The Great Neck Public School Board of Education accepted the resignation of Michael Grimaldi as principal of E.M. Baker Elementary School at a meeting on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Grimaldi has served as the principal of the elementary school since the 2018-2019 school year. Before that, he served as the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at the Eastport-South Manor Central School District.
Superintendent Kenneth Bossert said Grimaldi was stepping away to pursue other outside opportunities, but they intend to discuss the implementation of an interim principal for the remainder of the year at the next meeting in order to “ensure consistency and continuity for students, faculty and staff.”
“We are in the process of identifying the most dynamic person to fill that role for the remainder of the year,” Bossert said.
The meeting, which was held during Board Recognition Week, also featured students, administrators and elected officials thanking the board for its work.
“We greatly notice and see from day one how dedicated and how committed you all are with your volunteerism for a thankless job at times,” said Corey McNamara, principal of Great Neck North. “It is all for the betterment of this great community.”
The meeting opened for public comments, where community members expressed concerns over disability accommodations, lowered school rankings, hearing back from the board after making public comments and the district’s ability to communicate changes that occur.
A point of contention was regarding an email sent by the National Education Association, the largest teachers’ labor union in the United States. The email depicted a map that displayed Palestine on the map without any reference to Israel. The email was sent as part of a campaign to further education about Indigenous peoples.
The NEA has taken down the map and said in a press release that NEA “stands strongly against antisemitism.”
Community members were concerned about how the district would respond to an uptick of antisemitism, and wanted the school district to respond to the controversy with the NEA. This comes after a recent board meeting where teachers presented a plan to incorporate antisemitism prevention into the existing curriculum.
“I am calling upon the union here to craft some sort of message to the NEA,” member Judy Liman said.
“What is being done in the schools and in conversation with the students?” another community member, Michelle Refaeli, asked, regarding the teachings on antisemitism. “Will the same curriculum be taught in North and South schools?”
The meeting also featured a presentation from library chairs Maya Lerner and Frank Bua about the implementation of media literacy courses in public schools.
Bua expressed the need for students to understand media literacy in an “increasingly complex world” where artificial intelligence, misinformation and polarization affect students.
“We didn’t want to just react to the problem,” Bua said. “We set out to create a response that reflects Great Neck’s role as a lighthouse district.”
As Lerner took the podium, she spoke about how their research had led them to a plan that addresses teaching media literacy across grade levels and departments.
However, about 10 minutes into the presentation, the meeting was halted as Lerner appeared to experience a medical emergency while speaking at the podium.
The meeting, which was streamed on YouTube, was paused, and Superintendent Kenneth Bossert announced a five-minute break. The video, which has since been edited to cut out the incident, started live-streaming again after 15 minutes.
An ambulance was at the scene.
The meeting reconvened without comment on Lerner’s condition, and a representative of the school district was unable to be reached for comment on Lerner’s condition prior to publication.
“Thank you for your patience and your grace,” Bua said as he finished the presentation.
Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena was also in attendance after her own town board meeting. She expressed her gratitude and made a comment about how this meeting seemed less tumultuous than the one she had previously attended.
“I am glad to see you’re all doing well here. Mine was a little tough,” DeSena said. “I just want to say thank you. You make the town of North Hempstead a better place.”
