Thursday, October 1, 2026
More than halfway through the school year, Lawrence High School’s athletic field remains closed, forcing all outdoor teams to continue playing home games at Fireman’s Field, in Valley Stream, and leaving students and families wondering when their campus facility will reopen.
The field was shut down last fall after it failed a county inspection, prompting district officials to relocate football games and other activities out of safety concerns. At the time, administrators described the move as temporary while further evaluations and repairs were planned.
But as winter sports wind down and spring athletics approach, the field remains unavailable, and teams are still unable to host games at the high school.
The prolonged closure has created ongoing logistical challenges for athletes, coaches and families. Teams must travel off campus for practices and games, requiring additional coordination of transportation and reducing the opportunities for students to gather at their school to support their classmates on the field.
Friday-night games and after-school sports events have traditionally served as social anchors for Lawrence High students as well as their families, alumni and community members. Without a home field, many students say, the sense of shared school pride has diminished.
Board of Education student representative Arbi Corbita raised those concerns at the board’s meeting on Feb. 9, telling trustees that school spirit has suffered this year.
“Earlier this year, our field was closed down from football and soccer games,” Corbita said. “Students and parents are concerned over the updates and what will happen for the upcoming fall season.”
Corbita, who is also vice president of the senior class, said that students feel disconnected from school activities when games are held off campus, making it harder to draw crowds and create a home-game atmosphere. Without regular on-campus events, fewer students stay after school or attend the relocated games, weakening traditions that normally unify the student body.
“We want transparency and a timeline of what we have to expect,” she said. “It concerns most of the students in the school, and they want to have their school spirit back. It’s difficult when you want to support your school and you have to go all the way to Valley Stream.”
Parents and athletes have echoed those frustrations, noting that travel to Fireman’s Field makes it harder for students without transportation to attend games, while athletes lose the advantage and the excitement of playing in front of a home crowd.
“It’s difficult when other schools come to compete with us and question who we are because we don’t have a home field,” Corbita said. “That we play at a soccer field without our own logos, and I don’t think that represents us as a community and school.”
The situation is particularly concerning as spring sports season approaches, when track and field, lacrosse and baseball teams rely heavily on campus facilities.
District officials have not yet announced a timeline for reopening the field.
“Athletics and extracurricular are just as important to me as academia,” board President Heshy Blachorsky said. “One breeds the other, and it breeds success and school spirit.”
Administrators have previously said that inspections and evaluations were needed to determine necessary repairs, but have given no public update on when work will be completed or when teams can return home.
“Unfortunately, it’s not a secret that our field, for whatever reason, was inspected, and out of an abundance of caution, the superintendent made the decision not to play here,” Blachorsky said. “Football is a contact sport, so we want to be very careful. It’s a safety issue. Nothing would make us happier than having our home games played here than on Fireman’s Field.”
“It is part of the global FEMA project,” Jeremy Feder, the district’s assistant superintendent for business and operations, said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “The shoreline is eroding. You could replace a football field, but it won’t be there in two years. Part of the FEMA project is to shore up the receding shoreline, because we also need a track.”
Feder said the reconstruction of the track, the field and the stands and everything that comes with it are part of the Federal Emergency Management plan.
“Everything out there has to be done properly,” Feder said. “Until we get the FEMA approval to shore up the land, then we can start putting in the new football field, track and stands.”
For now, Lawrence High athletes continue to call Fireman’s Field home, while students and families wait for the return of on-campus games — and the school spirit they say comes with them.
“Everything is part of the big picture,” he added. “I’m on the phone with FEMA three, four times a week pushing for this to pass.”
