Elmont High welcomes back its principal

The Elmont community rejoiced after the announcement that beloved Principal Kevin Dougherty, who had been placed on an unexplained leave of absence from Elmont Memorial High School at the start of the school year, was reinstated to his position, effective Oct. 11.

Dougherty was placed on administrative leave for reasons that were not disclosed by the district, prompting protests from students and parents, who demanded answers.

“The past month has been trying and upsetting to many in the Elmont Memorial community, particularly many students and parents,” James Grossane, Sewanhaka Central High School District superintendent, said in an email to the community. “We sincerely apologize to all those affected and hope that Mr. Dougherty’s return will allay and address the concerns they have raised.”

Taryn Johnson, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, filled in for Dougherty during his absence.

On the day his return was announced, Dougherty visited the high school’s varsity football practice and was surrounded by players, who were clearly happy to see him as he told them that he had been reinstated to his job.

“We’re very excited that he’s returning and so happy for him and the kids that he oversees,” said Dwayne Palmer, a parent and resident of Elmont for 30 years.

But many in the community are still wondering why he was ever removed.

“I’m still a little dismayed about the occurrences surrounding his removal,” Palmer said. “The ambiguity in which it happened, the mystery, and how the board and the superintendent operated. I still want to make sure that we have answers as to what happened and we want accountability.”

After Dougherty was placed on leave, Men of Elmont advisers Jon Johnson and Ray Ramos, both close colleagues of the principal, were banned from school premises, according to both men. Men of Elmont is a mentoring program that Dougherty started in 2016 to provide leadership for boys at the high school. The program helps prepare them for life after high school with activities ranging from college visits to discussions of social issues to networking with graduates.

“Hopefully, we can hash everything out,” Johnson said. “I and Mr. Ramos want to be a part of the Men of Elmont program, as we have always been, and we want to continue the great work that we have done. We don’t want to change that.”

Parents, alumni and students demonstrated outside Elmont Memorial High School at the start of the school year after the district reported that Dougherty was on “sabbatical” just two days before the first day of school, drawing the ire and suspicion of students and parents.

“Anybody that knows Mr. Dougherty knows that there’s no way that man would have left the school without making prior notifications to the community,” Palmer said.

Dougherty, also known in Elmont as “Doc,” has served as principal for seven years, is known to be active in the community and especially concerned about students.

“He is embedded into the community, which is so important,” Johnson said. “He’s more than a principal, and that’s why the people came out.”

A petition opposing his leave on change.org had collected more than 2,400 signatures.

“I’ve been in Elmont for 25 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Johnson said. “The community came as one, showing that they felt very hurt and disrespected. The community spoke for Mr. Dougherty and that says a lot.”

Many in the community said they believe the district could have handled the situation completely differently, and the lack of an explanation from the district has left many wondering about its intentions.

“If it’s a principal who’s only on sabbatical, why are you removing his presence from the school?” said Lynette Battle, the PTA president. “The kids put up a memorial on the wall highlighting their relationships with the principal, and they (the district) tore that down.”

Palmer said, “We were told that he left on a volunteer sabbatical. There’s no way that somebody leaves on a volunteer sabbatical, and then two months later comes back. That doesn’t make sense. I’m fearful that if we don’t get down to the bottom of what happened, we can certainly see this ugly episode happening again.”

Battle said many questions still remain and the community will continue to seek answers. “I am happy that Dougherty is back, but I am cautious about the school board because they have not been careful and considerate of our children and what they have done. We still demand answers from the school board. If anything, this has invigorated a community that was asleep at the wheel at a certain time and didn’t know their rights. It’s positive that he’s back, but it definitely wakes the community up.”