Smithtown BOE adopts violence prevention protocol, cheerleading controversy continues
By Sabrina Artusa
Smithtown Central School District Board of Education reviewed, approved and adopted several policies Jan. 9, including a new policy regarding violence prevention protocol.
Since labor laws specify school districts as employers, they have to have a workplace violence prevention policy. The board asserted that the policy echoes what is already being done.
One speaker, while partially pleased with the board’s handling of anti-Semitic incidents, criticized the ambiguity of each board member’s stance. “I know myself as a community member I want to see where each board member stands,” she said. She went on to say that the board should halt speakers when their speech ventures into hate rhetoric. “Allowing this to continue at board meetings is harmful,” she said, and mentioned a speaker who voiced anti-LGBT views while speaking at a meeting.
At the Dec. 12 board meeting, several parents spoke in opposition to the dismissal of the coach of the Great Hollow Middle School cheerleading team The speakers were satisfied with the coach’s performance and accused the board of failing to uphold their duty to protect their children’s emotional well-being, stating the board’s approval of her termination caused their children distress.
“We’ve been told many times by our school administrators, ‘[the coach’s] termination was a personal matter, and we cannot comment any further.’ This leads us to believe that this is a wrongful termination,” said Alexia Siderias, who has a child on the team.
At the meeting, community members said that, after communicating with other parents, they learned that a cheerleader allegedly threatened harm to her peers and was disrespectful to the coach.
Another parent said, “Is every student’s well-being important to the Smithtown Central School District or only the ones who have parents on the Board of Education?”
The board also adopted a policy allowing a student with a disability to continue their educational program until they are 22, or until they earn their high-school diploma.
