, high school students, and staff, is marshalling its efforts to focus on mental health support and school funding platforms. The Legislative Advocacy 
Committee (LAC) is also assessing the impact of existing and proposed state and federal education.

The LAC was established to assist the Board of Education in implementing solutions regarding legislative matters. The committee is charged with effectively communicating Commack’s needs to our local, state, and federal elected representatives. In the future, the LAC hopes to travel to Albany for in-person meetings with our legislative representatives, as done in pre-pandemic years. LAC members met with Senator Mario Mattera in November, and with Assemblyman Keith Brown in January, to discuss the critical needs for mental health support programs and the importance of funding additional K-12 programs and safety nets. It is our sincere hope that these discussions will lead to positive developments in the future that will bolster our mental health initiatives and programs districtwide.

Lobby Day in Albany 2020

About the Committee:

About the Committee:

The Legislative Advocacy Committee is comprised of the Superintendent of Schools, Board of Education members, Commack residents, High School students, Commack staff, and members from the collective bargaining units. Interested community members were invited to apply to join the District’s newly created Legislative Advocacy Committee.  

The Legislative Advocacy Committee was established to assist the Board of Education in implementing solutions regarding legislative matters. The Committee centers its efforts on assessing the impact of existing and proposed State and Federal education legislation, promoting legislation that supports the District’s mission, and communicating vital information to our residents.  Further, the Committee is charged with effectively communicating Commack’s needs to our local, State, and Federally elected representatives.
 
On March 5, 2019, the Legislative Advocacy Committee traveled to Albany to communicate Commack’s needs to our local and State-elected representatives. The high school student advocates traveled on a bus with other Commack students who performed in the Grand Concourse as part of the Commack’s musical performances for the day. The Committee, led by the high school student advocates, discussed the following platforms items, Foundation Aid, School Safety/Security, Charter Schools, Eliminating Unnecessary Testing, and Common Core. High School students framed talking points based upon our platform and delivered our message directly to the following officials Senator James Gaughran, Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick, Deputy Secretary of Education Dan Fuller, Senator John Flanagan, and Assemblyman Andrew Raia. The Legislative Committee also had the opportunity to appear as guests in the Assembly Chambers. At that time, the Speaker of the House Carl E. Heastie, honored Commack. It was a memorable day that made each of us Commack Proud!  Please click here for the photos from our day in Albany!

Albany Advocacy 2022

Albany 2022

Advocacy Efforts

The Advocacy Platform Commack Legislative Advocacy Committee
Our advocacy platform is included in this document.
For Students with Disabilities to Earn a Local Diploma
Advocacy Platform