Thursday, October 1, 2026
The East Rockaway public schools opened amid excitement and high expectations for the new school year. With buildings and grounds restored after Hurricane Sandy, the district opened its doors on Tuesday to returning staff and students.
In an early-morning meeting, new Superintendent Lisa Ruiz welcomed the staff, reminding them of the extraordinary measures they took in the aftermath of the storm. “Because of your tireless efforts, dedication and professionalism,” Ruiz said, “our students are achieving in the classroom as scholars, on the field as athletes, on the stage as actors, in our labs as techies, television producers and engineers, and in the studio as artists and musicians.”
The number of Advanced Placement scholars in the district is the highest in six years, she said, and Regents results have improved.
Marcy Tannenbaum, the district’s director of finance and operations, addressed the work that had been done to get the students back into their school. “Like many who live in the East Rockaway community, our schools sustained significant damage as a result of the hurricane,” Tannenbaum said. “And like many in the community, the district continues to work, negotiate, battle and beg with FEMA to provide the funds they promised. We won’t give up until we have been made whole.”
During the storm, the high school building, which is just yards from Mill River, was inundated with floodwater and debris, causing $10 million in damage to the building’s infrastructure and displacing more than 600 students, who spent the next six months in two recently closed Baldwin elementary school buildings.
The principals on the new school year
“East Rockaway Junior/Senior High School is looking forward to a great year, where the challenges of the past galvanize us as a school community to great expectations and accomplishments,” said Principal Joe Spero. “We have several new faces who are moved by our spirit and eager to contribute to meeting our goals. It is inspiring to be back in our new and improved facility.”
