Sewanhaka Schools to keep playing Bellmore-Merrick Teams amid alleged racial controversy

Sewanhaka school district students will continue to play sports against teams in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, Superintendent Regina Agrusa said during the Sewanhaka Board of Education meeting on March 25.

The district’s decision came after parents expressed ongoing concerns of alleged racist behaviors by Bellmore-Merrick students targeted at Black Elmont students. A town hall meeting was held at Elmont Memorial High School on Feb. 26 requesting the alleged offending school district be removed from the game schedule.

According to Agrusa, a plan is being implemented across both the Sewanhaka and Bellmore-Merrick school districts to handle any future racially charged incidents.

Parents then pressed Agrusa and the board for more details on the plan to help ensure the students’ safety during games against Bellmore-Merrick.

When the Herald requested additional details of Sewanhaka’s plans with Bellmore-Merrick, both districts declined to comment further.

“We are pleased with the Sewanhaka Central High School District’s decision to continue competing against our athletic teams.” Bellmore-Merrick Superintendent Michael Harrington said in a statement.  “We look forward to competitive games with all schools on our schedule and will continue to foster an environment that promotes sportsmanship, mutual respect and a shared love of the game.”

Many parents were unsatisfied with the response, and felt their concerns were dismissed because of the district’s hasty decision to continue competing against Bellmore-Merrick.

“While I recognize that not all people may be in favor,” Agrusa said, “I do believe that this decision is in the best interest of our student athletes.”

Agrusa said she met and spoke with 45 students, a dozen parents, and several coaches, administrators, members of Section VIII (the coordinating arm of Nassau County athletics), leaders from Bellmore-Merrick and Nassau County superintendents to discuss the incidents.

She said that Elmont student athletes have been heard, validated and respected.

“We are committed to ensuring that our students receive access to a public school experience that is hostile free, inclusive and safe,” Argusa said. “Measures will be taken to accompany our student athletes to away games to ensure that competitions are safe for all participants.”

When the meeting was opened to public participation, several parents spoke out against the district and demanded details of their plan.

Tito Gunner, a member of the Elmont Dads Club, asked Agrusa how the district will be ensuring a safe environment for all students, and raised concern over the amount of time — six years — it took the district to begin seriously addressing it.

“It sounds like the statement says the district is committed now,” he said. “Were you not committed before?”

“Why did this ruling come so quickly?” asked Jon Johnson, president of the Men of Elmont mentorship club. He worried the districts hadn’t fully investigated the issue and did not devise a well-thought out plan of action.

William Leder, president of the Sewanhaka Board of Education, said he believed the school district would do everything they can to protect Elmont athletes.

He then reiterated the district’s stance on a recent incident during a February girl’s basketball game at John F. Kennedy High School, in which Elmont played against Bellmore-Merrick. He said the incident was an athletic incident, not a racial one.

“I’m not going to treat every one of those incidents in my mind as a racial incident,” Leder said.

However, Johnson fired back, saying, “Now, you might not see it as racial, but others do.”

Johnson restated Elmont parents’ previous request from the Feb. 26 meeting to form a committee, which would include community members, to have an ongoing dialogue about racial concerns.

Terrance Campbell, a co-director for LI Knights Volleyball Club, a sports organization based in Valley Stream that includes Sewanhaka athletes, said he, as a coach and referee, is responsible for everything that happens on the court. He asked if the referee from the Kennedy game would be reprimanded for his faulty decision — in which a Black student was ejected from a game before a white student on Kennedy. Ultimately, both were removed from the court, and the incident was deemed “an athletic dispute.” 

Matthew McLees, the Sewanhaka director of athletics, said Section VIII had information regarding the referee in question, but he could not speak publicly about whether or not the referee faced consequences because he personally did not know.

Leder admitted there might be implicit bias among the school’s referees, which he said they would try to address.

Sarah Campbell, the club director for LI Knights Volley Ball Club, said she agreed with the school district’s decision to continue to play against Bellmore-Merrick. She said her two daughters, who both attend Elmont Memorial High School and play on sports teams, also want to continue playing against the school.

“The only thing is there needs to be a plan in place,” she said.

Valery Aifuobhokan, a coach for the LI Knights, pointed out the psychological impact these incidents have on their student athletes.

When she asked her daughter, who participates in Elmont sports, how she feels playing against Bellmore, her daughter says she doesn’t like to enter the “lion’s den,” referring to the treatment she endures from Bellmore-Merrick students during games.

“Please protect our children,” Aifuobhokan said. “That’s all we ask.”

Sheldon Meikle, an Elmont resident and former Sewanhaka board trustee, shared a similar experience to Aifuobhokan with his own son. He noticed his son, who played on Elmont sports teams over six years ago, wouldn’t tell him about the racial discrimination he was experiencing until Meikle asked him directly.

When Meikle questioned why his son hadn’t spoken up about the incidents before, his son said he’s just “used to it.”

Meikle explained to the school board that not every incident is being reported because it’s so common, and students are afraid of repercussions being benched during games, for example   if they were to speak up. And, he added, it isn’t clear to everyone that Dignity for All Students Act forms, which are used to report racial incidents through the New York State Education Department, are available to file complaints in the event of racial discrimination.

Agrusa said it is important for all voices to be included in the solution, and she pointed out retaliation is prohibited by law. She said they speak with all students at the beginning of the school year to inform them of DASA forms. “Nobody should be silenced,” she said, adding the dialogue between the districts is ongoing.          

Have an opinion on the alleged racist behaviors against Elmont athletes? Send letter to rdelorenzo@liherald.com.