A Tradition of Excellence
Special Education
Special Education & Student Services News
![Huntington UFSD psychologists and social workers have achieved certificates as Trauma Responsive Educators](../assets/images/2024/June/lead-24d.jpg)
Blue Devils Impress at Challenge Day in Bellmore
Challenge Day at Calhoun High School in Bellmore was the scene of standout performances and outright heroics by a team of 17 Huntington High School athletes who laid it on the line against nearly 700 competitors from about 20 high schools.
![The Blue Devils take refuge from the hot sun.](../assets/images/2024/May/lead-28d.jpg)
Blue Devils Impress at Challenge Day in Bellmore
Challenge Day at Calhoun High School in Bellmore was the scene of standout performances and outright heroics by a team of 17 Huntington High School athletes who laid it on the line against nearly 700 competitors from about 20 high schools.
![SEPTA's Sunset & Sounds gala will be held at the Bay Club, known for its incredible sunset views. (Cliff Weissman photo)](../assets/images/2024/May/lead-14b.jpg)
Huntington SEPTA Awards Grants to Teachers
Huntington School Board members unanimously accepted at donation in the amount of $6,459 from the Huntington Special Education Parent-Teacher Association to cover 11 separate grant awards to district faculty members.
![SEPTA's Sunset & Sounds gala will be held at the Bay Club, known for its incredible sunset views. (Cliff Weissman photo)](../assets/images/2024/May/lead-09c.jpg)
SEPTA’s Spring Gala Tickets on Sale
The Huntington Special Education PTA will host a fundraising event on Saturday, May 18 at The Head of the Bay Club in Huntington Bay from 7-11 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $100 per person.
![Finley life skills program students with their popular new cart.](../assets/images/2023/October/lead-20b.jpg)
Finley Life Skills Students Create Popular Cart
Teacher Katie McCourt and her life skills class members at J. Taylor Finley Middle School are off to an exciting start to the 2023/24 school year. The group recently created a beverage and snack cart that is proving to be popular.
![A Unified Sports banner hangs on the fencing circling Blue Devil Stadium. (2)](../assets/images/2023/October/lead-03d.jpg)
Special Olympics Names Huntington a Unified Champion School
The Special Olympics has named Huntington High School a Unified Champion school. The Blue Devils sponsor varsity Unified bowling and basketball teams. Both teams and sports have proven popular with students.
Special Education and Student Support Services Information
- Talking to Children about School Violence
- Information for Parents of Preschool Students with Disabilities ages 3-5
- New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities
- Long Island Parent Center
- NYS SED Procedural Safeguards Notice - Rights for Parents of Children with Disabilities
- Helping Children Cope with Loss, Death and Grief
- Death and Grief in the Family - Providing Support at School
- Grief Tips for Parents (English)
- Grief Tips for Parents (en Espanol)
- International Dyslexia Association
- Autism Speaks
- The National Resource on ADHD
- Disability News
- Exceptional Parent
- National Down Syndrome Society
- Learning Disability Association of America
- Council for Exceptional Children
- National Association of Special Education Teachers
- National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
About Special Education and Student Services
![Special Education Scholarships](../assets/images/layout/resources/sess-2.jpg)
Meeting the Needs of Every Student
The Huntington School District’s program of special education and student support services strives to meet the needs of every student. Placement in any special education program is determined by the Committee on Special Education (CSE) based on a student’s academic, social, management, physical needs, and determination of a disability. The CSE recommendations must be reviewed by the Board of Education prior to any action being taken. A plan for each student is outlined in an individual education program, commonly referred to as an IEP.
Consultant Teacher Program
Several different programs are supported by the district, include the consultant teacher program: Consultant teacher services allow students with disabilities to stay in full time regular education programs and receive consultation from a special education teacher. This service allows school districts to provide indirect consultation services to pupils with disabilities who are enrolled in a full-time regular education program. Indirect consultant teacher services provide consultant services to regular education teachers to help them modify the learning environment or instruction to meet the needs of students with disabilities in their classes.
