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Friday, April 14, 2023
Vol. 9, No. 15
PortWashingtonTimes t Washington TOP BUSINESS FLOWER HILL, COUNTY A GOP CHALLENGER AT ODDS OVER PRESERVE FOR SANTOS LEADERS PAGES S1-S60
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National group takes aim at local schools
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2ND GRADE CIRCUS
Project Veritas attending education meetings to find signs of liberal bias BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z Project Veritas, a right-wing group known for deceptively edited exposé videos with ties to prominent conservative and Republican groups nationally, has recently made its presence felt in some of Nassau County’s public school districts. The nonprofit organization has had representatives present in some of the North Shore’s public school districts, with videos showing various officials discussing diversity, equity and inclusion in the class. An email to Manhasset School District officials last month called for an investigation into Donald Gately, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum. The email was sent following comments Gately made about the district’s diversity, equity and inclusion curriculum in a Project Veritas video. The email, signed by “Manhasset Parents.” was sent from the email address “ManhassetParents@proton.me.” Efforts to reach the sender’s to verify their identity were unavailing. Public concerns were also addressed at an East Williston Board of Education meeting last month, where Gately’s wife, Danielle, serves as superintendent, about another Project Veritas video with statements made by David Casameto.
Casameto is an assistant superintendent for the East Meadow school district who served as a director of technology in East Williston before leaving in 2017. Project Veritas officials said the complaints were based on comments made at EdCamp Long Island, described on its website as “a grassroots, teacher-led event that brings together educators from across the region to share their ideas and expertise.” Gately, the co-founder of EdCamp Long Island, was one of the individuals Project Veritas interviewed while attending the EdCamp session. Mario Balaban, Project Veritas’ media relations manager, told Blank Slate Media last week organization’s presence at EdCamp Long Island was part of an initiative launched in the fall of last year called “The Secret Curriculum.” A Connecticut vice principal had resigned following Project Veritas’ exposure of discriminatory hiring practices, Balaban said. “We attend all sorts of events and we became aware of [EdCamp Long Island] and we just wanted to investigate and see what was going on in schools in the region,” Balaban said in a phone interview. Balaban said the work Project VeriContinued on Page 46
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PORT WASHINGTON UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Second graders at Salem Elementary perform in a school circus.
E. Side access changes commuters’ routines BY C A M E RY N O A K ES
hours a day riding the train to and from the city, commuting defines For many Long Islanders who part of their day. But with the addition of the work in Manhattan, their commute is a defining aspect of their lives. Grand Central Madison terminal, With many spending upwards of two the newly established LIRR desti-
nation, the schedule changes made have not just changed their commute but also a crucial part of their weekday routine. Blank Slate Media’s Cameryn Continued on Page 47
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