Friday, March 28, 2025
Parents in the Sewanhaka Central High School District are expressing concern for the treatment of student athletes, accusing students in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District of repeated racist behavior against Black students from Elmont during sporting events.
The Elmont Parent Teacher Student Association recently hosted a meeting at Elmont Memorial High School — which is part of Sewanhaka schools — where it conducted a public forum to discuss the experience of students who were subject to racism from other students and parents during recent games.
Lynette Battle, a Sewanhaka board trustee and former PTSA president, took to the lectern and cited a long list of offenses, ranging from racial slurs to physical attacks, which occurred between 2019 and 2025. Among the incidents were white players calling Black players “monkeys,” taunting them by yelling “bananas,” making gorilla sounds, whispering racist comments during huddles, calling students the n-word and refusing to shake hands with Black players.
Amaya Haley, a Black student on Elmont High School’s girls’ basketball team said during a recent game against Bellmore-Merrick’s John F. Kennedy High School, she and a player on Kennedy were fighting for a loose ball. Haley controlled the ball, and her opponent hit her and pulled her hair, at which point Haley fought back.
Haley said she was immediately ejected from the game, but the player that attacked her was allowed back on the court and wasn’t told to get off until later in the game.
“It looked like I started it,” Haley said, “and the referees took no time to see what actually happened.”
Bellmore-Merrick schools, in a written statement shared with the Herald following the meeting, said: “The district does not tolerate racism, intolerance or discrimination of any type. We have extended our deepest apologies and held ourselves accountable for unfortunate behaviors that have occurred in the past with Elmont Memorial High School. As a district, we remain committed to promoting an environment that is respectful of all.”
In March of 2022, Sewanhaka parents called a meeting with Section VIII, a membership organization that oversees scholastic sports in Nassau County and collaborated on a plan to address the behavior. The plan included a list of action items, such as community workshops and suspensions for discriminatory behavior. However, Battle said this plan never came to fruition.
“It was a pretty good outline with promises made, but no delivery,” Battle said. “We’re in 2025, still looking for delivery, and it’s not okay.”
That meeting was called on the heels of a December 2021 incident at Bellmore-Merrick’s Wellington C. Mepham High School, where a Mepham student spectator was accused of brandishing bananas in front of Black student-athletes from Elmont and saying, “Here, monkeys, come and get it,” during a girls’ junior varsity basketball game. The student was later disciplined for their behavior.
After the incident, Michael Harrington, Bellmore-Merrick’s superintendent of schools, promptly released a statement apologizing to the Elmont community.
At the Feb. 26 meeting in Elmont, Patrick Pizzarelli, executive director of Section VIII, said that not all of the incidents with Bellmore-Merrick students were determined to be a result of racism — which many Elmont parents disagreed with.
“I understand there’s been incidents with Bellmore-Merrick,” Pizzarelli said. “Unacceptable incidents. But to my knowledge, this last incident (at Kennedy) was an athletic incident.”
Jon Johnson, an Elmont parent, said true progress couldn’t be made with “only words,” and said school districts — like Bellmore-Merrick — could bring in former players who have experienced racism firsthand, and suggested the implementation of more drastic measures, such as removing offending players and school districts from Elmont’s schedule, meaning Bellmore-Merrick’s high schools would no longer compete against Elmont.
Regina Agrusa, Sewanhaka’s superintendent of schools, said there should be a zero-tolerance policy for hate, but added she had no experience removing a school district from teams’ schedules.
On Feb. 28, following news reports by other Long Island outlets, Harrington addressed the Bellmore-Merrick community in a letter, which was shared with the Herald.
Referencing what occurred at Mepham in 2021, Harrington said, “When these incidents occurred several years ago, they were immediately addressed with the students involved from our district, as well as with officials from the Sewanhaka Central High School District and Section VIII. The resulting productive dialogue with administrators and coaches reinforced our commitment to maintaining a safe, respectful, and sportsmanlike environment for all students.”
Harrington wrote that for the past two years, Bellmore-Merrick has hosted a Unity Summit in the fall, aimed at bringing together athletes and coaches across Nassau County’s high schools. The summit, chaired by Eric Caballero, the district’s director of physical education, athletics, driver education and health, is aimed at promoting positivity in sports, as well as emphasizing the importance of sportsmanship.
“This summit has served as a valuable platform for our athletes and coaches to engage in meaningful conversations with others from across the region, learn from one another and help to cultivate a culture of respect for all students,” he said.
Agrusa, in a written statement to the Herald on Monday, said the purpose of the discussion last week was to provide parents and staff with a safe space to speak about frustrations and pain felt by some student athletes during competitions.
“The district leadership is committed to ensuring that all student athletes feel safe and supported so that they can thrive and succeed,” she said. “The Sewanhaka Central High School District has and continues to work collaboratively with the Bellmore Merrick leadership — and discussions are continuing about how best to ensure that student athletes can compete in a safe and respectful place.”