Resource Room Program
A resource program provides specialized supplementary instruction in a small 5:1 group setting one period daily. The resource program teacher, in cooperation with classroom teachers, provides specialized instruction to support academic performance in the areas identified on the IEP. Since a resource program is supplemental to the student’s regular or special education program, such instruction is non-credit bearing.
Integrated Co-Teaching Services
Integrated co-teaching services means the provision of specially designed instruction and academic instruction provided to a group of students with disabilities and non-disabled students. It is a means through which students with IEPs receive some or all of their specialized instruction in the context of the general education classroom. In this model, two professionals with teaching certification are co-teachers, one general education teacher and one special education teacher. Both professionals participate fully in the instructional process by providing content and facilitating student engagement and learning. This model also incorporates one period every other day of a study skills and organization class in which direct instruction on an IEP takes place.
Special Class Program
Instruction in the special class parallels instruction that is delivered in the general educating setting. Special class instruction provides core instruction in a setting with students with disabilities. Special classes are available for English, Social Studies, Science, and Math. The curriculum and standards are the same as are provided in the regular education classes but is adapted to meet the individual needs of the students. Special class instruction can be delivered in a 15:1:1 or 12:1+ (3:1 for Life Skills) special class size ratio as determined by the CSE based on the student’s individual needs.
![Snowshoes field trip](../assets/images/layout/resources/sess-3.jpg)
Director of Special Education and Student Support Services
![Diana Rich](../assets/images/layout/resources/rich-1.jpg)
Diana Rich
Health Services
Diana Rich assumed the position of district director of special education and student support services in May 2017. She had earlier served as Huntington’s K-6 chairperson of special education.
Ms. Rich earned a BA degree in education at Niagara University in 1998 and a master’s degree in special education at CUNY-Queens College in 2001. She obtained state administrator’s certificate in 2005 after studying at CUNY-Hunter College.
Prior to coming to Huntington, Ms. Rich worked for AHRC (Assn. for the Help of Retarded Children) July 2000 to March 2012 as a special education program curriculum coordinator, director of early intervention and universal pre-kindergarten, director of special education pre-school and center based early intervention program and principal of a special education pre-school. Earlier in her career, she worked as a special education administrator in the New York City public schools.
Special Education Department Chairs
![Janine Delgado](../assets/images/layout/resources/delgado-1.jpg)
Janine M. Delgado
7-12 Chair
Janine M. Delgado has been Huntington UFSD’s special education chairperson since July 1. She came to the district from the New York City Department of Education where she was the borough instructional lead since August 2019.
Ms. Delgado graduated summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts at Boston with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology, while minoring in political science in 2003. She graduated from Hofstra University School of Law in May 2006 after also studying abroad in Nice, France.
In February 2011, Ms. Delgado earned a Master of Science degree in special education at City College of New York. She obtained a certificate in Educational Leadership & Administration at The College of St. Rose.
Ms. Delgado was a New York City teaching fellow prior to working as a special education teacher at the High School for Health Careers and Sciences from 2007 to 2013. She was also the coordinator of student activities for a two year period and overhauled the previous student government structure in order to increase participation across all grades. She organized elections and school dances and implemented a community service requirement for student government officers.
A school improvement specialist from September 2013 through June 2017, Ms. Delgado later worked as a transition specialist in New York City’s Regional Special Education Technical Assistance Support Center for two years. She was then employed as a professional development trainer until moving into her most recent position as the borough instructional lead.
Admitted to the New York State Bar in November 2008, Ms. Delgado has earned a long list of awards and honors. She attended Hofstra University’s School of Law on an honors scholarship; treasurer and then co-president of the Golden Key International Honour Society; University of Massachusetts Student Leader Award; Knapp Scholarship for Political Science and Beacon Leadership Project.
