"I hope this does not happen again." A quote from Barbara Donno, the president of the Manhasset School Board, is an unacceptable response to the missing Nov. SAT scores. I had never attended a Manhasset School Board meeting before and I have to say I was not impressed. What makes my reaction even more disheartening is the fact that I am an educator. I work as a school counselor at Jericho High School. As you may know, Jericho is one of the highest-ranked school districts in the county - now I know why. Such cavalier behavior by the Manhasset School Board, high school and central office administration would never be tolerated.

Two things are upsetting: The fact that a junior level staff member was given the responsibility of running the administration of the October and November SAT tests, and the reaction of the administration and superintendent and his office. We just want a solution and if the Educational Testing Service is making this an impossible task, then the most powerful in the district must come to the rescue. Isn't there a saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going? Given the so-called prestige afforded by the Manhasset School District, there must be a solution to this situation. The parents who attended this meeting wanted answers and what they got was political mumbo-jumbo.

Can't the school board, which is made up of local residents, some with children in the district, put pressure on the appropriate people to get some answers and an assurance that this will not happen again? Only one member of the board came out to speak to the parents during a break in the meeting. The others remained in the boardroom. This type of behavior does not instill much confidence that our interests are being protected. I am confident that if this were a sports test we would have answers. If we do not get the answers we need, then perhaps we should find a way to make the school board and individuals like our superintendent accountable. Why should these people get off with no viable responses while they expect others to pay the price for their inaction? No wonder parents flock to private educational venues such as Friends Academy.

Deborah Lisa-Brown