Smithtown school board weighed veterans tax exemption and social media lawsuit; minutes not yet posted
Smithtown Central School District's Board of Education was scheduled to vote September 29 on a full school-tax exemption for the primary homes of veterans permanently and totally disabled from military service, and on a resolution to join a national lawsuit against social media companies. The district's records available here list both as agenda items only; minutes from that meeting had not been published, so the outcome of either vote is not established.
Veterans tax exemption
The proposed exemption would fall under New York Real Property Tax Law § 458-a(11), according to the agenda, and would apply to assessment rolls with taxable status dates on or after October 1, 2026. It would cover the primary residence of veterans permanently and totally disabled from military service.
Social media lawsuit
The board was also set to consider joining multidistrict litigation MDL No. 3047 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against Meta, Snap, TikTok, ByteDance, Google and YouTube. The agenda named Parker Waichman LLP and Duffy & Duffy, PLLC as the firms the district would hire.
Labor agreements and personnel
Two labor items were listed: a Side Letter Agreement with the Smithtown Teachers' Association to be folded into a successor collective bargaining agreement, and a Memorandum of Agreement with the Smithtown Schools Employees' Association for a successor collective bargaining agreement. The agenda also listed discussion of a Town of Smithtown agreement with LIPA, approval of Dignity Act Coordinators and a lead evaluator, and a settlement agreement with an employee the agenda does not name.
Policy committee: harassment, Title IX, athletics, pesticides
The Policy Committee met earlier the same evening at 6:00 p.m. at the Joseph M. Barton Building, 26 New York Ave. Its agenda listed seven policies for discussion or information only, with no votes scheduled. Those included Policy 0110.1 Prohibition Against Sexual Harassment, Policy 0111 Title IX and Sex Discrimination, Policy 5285 Athletic Placement Process for Interscholastic Athletics, and Policy 8115 Pesticides and Pest Management. Policy 5150 School Admissions/Residency Requirements was listed for future consideration. Future committee meetings are listed for October 27, 2026; December 8, 2026; February 23, 2027; and May 25, 2027.
Public hearing
A public hearing was also scheduled that evening. The meeting listing's body label describes it as a hearing on a tax exemption for veterans with a service-connected disability, while its headline and listed items describe a hearing on the 2026-2027 District-Wide School Safety Plan, including a presentation of the plan and a public input session. The records available do not resolve that discrepancy. A regular board meeting was to follow the hearing immediately.
Coming up
The board meets today, October 13, at the Joseph M. Barton Building, 26 New York Avenue. The agenda lists a vote on a Memorandum of Agreement with the Smithtown Schools Employees' Association, first readings of proposed Policy 8111 (Reporting of Hazards), revised Policy 8115 (Pesticides and Pest Management), revised Policy 0110.1 (Prohibition Against Sexual Harassment) and proposed Policy 0111 (Title IX and Sexual Harassment), and reports on fire inspections and HVAC bonds. The Policy Committee's next listed meeting is October 27, 2026.