The Great Neck Board of Education is urging the New York State Education Department to revise a statement currently on its website to condemn Hamas terrorism, antisemitism and Islamophobia.
In a resolution approved Nov. 21, the board said the state Education Department had failed to adequately address Israel’s war with Hamas and hatred by not explicitly denouncing antisemitism and Islamaphobia in statements made.
While the Oct. 11 statement did not address these issues directly, the state department expressed the need for educators to support students at this time.
“These attacks have brought about a wave of fear, uncertainty and distress within our communities,” according to the department’s statement, which is the subject of the BOE scrutiny. “It is paramount that educators play a supportive role during this difficult time…hate has no place in education. We rely on our educators to actively promote inclusivity, tolerance, and respect for all individuals, regardless of their beliefs.”
The department also provides resources for educators when discussing these issues with students.
Great Neck Board of Education’s resolution said it “respectfully urges” the state department to update its statements to address the issues of hatred directly and “that the NYSED condemn Hamas terrorism, and take affirmative steps to allocate resources to combat the rising antisemitism and Islamophobia in the State of New York, as well as use available resources to bring educational and community leaders together in efforts to combat Antisemitism and Islamophobia.”
While the board pushed forward this first-of-its-kind resolution, Board President Rebecca Sassouni apologized at the board’s meeting Wednesday night for citing an organization in the resolution whose data has been discredited.
Sassouni said the statement made to the state Education Department by the board at the Nov. 21 special meeting was “appropriate,” but the organization named as the source of the statistics in the statement is “disreputable.”
“We deeply regret this citation as well as the offense and pain it has caused,” Sassouni said.
The board’s statement cites the Anti-Defamation League Center On Extremism and the Council on American-Islamic Relations for data pertaining to a rise in reports of antisemitism and Islamaphobia.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, otherwise known as CAIR, has come under scrutiny after a spokesman for President Joseph Biden condemned the organization’s executive director for saying that Palestinians have a right to defense and Israel does not.
While the Board of Ed members and Sassouni did not say which organization they were apologizing for citing, one parent who spoke during public comment period denounced the district’s citation of CAIR’s statistics yet thanked the board for acknowledging the issue.
Sassouni told Blank Slate that she is proud of the work the board and the administration has done to address the issue with NYSED’s statements as well as condemning Hamas terrorism and all forms of bigotry.
“I think that Great Neck has been, is and will remain a lighthouse district in all aspects, and I’m incredibly proud of that work and the work of the board and the administration in these regards,” Sassouni said.
In a Nov. 15 statement also addressing the war, Trustee Donna Peirez said the board was “horrified” by the events, condemning Hamas, other terrorist groups, antisemitism and Islamaphobia.
“Even more, the worldwide antisemitic demonstrations targeting one of our largest ethnic and religious groups continue to inflict unquantifiable damage,” Peirez said when reading the original statement.
One parent Wednesday night criticized the board’s resolution and statement for denouncing Islamophobia when she said they should have been focused on combatting antisemitism. She equated this to the “all lives matter” counter-measure to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The board did not respond directly to the parent’s comment, but Sassouni said she was grateful for the parents who spoke about their concerns during the meeting.
Superintendent Kenneth Bossert also outlined the district’s actions in addressing a student newspaper story written about the Israel-Hamas war that sparked a backlash.
Sassouni said the article was published in the North High School student newspaper on Nov. 17 and was promptly removed the same day.
She said the Board of Education requested an administrative investigation into the incident that day as well.
Bossert said the article taken down was written as a factual news piece but included subjective editorializing and factual inaccuracies, although no details were provided. He said this led to a large response from the community.
Bossert said the community response included concerns about bias, prejudice and antisemitism upon reading the article.
“A mistake was made,” Bossert said. “The mistake, however, and it’s important to clarify as everyone involved in North High and the administration has pointed out, a mistake was not made by the student and I want to reiterate that again.”
Bossert said that the student journalist was doing her best to write an unbiased article on an important issue, with no malicious intent, but that the burden of ensuring the journalism reflects the “students in the best light” falls upon the adults overseeing the program.
Bossert said they failed the student.
“There was a lack of oversight on the creation of the article and the way it was presented,” Bossert said. “And that’s something we need to correct and something we need to work on.”
He said the individuals involved in the issue are committed to addressing their mistakes.
Bossert suggested the district appoint a second adviser for the student newspaper to prevent future issues of this nature, pointing out that one adviser overseeing 60 students in the program can be overwhelming and lead to a lack of oversight.
Other actions the district will be taking is requiring the building principal to sign off on every printed publication from student journalists to ensure the content is reflective of the district before being printed as well as boosting education on news media literacy.
Bossert said the periodical, The Guide Post, produced by the student newspaper is a “wonderful representation of student journalism,” which will continue despite the controversial article.
Parent Russell Feder, who was present during conversations between the district and concerned parents after the article was published, applauded the district for how it addressed the situation.
He asked that the district enhance its offering of critical thinking skills without bias and engage in healthy discourse.
“We want an education that is less political, not more,” Feder said. “We want our kids to have a fact-based education, and most importantly to be equipped with the tools of critical thinking.”