Newfield’s upcoming school year brings changes

The 2025-26 school year for the Newfield Central School District (CSD) will include some challenges and expanding transparency.

One of those challenges is having students, faculty and staff navigate through work attached to the ongoing $21 million capital project.

The district’s main building, which holds the middle and high schools, will include a redesign of offices at the main entrance, with security measures going in, as well.

The goal, said Newfield Superintendent Jesse Harper, is to have construction sectioned off from the rest of the building’s operations.

“We’ll make sure the students have clear access to the building always, but we’ll also make sure to contain that construction in the area it has to be in,” Harper added. “Overall, it shouldn’t be too bad regarding the building. We’ve really designed it so that construction goes through half the doors and goes into the area they need to be in. The other half is for the faculty, students and staff.”

The construction will then move to projects deeper in the interior of the building between December of this year and January next year, but Harper said, “We have plenty of time to communicate that.”

Harper noted that a big push the district is making this summer is getting the main building’s parking lot redone and squared away. The parking lot project is set to conclude by the third week of this month in order to get teachers into the building before the start of school and students and staff soon afterwards.

“The number one priority to make known is that construction will not be done when school starts, but we need the parking lot to be done so we can have access to different things,” Harper said.

The parking lot will also bring a learning experience, Harper said, as it comes with a new traffic pattern and upgraded pickup and drop-off system for the middle/high school and elementary school buildings.

“We’re going to go overboard with the signage until people get used to the new pattern,” Harper said. “The amount of bodies in the parking lot directing traffic is going to be heavy in those first couple of weeks as people get used to it.”

Newfield CSD will also see a change in its cell phone policy for the upcoming school year. The New York state mandate on restricting cell phone usage in schools is now in effect, but Newfield’s policy has been in place since 2023.

The state legislation notes that the mandate includes smart watches, earbuds and any device that can be linked to cell phones.

“That’s a change that even Newfield students will have to get used to,” Harper said.

Harper praised the previous administration, led by former superintendent Eric Hartz, for implementing a policy ahead of the mandate. Harper added that Newfield CSD is “set up well.”

“(The policy is) an imperfect system, but the standard is already set,” Harper added, noting that the policy will be discussed at Newfield CSD Board of Education meetings on Aug. 7 and 28.

Harper mentioned that communication will be key as students get acclimated to the changes in the cell phone ban, which will be noted in the newsletter that will now be sent out to each household in the community.

The newsletter, Harper added, will be delivered on a quarterly basis during the school year.

“The newsletters will be ‘what is the information we’re trying to get out, what channels do we put it out on and how to make communication and info easily accessible and understandable to the community,’” he said. “[The newsletter] will be very targeted, and it will be those issues that affect everyone in the district.”

Harper wants there to be as much transparency as possible within the district and the community, noting transparency should be “across the board for everything” — including policies.

“Going with the idea of communication being easily accessible, transparency is going to be a big thing,” Harper added. “We want to make it easily digestible to everybody in the school community.”

In brief:

Kids’ trivia night Aug. 8

Newfield Public Library will hold a kids’ trivia night on Friday, Aug. 8, at 6 p.m.

Trivia questions are geared toward children between the ages of 5 and 15, but all ages are welcome at the event.

The winning team will receive a gift card for a pizza at the Covered Bridge Market on Main Street. Consolation prizes will also be awarded.

‘Mind Over Body’ program Aug. 14

Newfield Public Library will host its “Mind Over Body” program on Thursday, Aug. 14.

Led by instructor Mitch Raymond, the program will take place on the second floor of the library at 6 p.m. Raymond’s presentation breaks down how to “improve the strength, flexibility, stability, balance and skill” of participants’ bodies through practices that “enhance neuromuscular connection and physiologic well being,” according to a description.

The library recommends bringing a yoga mat to the program, and participants will work with the library’s chairs and tables to assist with stability. The program has a suggested donation of $10.