![Valerie Kolinger](../assets/images/layout/resources/kolinger-1.jpg)
Valerie Kolinger
K-6 Chair
Valerie Kolinger assumed the position of special education chair for grades K-6 on June 16, 2017. She obtained Bachelor of Science (childhood education) and Master of Science (literacy, B-6) degrees at St. John’s University in Queens in 2005 and 2007, respectively. She earned a Certificate in Educational Leadership at the College of Saint Rose in 2014.
Prior to coming to Huntington, Ms. Kolinger worked as a K-5 special education teacher at PS 60 in Woodhaven, Queens from September 2006 through June 2015. She served on the New York City Board of Education’s Committee on Special Education from September-December 2015 and on the Committee on Pre-School Special Education from January 2016 until her appointment in Huntington.
![Nicole Vidiri Silva](../assets/images/layout/resources/silva-1.jpg)
Nicole Vidiri Silva
CPSE - Grade 4, Chair
Nicole Vidiri Silva has been the district’s chairperson of special education covering from pre-school through fourth grade since July 1, 2021.
Ms. Silva obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in human development at Binghamton University in 2007. She earned a Master of Science degree in social work at Columbia University in 2009 and an Advanced Graduate Certificate in school district and school building leadership at Stony Brook University in 2021
At the time of her appointment in Huntington UFSD, Ms. Silva had been working as dean of students and social and emotional learning in the Oyster Bay-East Norwich school district. She previously worked there as a bilingual social worker.
Ms. Silva has also worked as a bilingual social worker in Hicksville, Patchogue-Medford and at Developmental Disabilities Institute and as a social worker at Sachem. She was an early intervention/CPSE social worker at Bilingual’s Inc.
Course Requirements and Listings
Huntington HS
Business & Technology Scope and Sequence
Year by Year course offerings
Courses
- Choose 1 Course from Below
- Accounting I
- Accounting II
- Business Mgmt. & Human Relations
- Career & Financial Management
- Personal Law I
- Personal Law II
- Sports Marketing
- Computer Integrated Manufacturing/ Robotics
- Wood Shop
Courses
- Choose 1 Course from Below
- Accounting I
- Accounting II
- Business Mgmt. & Human Relations
- Career & Financial Management
- Personal Law I
- Personal Law II
- Business Law I
- Sports Marketing
- Computer Integrated Manufacturing/ Robotics
- Wood Shop
Courses
- Choose 1 Course from Below
- Accounting I
- Accounting II
- Business Mgmt. & Human Relations
- Career & Financial Management
- Personal Law I
- Personal Law II
- Business Law I
- Sports Marketing
- Virtual Enterprise
- Computer Integrated Manufacturing/ Robotics
- Wood Shop
Courses
- Choose 1 Course from Below
- Accounting I
- Accounting II
- Business Mgmt. & Human Relations
- Career & Financial Management
- Personal Law I
- Personal Law II
- Business Law I
- Sports Marketing
- Virtual Enterprise
- Computer Integrated Manufacturing/ Robotics
- Wood Shop
The Huntington Technology department is committed to focusing on the need to better prepare students for higher education. The goal is to provide them with the skills and knowledge needed to be successful innovators in a 21st century workforce.
Teaching relevant in demand skills that will prepare students to become innovators in an ever evolving world is paramount, not only for the future of our students but for the future of the country. The United States has developed as a global leader, in large part, through the genius and hard work of its scientists, engineers, and innovators. In a world that is becoming increasingly complex, where success is driven not only by what you know, but by what you can do with what you know, it’s more important than ever for our students to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to solve tough problems, gather and evaluate evidence, and make sense of information. These are the types of skills that students learn by studying science, technology, engineering, and math-subjects collectively known as STEM.
The world of business is waiting for you! Are you prepared? All careers, professions, and jobs involve some area of business. For some careers, you must study beyond high school while for others you may enter the world of work upon graduating from high school. Nevertheless, the skills you learn in the business classes will prepare you to enter the work force.
