Connetquot Community To Rally For HS Principal At BOE Meeting

OAKDALE, NY — Several parents and community members will protest outside Tuesday night's Connetquot School District board of education meeting, in response to a high school principal's sudden leave of absence.

Michael Moran, former principal of Connetquot High School, emailed the district community on March 10, stating he would take a leave of absence and not return.

"I will be taking a leave of absence for the remainder of the school year and will not be back as HS Principal for the 2023/2024 School Year," he said. "This was, but no longer is my home. It's been a fun ride."

While Moran did not state why, several parents told Patch they believe it is because he advocated to hang the Progress Pride flag, after the board banned it from being hung in classrooms in October.

Parents told Patch they will rally at 6:30 p.m. outside Oakdale-Bohemia Middle School, located at 60 Oakdale-Bohemia Rd in Oakdale.

Superintendent Lynda Adams also emailed the community on March 10, notifying them of Moran's absence.

"I am writing to you with an update regarding our administrative team at Connetquot High School," said Adams in an email obtained by Patch. "For personal reasons, Principal Michael Moran has submitted a request for a leave of absence from his position, effective immediately. Since this matter is personal in nature, I ask for the community to respect Mr. Moran's privacy regarding the news."

Students reacted to Moran's leaving, taking to the hallways, sitting out by the lockers instead of attending class, in protest of the board's actions.

In October, the board banned the hanging of Progress Pride flags, as well as any flags that were not state or American.

During mid-winter recess, police received two reports of anti-LGBTQ writing inside Connetquot High School.

One parent told Patch that Moran was "the one person who was there for all of the kids and didn’t play agenda games with the school."