CPS, ICE, lawn equipment rebates, Sands Point fairy fest

Protecting children needs teamwork

Suffolk County cites “a high number of inexperienced staff” as a primary cause of the high rate of child deaths [“Suffolk CPS still struggles in effort to reform,” News, May 3]. In my work overseeing Nassau County’s Child Protective Services program, I found many staff members to be heroic and eager for training to help them fulfill this most demanding role. Hiring more staff to reduce caseloads and providing closer supervision, while necessary, may not be sufficient.

This is the time to call upon the assistance of Suffolk’s rich network of human service educators and providers. Social work and other academic programs could augment existing staff training, make degree education for staff accessible and affordable, and actively interest their graduating students in CPS employment.

Community child welfare experts could participate on a task force to assist CPS as it works to improve service delivery. And CPS could hold case conferences, where all providers serving a family meet to collaboratively develop intervention plans to protect vulnerable children.

I am confident that Suffolk’s Department of Social Services will consider these and other creative ways to ensure the safety of children, and that academic and professional communities will support them.

— Louise Skolnik, Rockville Centre

The writer is a former deputy commissioner of the Nassau County DSS.

Keep ICE welcome at shooting range

I have a different perspective about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement using our local gun range for training [“End of shooting range deal sought,” Our Towns, April 23].

Our range has a long history of being used by various law enforcement agencies, including federal ones, for professional firearms training. ICE’s use of the facility fits squarely within that established and appropriate purpose.

Regardless of one’s political views, law enforcement officers are safer and more accountable when they receive regular, high-quality training in a controlled environment. Allowing ICE to train locally does not change federal policy or immigration law. It simply ensures that officers who already operate in our region are properly trained, just as members of other agencies are.

The gun range is a community resource designed for safe, supervised use. Excluding one agency while allowing others sets an unnecessary precedent. If the facility meets the standards for professional training — and it clearly does — then access should be consistent and based on function, not politics.

I am happy that the Islip Town Board is pushing back on this issue. It seems opponents aren’t only against ICE but want to halt immigration enforcement. And this is another indicator of the decline and destruction of our civil society.

— John D. Fickes, Islip

Subsidizing less noise is not the way to go

For years, I have pleaded with Oyster Bay Town officials to outlaw commercial use of noxious gas-powered leaf blowers in our community, as dozens of other towns in the state have done. Their answer: There’s a bill in Albany to do so, and we’re waiting for that to go through.

So, what a bitter pill it is to read about a “subsidy” to help gardeners transition to battery-operated blowers [“NYS rebates for electric lawn gear advance,” News, April 22].

It insults and ignores the needs of taxpaying residents, especially those who work from home, as I have for most of my life, and endure the roar from a neighbor’s yard while trying to read, talk on the phone, or take part in a Zoom call or podcast.

Where is Albany’s leadership? Are lawmakers catering to the landscapers’ lobby over taxpayers, as the article indicates?

Why not, instead, just create a “Turn ’em in” program for gas-powered leaf blowers, like we have for illegal guns? Or tax those who pollute our air, disturb our lives, and violate the Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules for a safe workplace. Then they’ll complain about the cost of battery-powered blowers that are, in fact, affordable, effective — and quiet.

— Roger Mummert, Syosset

Charging $95 a car belongs in a fairy tale

Since it was first introduced to Sands Point Preserve, I have always wanted to participate at the annual Fairy Festival, which started in May 2023 “Fairy Festival flutters back to LI,” exploreLI, April 29]. Sands Point Preserve’s gardens are one of my favorite places to spend the day and relax.

Unfortunately, I could never attend the festival because the entrance fee has been exorbitant.

Charging $95 online per carload is out of reach for many Long Islanders, especially considering the cost of groceries these days is heading into the stratosphere along with sky-high gas prices.

There should be a reduced cost for seniors, veterans, and young families — so everyone has a chance to enjoy this lovely excursion.

— Dee Palser, Valley Stream