Students interested in completing a 5-unit sequence in Career and Technical Education should speak with their school counselor regarding course sequences.
ACCOUNTING I - Course #700F (1 Semester - ½ Credit) Offered to grades: 9, 10, 11, 12 Accounting is the “language of business” and is a necessary course for all college business majors. This one semester course teaches students the fundamentals of accounting necessary for keeping records for business and/or personal use, with a focus on sole proprietorships. This course will assist students in becoming critical thinkers and problem solvers, and is the prerequisite to Accounting II.
ACCOUNTING II - Course #700S (1 Semester - ½ Credit) Offered to grades: 9, 10, 11, 12 Prerequisite: Accounting I Building your foundation now with this advanced-level accounting course designed for the future accountant. Information will be applied in a variety of novel situations. With a focus on businesses organized as partnerships, students will continue to practice their craft through multiple examples and business simulations. They will transition from maintaining a written set of books to the use of Microsoft Excel utilizing it as a tool to expedite their accuracy and productivity.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND HUMAN RELATIONS - Course #701S (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grades: 9, 10, 11, 12 Prerequisite: None This course will help you acquire the skills necessary to make informed decisions, as well as provide you with information vital to realistic career choices. We will make you aware of the economics of work and you will develop an understanding of the marketplace. In addition, we will analyze your likes, dislikes, unique characteristics, competencies, and weaknesses with the intention of adding to your self-awareness. Problem solving and decisionmaking skills will also be taught. The culminating project is a “shark-tank” inspired business competition. This course is required for a Business sequence.
CAREER AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT - Course #701F (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grades: 9, 10, 11, 12 Prerequisite: None This course will provide students with the opportunity to learn about the features of our economy, explore a variety of careers, learn the skills and competencies needed for success in the workplace and become financially literate. Among the areas to be studied are: economic systems, stock markets, effect of technology on the labor market, business systems and their organization, career planning and lifelong goals, changing trends and employment opportunities, resumes, job interviews, personal qualities for employment, interpersonal skills, working conditions and benefits, time management, workplace laws and unions, banking, personal budgets, credit, insurance and consumer protection. This course is required for a Business sequence.
PERSONAL LAW I - Course #709F (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grades: 9, 10, 11, 12 Are you interested in law? Do you want to be more informed about the laws that will affect you both today and in your immediate future? If so, then this course is for you. The scope of the Personal Law course (formerly known as Street Law I) investigates units in civil rights and liberties, employment law, family law and housing law. Guest speakers and authentic experiences, ie: local jail trip, provide the student with a real world view of our legal system.
PERSONAL LAW II - Course #709S (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grades: 9, 10, 11, 12 Prerequisite: None Personal Law II (formerly known as Street Law II) presents contemporary legal issues and provides students with an in depth exploration of juvenile justice, torts against the individual, consumer law, credit for the consumer, insurance, and probate law. This course is highlighted by a Moot Court competition where students prepare and argue civil law and negligence cases heard by guest judges. Guest speakers and authentic experiences, including a local jail trip and moot court completion, provide the student with a real world view of our legal system and a better understanding as to how to protect them legally. Personal Law I is not required as a prerequisite for this course.
BUSINESS LAW - Course #704 (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grades: 10, 11, 12 Do you have a plan for your future? No? Well it’s not too late. Few subjects are as dramatic, challenging or relevant as LAW. Learn how the legal system works and recognize legal problems. This course emphasizes the relationship of law to your personal life. Topics include: white-collar crimes, civil actions, cyber law, bankruptcy, environmental law, ethics and agency law from the sports, entertainment, and employer perspective. Your rights as a consumer, an employee or employer will be explored. How about reading a contract? Do you know how to draw one up? Are you interested in starting a business of your own or working for someone that does? Should it be a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation? Leases, mortgages, credit, bankruptcy and other forms of financing will be explored. Guest speakers and authentic experiences including a local jail trip and moot court competition, provide the student with a real world view of our legal system. You never know what the future has in store for you, the best thing you can do is prepare. So, whether you are interested in pursuing a career in law, planning to attend college, or preparing to enter the work force, this course has something for you.
