Thanks to suggestions made by the Policy Committee, the Farmingdale School District's Code of Conduct and Field Trip Regulation requirements may both soon include more specific language to ensure maximum student and chaperone safety on all school sponsored events and trips.

Assistant Superintendent Barbara Horsley said the issue - which dominated Dec. 3rd's school board meeting - came as a direct result of the recent hazing incidents at Mepham High School in Bellmore, in which three junior varsity football players were allegedly sodomized by several varsity players at a summer training camp in Wayne, PA. "Mepham has everyone a little anxious," Horsley said. It's important, now more than ever, to make the policy specific enough to avoid a situation in which someone can say he or she didn't clearly understand the guidelines set forth, she added.

Ken Urlic, president of the Farmingdale Federation of Teachers and a member of the policy board, said that he has been in frequent contact with "people" at Mepham and felt that serious measures definitely need to be taken to ensure that "nothing that happened [in the Mepham case] comes anywhere close to happening in Farmingdale."

If approved, the Code of Conduct - which already states that "Students may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension from school, when they ... engage in hazing ... in any school sponsored activity, organization, club, team or on school district property - will also hold students responsible for actions that occur "on school sponsored trips."

It was also suggested that in the requirements for overnight field trips, or trips outside the Long Island-Metropolitan area - which already must be approved by the superintendent at least 30 days in advance - to include wording to: notify the Board of Education of the planned trip 30 days in advance as well; require chaperones to be at least 21 years of age; and to enforce disciplinary action in accordance with the Code of Conduct, should a student not comply with the guidelines set by the teacher in charge.

In the second public participation section of the meeting, Ulric said he agreed with board member Dr. Philip Acinapuro's suggestion of enforcing a rule which would require a mandatory roll call and head count before students board and disembark the mode of transportation that would take them to and from their destination. He also told the board that he believes it is necessary to place appropriate responsibility on students and chaperones, as well as to hold students to commonly held standards of decency and civility.

Horsley said the suggestions to change the wording of the documents were again reviewed at a Policy Board meeting last night and any changes or additions will be again presented at next week's board meeting for further consideration.