Sexual Abuse Survivors Interrupted, Silenced At LI BOE Meeting

BABYLON, NY — A heated Babylon Board of Education meeting Monday night left numerous alumni, community members, and viewers from around the country feeling disappointed and angry, after what they called a series of inconsistencies and “hostility” from board members.

The meeting drew many who were present to discuss what they say are years of sexual abuse by teachers that, according to a long line of women who were present at the last BOE meeting, left lives derailed and scarred.

Last month, Attorney General Letitia James launched an investigation into the district over “disturbing allegations”, after numerous people claimed that they were sexually abused by teachers.

Community members have spoken out against the district, claiming that the teacher and other district employees have been engaged in a pattern of sexual abuse with students for generations. Former students, administrators and parents, in recent meetings and on social media, came forward to say that the district knew about this "toxic culture", calling it an "open secret" but took little action.

But this week, the BOE meeting left many frustrated after hours of delays and what they said was a dismissive attitude toward those who’d come to speak.

According to the meeting agenda, the board was to first hold a private meeting in the library of the Babylon Junior-Senior High School at 6:30 p.m. The meeting would then open to the public at 7:30 p.m.

However, more than 60 attendees were not allowed inside the meeting until after 8 p.m. — many who were forced to wait in line and kept outside due to the room’s lack of accommodations.

One attendee told Patch that she was forced to wait outside, rather than in the building. At 7:20 p.m, she and others were allowed to “line up” in the hallway, she said.

According to multiple attendees, the delay was caused because the board was distributing awards for the school’s boys soccer team, an item that was not on the meeting agenda. At least six or seven security guards were present, attendees said, and one security guard allegedly “snapped” at a woman who asked what was going on.

“We were not told why,” said attendee Mary Ellen Blom.

Once security guards opened the library to the public they allowed only a certain number of people inside at a time.

“I noticed there were rows and rows of empty tables behind the board — essentially making the library an even smaller space, “ said Christine Katz, class of 2006.

Only half of the library was filled with seats for attendees, and empty tables were set up behind the board’s table.

When all the seats were occupied community members told Patch that many people were still waiting to get inside the meeting. Many attendees were angry, saying that the board knew the meeting would have a large turnout, and should have accommodated all who wanted to participate.

“You have a bunch of tables right behind you. There's absolutely never a reason to shut a community member out of a meeting,” one woman told the board. “You need to answer to every single person that was left out in that hallway. Don’t act dumb. I hope the Attorney General sees it, because this is the intimidation tactic that is happening.”

One commenter on Zoom stated that the board’s failure to accommodate all attendees was in violation of New York state’s Open Meeting Law. The law states in Article 103 that “public bodies” must ensure that meetings “are held in an appropriate facility which can adequately accommodate members of the public who wish to attend such meetings.”

Residents were also frustrated that the board started the meeting while people were still being seated by security. BOE President Carol Dell’Erba said in an opening statement that the board would not allow non-agenda questions — which many attendees learned after asking those questions.

“The overall voice they put forth was dismissive and it's clear that they don't want to build trust or work with parents and survivors in a meaningful manner,” Katz said. “All in attendance were appalled.”

One alumni, Maya Gumpel, Class of 2018, attempted to share her experience of how being bullied by students and teachers affected her mental health and led her to attempt suicide. Dell’Erba interrupted her, telling her that she needed to report her story with The Crimes Victim Center. Many members of the audience then yelled at the board, saying that Gumpel had the right to speak.

“You guys didn't give me a second when I went to Babylon,” Gumpel said. “So I think I deserve at least three minutes of your time.”

Kevin Cafaro, representing a group of 30 Babylon parents, asked the board about teachers’ contracts. The board instructed him to email him questions instead. He said he sent an email two days ago but hadn’t heard back.

“You didn’t send it to everyone,” Dell’Erba said.

Brian Dhaniram, a Babylon alumni, told Patch that at one point when Superintendent Linda Rozzi tried to implement the time limitation, he loudly advocated for each speaker to have more time. He then claimed that Rozzi and security shouted at him.

“One security guard came from behind and grabbed my shoulders while another security guard from the back of the room said they were going to call the police and have me escorted out,” Dhaniram said. “I was with a friend, and we deescalated the security guard holding me to get his hands off me.”

Dhaniram also said that this was the second time security threatened and put their hands on him in a board meeting. Security first put his hands on him at the November 15, board meeting located in the school’s auditorium.

The district has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Several viewers of the meeting, which was streamed via Zoom, told Patch that after a brief intermission by the board, commenting abilities were disabled.

“They said that the comments got vile,” said one attendee, “but from screenshots I saw, it looks like folks were commenting on how they should be letting community members into a public meeting.”

Jaya Mallela, of Florida, who watched the meeting on Zoom, said in an email that viewers were watching the meeting from all over the country.

“This is no longer a Babylon or even a New York State story,” said Mallella. “There were people listening in to zoom from Seattle, DC, Boston, South Carolina.”

Attendees also said that they were “disgusted” by how abruptly the meeting ended, with the superintendent denying any motions to ask questions.

“The audience, exasperated, asked Rozzi for a motion to ask questions,” said Katz. “But the superintendent said something along the lines of ‘I'm sorry the meeting has closed.’"

Barbara Maier, a Babylon alumni who says she was sexually harassed by a tennis coach and fellow student, told Patch that she was feeling “hopeful and optimistic” going into the meeting.

“I thanked the superintendent for inviting me to be a part of focus groups but then was cut off mid-speech,” said Maier, who spoke early on in the night. “I was trying hard to fly through all my points and missed some key things. I worked really hard and did a lot of research and fact checking.”

However, after seeing the board's behavior toward the attendees, her positive attitude quickly dissipated.

“I left the meeting feeling sad and like things really weren’t going to get better,” Maier said. “I have been advocating for the many wonderful teachers at the school.”

Maier, who had met with politicians earlier that day to encourage legislature on sexual abuse, said that the board made her feel like her experience wasn’t important.

“I felt like they were just entertaining me and my requests just to keep me happy,” she said. “Based on how I was treated while trying to make my points, made me feel like they truly didn’t care about my experience, my insight, my offer to help them during this.”

Margret Rohl, mother of alumni and sexual abuse advocate Brittany Rohl, who opened the floodgates for women to come forward after sharing her story on social media, said that the board’s behavior was an “absolute disgrace” to all that showed up and wanted to participate.

“Shame on them. This is bullying at its finest,” Rohl said. “They wanted to silence more victims. This needs attention.”

Both Rohl and Maier took to social media, encouraging others to take action against the board’s behavior by filing out a 310 appeal through NYS Department of education.

According to the New York State Department of Education, Education Law §310 states that “persons considering themselves aggrieved by an action taken at a school district meeting or by school authorities may appeal to the Commissioner of Education” for a review of their actions.

“We cannot allow for this to continue,” Rohl said. “They have to answer to the community. They cannot be allowed to shut us out.”