By Sabrina Artusa
After two recent lawsuits, Smithtown Central School District Board of Education revised its harassment policy at a Jan. 23 meeting.
In the latest lawsuit, Michael Coppola, 16, claims he was bullied from fourth through ninth grade while a student in Smithtown. His family is now suing the school district under the allegation that the school violated Title 9 by failing to protect him.
According to CBS News, the lawsuit states that “peers physically assaulted him, misgendered him, threw objects at him, verbally abused him,” from elementary through high school.
As a result of the alleged abuse, the family registered several New York State Dignity for All Students Act complaints.
In addition to Smithtown school district, the lawsuit is also filed against seven employees, according to Newsday.
Diane Coppola, Michael’s mom, told CBS New York’s Ali Bauman, “Our family has gone into survival mode. We’re not thriving. We’re trying to survive the school years, and it shouldn’t be that way.”
According to Newsday, Michael Coppola’s grades declined and he developed an eating disorder due to the harassment. After switching schools within the district and continuing to deal with bullying, Coppola now attends a private school over an hour from his house.
The Coppola family’s lawsuit is the second against the school district this year. The first was filed by a 16-year-old Smithtown High School West student who claimed the school failed to protect her from the bullying she suffered on a daily basis. This lawsuit was filed in September.
As a matter of policy, the school district does not comment on matters pertaining to litigation.
At the Jan. 23 Board of Education meeting, trustees read through a revised bullying harassment and prevention policy as well as reviewed capital projects.
The board amended the policy to include hazing as behavior to be prevented and stopped, and also elaborated upon the definitions of bullying, harassment and hazing, as well as the practices for prevention and intervention.
“I’m really pleased that we are revising this policy at a time that we need it.” said Kevin Craine, a first-year trustee.
Other matters
The board also discussed bond projects, both current and expected. While HVAC system upgrades are planned or proposed for several of the schools, the upgrades would not significantly improve the air conditioning in the schools, which has been a point of complaint of many parents after a hot September in the classroom. On multiple days there was a heat alert.
In order to have air conditioning in every room, the electrical system would have to be upgraded — something the board hopes to do in the future. Installing window units as a solution would be temporary, and in the opinion of Daniel Leddy, the district’s director of facilities, would hinder them in their overall goal of central air conditioning.
“When we have the money and the electric and the capability, we will can that in the future,” he said. “We are trying to look future. Throwing window units in — it’s going to create other issues.”
Among hopeful projects for the future were sports lights at High School East, upgraded lights at High School West, and synthetic turf field installments at both high schools. President of the Friends of Music for Smithtown Schools, Jennifer DeGregory, said that while she is grateful for the athletic improvements, she feels that the arts are being overlooked.
“These facilities have not been updated to the point where there’s parts that need to be replaced that no longer are being manufactured,” she said. “We are very concerned about possible cuts to the arts.”
According to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) proposed state aid budget, Smithtown will lose over $1.5 million for the 2024-25 school year. Overall, Hochul’s plan dedicates over $53 million in aid.
The board commended the boys cross country team and the Smithtown-Hauppauge girls swim and dive team on their excellent performances this past season.
