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Friday, September 29, 2023
Vol. 11, No. 39
GUIDE TO MINEOLA STREET FAIR PAGES 21-32
ETHICS BOARD CLEARS DALIMONTE
CRICKET WORLD CUP COMES TO NASSAU
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Herricks teacher leaves after video School district, DA investigating ‘disturbing and upsetting’ post BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y The Herricks School District and Nassau County District Attorney’s Office are investigating an incident regarding a former teacher who was removed from the district after a “disturbing and upsetting” video surfaced online. Residents expressed concern during the Thursday night board of education meeting over the well-being of students and the next steps for the jazz band, which parents said the removed teacher was involved with. Superintendent Tony Sinanis said the district was informed after 9 p.m. Tuesday night of a video circulating online that allegedly featured a Herricks teacher. “The following morning, we informed legal authorities and continued investigating in an effort to ensure the safety of our students,” Sinanis said in a statement Thursday night and in an email to the district. “We also took steps to ensure that our students and staff were supported and had access to counselors if necessary.” Sinanis said the teacher is no longer employed by the district. The Nassau County District Attorney’s office is also investigating the matter with their law enforcement partners, officials confirmed to Blank Slate Media. “I moved to this district specifically
for the music program,” said Linda, the mother of an eighth-grade trombone player. “For this to happen now was just heartbreaking and shocking.” Sinanis told the mother and other parents who inquired that the district offers counseling in both group and individual settings. Board of Education President James Gounaris said one person does not make the entire district win or lose, commending the students and parents who reported the incident to the district. “We thank you for that, because without them we may not have known until the day after or the day after that,” Gounaris said. “It’s a testimony to the entire family unit in this district and also the staff members who reported it.” “No one stands for this, no one thinks it’s tolerable,” Gounaris said. Catalin Wong, a senior at Herricks High School, said she and her friends were shocked by the news and asked to board about the process of replacing the teacher, who parents said was involved in the jazz band. “To every degree possible there will be a minimal disruption to the instructional program associated with the individual who is no longer employed by the district,” Sinanis said. Continued on Page 45
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MANHASSET-LAKEVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
Firefighters provide an attack line on a trailer carrying tires engulfed in flames on the Long Island Expressway in North Hills. See story on page 10.
Lake Success firehouse proposal faces opposition BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y Residents in the Great Neck area have voiced their concerns over the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire District’s proposal to build a new firehouse for the department’s ambulance unit in Lake Success. In a letter sent to Blank Slate Media by Great Neck’s Youngsoo, Choi spoke out for residents in the area and iisted concerns with the $11.7 million project, including traffic, safety and the location of the
firehouse. “We firmly believe that this development would significantly and adversely impact our quality of life, compromise the safety of our children, exacerbate traffic issues, contribute to congestion in the area, and highlight a lack of early direct communication with the affected residents and a total disregard of residents’ strong voices and concerns that were related to Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department many times,” Choi wrote.
Choi went on to list eight pressing concerns with the proposal, saying no public impact study was done for the proposal, the 14 sites that were previously considered or the reasons they are not feasible were not disclosed, the traffic study was conducted by the same architects of the proposal, the traffic study did not address safety concerns in the surrounding area, residents don’t know where the funding for the project is coming from, the district has refused Continued on Page 46