COMPUTER INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING/ROBOTICS – Course #695 A Project Lead the Way Course (1 Year – 1 Credit) Offered to grades: 10, 11, 12 Prerequisite: Knowledge of algebra and geometry is recommended. Honors weighted course. Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) is the study of manufacturing planning, integration, and implementation of automation. The course explores manufacturing history, individual processes, systems, and careers. In addition to technical concepts, the course incorporates finance, ethics, and engineering design. This reflects an integrated approach that leading manufacturers have adopted to improve safety, quality, and efficiency.
Utilizing the activity-project-problem-based (APPB) teaching and learning pedagogy, students will analyze, design, and build manufacturing systems. While implementing these designs, students will continually hone their interpersonal skills, creative abilities, and understanding of the design process. Students apply knowledge gained throughout the course in a final open-ended problem to build a factory system.
CIM is one of the specialization courses in the Project Lead the Way high school pre-engineering program. The course utilizes computer modeling, computer numeric control (CNC) equipment and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) software to apply and concurrently develop secondary-level knowledge and skills in mathematics, science, and technology.
Students who successfully complete Computer Integrated Manufacturing may earn college credit through the Rochester Institute of Technology (speak with your school counselor for details). Please know, this course carries an Honors weighting.
WOOD SHOP - Course #690 (1 Year - 1 Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grades: 10, 11, 12 This course is a broad foundation of the basic woodworking processes and includes the use of all the major equipment. Typical of the work carried on is furniture construction for the home. Attention is given to the reading of plans and blueprints and the study of good design in project construction. Skill level will determine the types of projects assigned.
SPORTS MARKETING - Course #703 (½ Year - ½ Credit) 5 periods weekly Offered to grades: 9, 10, 11, 12 Recommended for college-bound business and marketing majors and anyone interested in the field of sports and its impact. This half-year course is designed to provide an insight into the executive level decision-making and analyzing in sports marketing. Case studies and news media will be used to position the student in the role of a sports marketer. Suggested topics that will be explored are: an orientation to marketing as it relates to the sports industry, market analysis, athletes making economic choices, professional sport trades, supply and demand in sports, financial analysis of teams, the sports labor market, discrimination in sports and sports promotion. Classroom instruction will be reinforced through outside use of guest speakers, field trip to a stadium, videos and the Internet.
VIRTUAL ENTERPRISE – Course # 713 (1 Year - 1 Credit) This is an Honors Credit Course Offered to grades: 11, 12 Prerequisite: None. Honors weighted course. Students in this course may elect to receive college credit through Farmingdale College at a reduced rate. Virtual Enterprise is a simulated business that is set up and run by students to prepare them for working in a real business environment. Students learn about Economics, micro and macro, and its relationship to and impact on business operation in the private enterprise system. The students study supply and demand, the Federal Reserve System, taxation by local, state, and federal governments, business organizations, the stock market, and international transactions. The students determine the nature of their business, its products and services, its management and structure, and learn the daily operations of a business under the guidance of a consultant with the support of a real business partner. They use current business software packages and the internet for business transactions using economics as a factor. Culminating events include competitive trade shows and business summits, wherein students will compete against other firms created by high school students from around the world. This is a challenging, collaborative, hands-on, real-world course for future entrepreneurs and those interested in the business world. Please know, this course carries an Honors weighting.
Course Descriptions Coming Soon!
Business & Technology Department Programs
Information Coming Soon
Finley Galleries and Slideshows
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200+
Challenging Academic Courses
14
Academic Departments
30+
Interscholastic Athletic Teams
90+
Colleges and Universities accepting 2020 HHS Graduates