By Scott Brinton
They went to meet with New York State Education Commissioner Richard Mills to review the Mepham case -- and what the Education Department will do about it.
According to Fuschillo (R-Merrick) and McDonough (R-North Merrick), the state plans to "review" the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District's reporting of violent incidents and threats involving students.
After the 1998 Columbine High School massacre in Colorado, New York began requiring school districts to alert the governor, the state Legislature and the Education Department of violent incidents and threats in annual reports, which then show up in school districts' Report Cards.
After the alleged Mepham attacks, in which three varsity football players reportedly sexually assaulted three junior-varsity teammates, a new group calling itself Mepham Parents 4 Change formed.
Group members, which include two victims' families, believe the Bellmore-Merrick School District may be underreporting violent incidents to avoid black marks on its Report Cards.
In late October, seven representatives of Mepham Parents 4 Change met with Fuschillo, McDonough and Assemblywoman Maureen O'Connell (R-Mineola) at Fuschillo's Freeport office. The seven requested that the state look into the Bellmore-Merrick district's reporting practices.
McDonough sent a letter to Commissioner Mills, relaying the group's request. Last Wednesday, Mills agreed to a "review," which Fuschillo and McDonough emphasized should not be considered an "investigation."
In a letter, Mills wrote that the Central district's Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) reports for the 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04 school years will "be reviewed, and if the district is not in compliance with the law, appropriate action will be taken." The letter does not specify what "appropriate action" means.
Fuschillo and McDonough also noted that the Education Department would not look into how the Bellmore-Merrick district handled Mepham's recent alleged sex-abuse case -- at least for now. Mills believes the time isn't right for the state to conduct such an investigation, because the case is headed for court.
In the letter, Mills wrote, "Due to the ongoing criminal investigation and anticipated court hearing, it is not advisable to conduct an additional formal investigations at this time." The letter, however, does not rule out the possibility of a future state probe.
A Mepham Parents 4 Change representative could not be reached for comment. On Friday, before the legislators announced Mills' plans, the group issued a statement regarding Pennsylvania Judge Robert Conway's decision to try the three alleged attackers as juveniles. It read, "The decision reached by Judge Conway on Nov. 12 does not diminish the seriousness of the crimes committed against three of our children during a football camp program sanctioned by Mepham High School. Nor does this decision lessen the emotional impact that these crimes have had upon our children, families and community."
Mepham Parents 4 Change "will aggressively pursue our mission as it pertains to issues of accountability on the part of those responsible within the educational system for the safety and well-being of our children," the statement concluded.
A Central High School District official also could not be reached for comment.
