Mineola parents continued to call for Superintendent Michael Nagler’s resignation and for additional investigations into how he and the board permitted a video education program, called Build Your Own Grade, developed by Nagler and his 19-year-old son, James, be used in the district’s eighth-grade classrooms this year.
Thursday’s Nov. 13 school board meeting was the third consecutive one that drew over a dozen parent speakers to the podium, who raised concerns over the since-terminated program. Their concerns ranged from the district never signing a contract or data privacy agreement with Quave, the digital program for the education project, to stress, anxiety and a loss of learning experienced by students. Parents also worried about conflicts of interest between Nagler, the district and the program and whether the school board is capable of carrying out proper oversight of the district.
“Removing BYOG does not erase what happened,” one parent said. “The person who created it, defended it and dismissed concerns still remains in power while this investigation continues. The program may be gone, but the leadership responsible for it is not…How much more trust must be lost before action is taken to the parents and taxpayers?”
Others emphasized they thought the rollout of the program, which asked students to learn entirely through videos and online tasks in their English, math, science and social studies classes, broke so much trust that the only way the community could move forward was for Nagler to resign. They said they would be working to run against the current board or vote against them in the upcoming spring elections.
School Board President Cheryl Lampazona said the board was taking steps to “strengthen” the school district community, adding that she and the trustees were acting on the concerns parents raised.
“Over the past month, we’ve been actively engaging with our community…while some of these conversations begin with frustration, the overall experience has been constructive and positive,” Lampazona said. “We value this dialog, and we are committed to continuing it…I want to emphasize that the Board of Education is taking, and will continue to take, community concerns regarding Build Your Own Grade very seriously. We have not dismissed or minimized any of these concerns.”
Lampazona has said the board only learned of the company Quave “when the public did,” and had not realized concerns surrounding contracts and data privacy would arise. She said the board had acted as “immediately” as possible by hiring an independent law firm to investigate the program and how it came to be.
Parents also raised concerns over whether that investigation, carried out by Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP, a firm hired by the Board of Education, would be comprehensive enough and entirely accurate. They expressed a belief that the firm would only be investigating Nagler’s conduct, not the board’s, and that the full results of the investigation would not be shared with the community.
A group of parents have floated hiring their own law firm or consulting firm to carry out an additional investigation or suing the district. Other parents have filed independent complaints with the state attorney general and Federal Trade Commission over the program.
Board members said after the meeting the investigation would include “all” conduct surrounding the Build Your Own Grade program, including their own. Lampazona said the board will keep the public informed as the investigation progresses.
“Interviews [for the investigation] will continue over the next two weeks, we will keep the public informed as the process moves forward,” Lampazona said. “While we comply with all appropriate requests for information, we ask for patience and understanding. It is important that we allow due process to unfold before drawing conclusions or taking additional steps.”
“As board members, we are bound by law, policy and our responsibility to act in the best interest of the district,” she continued. “We cannot and should not act based on anger assumptions or public pressure, no matter how strong those feelings may be.”
Nagler has previously said he believes the investigation will “exonerate” him and that he has been treated “unfairly” by the district community.
The next Mineola Board of Education meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Dec. 4 at the Mineola Synergy Building across the street from the high school.
