My middle son, who will soon be approaching his 30th birthday, was still in diapers when our family piled into our old reliable Dodge Dart for the long 8-hour trek to Selkirk Shores State Park, located on the shores of Lake Ontario. Somehow or other I managed to convince my wife that a one week vacation, with three pre-school children, in a rustic cabin (including indoor plumbing) would be a real treat for the children. Little did I realize how wrong I would be as anyone who has traveled long distances with children, by car, can attest! Selkirk Shores State Park is located on the lake's Mexico Bay, in the village of Pulaski, midway between the City of Oswego and the James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Station.

Several days prior to our visit there had been a large fish kill on the lake, blamed on the superheated water discharge from the power station, and the park's beach front was littered with thousands of dead fish. Evening ebb tide would wash these rancid smelling fish back into the lake and the morning tide would deposit them back on the beach. The stench of the fish, coupled with swarms of flies, was so bad that it was impossible to venture into the water or even sit near the beach.

The Tribune's April 6 lead article, "Levittown Cited as 'High Performing District'" had the same rancid and fishy smell that I had experienced nearly three decades earlier. Why, I wondered, would the New York State Education Department cite Levittown as a "High Performing District" when its fourth-grade English Language Arts and Mathematics results proved otherwise? The Island Trees and Wantagh School District, for example, routinely outperform Levittown on these standardized tests and did not appear to be recognized by the Education Department for their achievements.

A phone call to Richard P. Mills, New York's commissioner of education, I thought, would provide me with the criteria used by the Department of Education to bestow this coveted award and corresponding banners upon Levittown's elementary schools. Needless to say the commissioner's office was amused by the story! Several hours later, an official from the office of James A. Kadamus, deputy commissioner of Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education called me to indicate that they had never heard of this award nor were they familiar with the "citation from the state" claimed by Herman Sirois.

I've known Herman Sirois, for nearly 20 years, and have never known him to deliberately deceive the Levittown community. In fairness to Herman, I called the Editor, Levittown Tribune and asked if she could shed some light on this mysterious "award" which appeared as her lead story. Unfortunately, she could not and probably violated every journalistic tenet in glibly accepting the story without verifying its accuracy. Herman Sirois and a representative of Levittown's Million Dollar public relations firm provided her with the story and accompanying full page photo spread, she explained, over the 'phone. "No," she had not seen the citation naming Levittown as one of New York State's 50 top "High Performing Districts."

Surely, I reasoned, there must be someone who had actually seen this coveted citation beside Herman. Finally, I called Mike Harrison, editorial assistant, for Levittown's Million-Dollar public relations firm. I was sure that "good old Mike" would clarify my mounting skepticism about this "citation from the state." Well, Mike seemed amiable enough during our conversation until he developed what seemed to be a fit of apoplexy or possibly lockjaw and placed our phone call on hold. When he returned, Mike claimed that the story came from the district and denied any knowledge of its credibility, as he abruptly hung up. I thought this was a rather strange response from one of Levittown's high priced public relations gurus.

Well, Herman, as they say, "it's time to fish or cut bait." Where is this mysterious citation "...bestowed upon Levittown by the New York State Department of Education" naming it a "High Performing District?" I like fish stories and I'd love to hear this one.

(Editor's Note: The Levittown Tribune has received a copy of the letter from Martha Musser, of the State Education Department, which had been carbon copied to James A. Kadamus, in which the subject line was "High-Performing Districts," The cover letter explains that included with it is a list of school districts where at least 64 percent of tested students scored at levels 3 or 4 on the state assessments for that year. Among those districts were Levittown, Island Trees, East Meadow, Wantagh, and Seaford. Though Superintendent Herman Sirois incorrectly used the term "citation" in an interview, these districts were cited by the state as "High Performing Districts." In addition, the Levittown Tribune, based on information provided by BOCES Public Relations, stated that the banners presented to the Levittown elementary schools were provided from the state when, in fact, the district had the banners made up in recognition of their accomplishment. We apologize for any confusion that may have occurred. In response to concerns that this story had been fabricated by the Levittown School District, Dr. Herman Sirois stated, "It should trouble all citizens of Levittown that some of their neighbors not only distort the truth but are loathe to accept any good news on behalf of our children, that they prefer to think that the school district is lying when we report that our students are doing well. On top of which, they consult with the state, who also don't seem to keep track of their own records.")