Beloved Wantagh Elementary Teacher Removed; Parents Outraged

WANTAGH, NY — Invaluable. Amazing. Extraordinary. When it comes to teachers, these are qualities often used to describe the very best — not those who've had to be removed from their schools. But that's exactly what's happened in Wantagh, where some parents have taken issue with the district's abrupt removal of Denise Burkhard from Mandalay Elementary School and move her to another school within the district.

A message left with a number listed for Burkhard wasn't immediately returned.

Burkhard, a 27-year teacher at the school who is a reading specialist, was told to pack her things days before the Thanksgiving holiday following a dispute with a fellow school staffer. She was quietly moved to Wantagh Elementary School, leaving outraged parents questioning why she had to be moved mid-year and under what circumstances.

Jenifer Kramer told Patch her son has special needs, including severe anxiety, and often refuses to go to school. Burkhard is listed as a contact on his crisis plan, meaning she's often called upon to calm him and offer him emotional support to usher him into school.

"She was his go-to person, his contact at school for his school refusal," Kramer said.

Under his crisis plan, the boy could meet with Burkhard each day if needed to get him to school. The plans are incorporated into Individualized Education Programs, which ensure children won't see their learning disrupted by any disability. The programs fall under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, passed by Congress in 1990, which established that people with disabilities have the right to a free and appropriate public education.

With Burkhard's help, Kramer's son was finally going to school — and even taking the bus. He was having a "fantastic year," she said.

Then, without warning, she left. And since Burkhard's removal, her son's struggles returned.

"We had school refusal almost immediately and a tremendous occurrence of anxiety about what happened," she said.

Other parents were also left bewildered, particularly those with special needs. Grace Annunziata was one of them. Her son, who has attention-deficit disorder, met with Burkhard two to three times a week at Mandalay to get extra help in phonics and reading. When she left, he took it hard.

"He was broken up for days," Annunziata told Patch on Tuesday. "He was just so sad he couldn't leave. He was just a wreck."

Her son had to stay home from school and meet with guidance counselors. She hopes Burkhard will be allowed to return to Mandalay, if only for a couple days a week.

"To be ripped away like that all of a sudden after all these years, it was a loss," she said. "Like a death. It was horrible."

Kramer echoed those sentiments.

"To just disappear without a major plan in place and a reason why was a major problem," Kramer said.

That's why more than 650 people have signed Kramer's online petition on Change.Org to return Burkhard to Mandalay.

"We're a small school, so to rally that amount of support says a lot," Kramer said.

Burkhard touched other children going through similar struggles, even those she wasn't assigned to as part of a crisis plan.

"That's what kind of teacher she was at our school," Kramer said.

In a letter dated Dec. 2 and obtained by Patch on Tuesday, Principal Marie Pisicchio and Ryan Aliperti, head of literacy and humanities for K-5, notified parents that staffing changes were coming to their child's reading services.

Burkhard would be moving to Wantagh Elementary School full-time and a different teacher would be joining Mandalay, taking on her academic intervention services and reading classes. The new teacher had worked at both Wantagh Elementary School and Mandalay Elementary School this year as a Wilson certified reading teacher. The new teacher, who was named in the letter, was described as "supportive, and student-centered teacher."

"Please note that all AIS classes and reading services will continue uninterrupted as normally scheduled for your child," the school said.

Burkhard and her replacement also planned to go over caseloads to learn more about each child's reading progress. The new teacher was also to introduce herself to parents and answer any questions.

"This will help to ensure a successful transition," the school said.

The district told Patch in a statement it cannot provide additional information on Burkhard's situation because it's a personnel matter.

Annunziata said found the letter in her son's book bag days after Burkhard's departure. Her husband also met with their son's new teacher at a parent teacher conference.

Kramer, who plans to sue the district, said she never saw the letter and said the new teacher has not yet reached out to her. She also doesn't believe the teacher's union will adequately fight for Burkhard and launched a GoFundMe account to raise money to hire an attorney who will fight for her.

"Our children's needs should be considered and prioritized," she wrote on the fundraiser.

A board of education meeting is planned Thursday night at Wantagh High School where officials are expected to address Burkhard's situation. Neighbors plan to wear red in a show of support for her.

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.