Following a decision to cancel and/or postpone all after-school activities the day following President George Bush's announcement that the United States was going to war in Iraq, the Levittown School District this week went back to business as usual and all postponed activities, including LEADD XVII (Levittown Education Against Destructive Decisions) and school plays have been rescheduled.

The district had decided to close down buildings during after-school hours, not allowing any non-school-affiliated individuals into any school buildings, late last week. This included the cancellation of some events, which did upset some students and residents, but the district stresses that the measure was taken only to ensure safety.

"We took a precautionary measure based on all the information that was available to us from the various federal and state emergency homeland security [agencies] and we took the precaution of closing down our buildings," said Superintendent Dr. Herman A. Sirois. He added that there was a sweep of the buildings done each night so that the district could assure that the buildings were safe to open the following day.

"If there weren't people other than our own employees in the buildings after the sweep, then we knew that it was completely safe to open them the next day," he explained.

Dr. Sirois said that measure paid off, noting that some school districts did have bomb scares and had to close down their buildings for several hours.

"Had we had such a bomb scare, we would have had to evacuate our buildings, so we did take that precautionary measure because it is our responsibility to make sure our buildings are there for students," Dr. Sirois said. "We know it was inconvenient and we apologize for any inconvenience but our first priority is the safety of our children. I think everybody recognizes that."

LEADD XVII has been rescheduled for Sunday, April 6, beginning at 11 a.m. The district invites all students and their families to participate in the 17th year of the program. Immediately following the Family LEADD Walk, the Family Fair will be held, providing students and family members with amusements, games and drug education/prevention information. Throughout the week, LEADD educational activities will be presented to all students in their schools.

This year, the district has invited the Honorable Kate Murray, Hempstead Town supervisor, and John Hoffman, to be Grand Marshals for the walk. All families are invited to come out on April 6 and join in the festivities, making a strong statement against destructive decisions while enjoying some healthful and informative activities. All children who participate in the LEADD Walk will be acknowledged with a memento.

The Gerald R. Claps Career & Technical Center Key Club is asking for anyone who attends the LEADD Walk and Fair to donate one of the following items which will be sent to the US Marines that are currently stationed in Kuwait: toothpaste, suntan lotion, deodorant, breakfast bars, chewing gum, small chips, small cookies, Gatorade, Crystal Light and beef jerky. Residents are asked to bring the items to the LEADD Fair where members of the Key Club will be taking the collections. Any donations are greatly appreciated.