After online petitions sparked community debate, Jericho Superintendent Hank Grishman withdrewhis name from the proposal to rename Cantiague Elementary School in his honor at the Thursday, March 20, Board of Education meeting
Grishman requested at the meeting that the discussion surrounding the renaming be removed from the agenda.
“I do that for my love of the school district and my belief that that is truly in the best interest of our school district,” he said.
At the January board meeting, the Joint PTA Council President Aileen Gingold presented a request to rename the school after Grisham announced his retirement at the end of the school year, 30 years after being named Jericho’s superintendent. He is the longest-serving superintendent in the district’s history.
But the proposal to rename the elementary school in his honor created controversy with an online petition posted by an anonymous group named JerichoVoice that opposes the change gathering over 600 signatures.
According to the petition on Change.org, the group’s concern with the renaming was “bypassing” of community input and the “premature” nature of the proposal.
District officials noted the residency of these signatures was not known, and many used fake names, such as “Mikey Mouse,” when they virtually signed.
Others challenged the petition.
“Why is the district allowing anonymous individuals who hide behind a group name to influence decisions affecting our schools? For years, Jericho school district members have identified themselves and stated their affiliations when speaking at meetings or submitting written statements,” said resident and former School Board Trustee Gina Levy in a letter to the board.
“These groups and individuals refuse to abide by the same standards, choosing anonymity to avoid transparency and accountability,” she wrote.
She said public comment and input should “come only from” district residents and taxpayers.
Trustee Samuel Perlman questioned the legality of limiting speakers to only those who are residents.
Steven Goodstadt, the district attorney, said allowing anonymous and out-of-district speakers to participate during public comment is at the board’s discretion. He said other districts have chosen to limit speakers, as per the commissioner of education’s rule on the matter, and said neighboring districts have passed rules limiting which outside groups can participate in public meetings.
School Board President Christopher Foresto said the board is not looking to suppress anybody’s speech, but meetings should not be “hijacked” by disruptors who live several hundred miles away, an issue which has arisen at other districts in the nation.
“We need to be able to really get to the important feedback and kind of separate out the noise,” Foresto said.
He said teachers and alumni who live out of the district should be allowed to speak as well as neighboring civic groups.
“We have to find that balance,” he said.
In response to the discussion, the JerichoVoice website said the First Amendment protects anonymous speech.
“So yes, JerichoVoice includes anonymous voices,” the website reads. “And they matter.”
The Board of Education said the policy surrounding public comment will be further examined in the future.
Grishman said at the March Board of Education meeting that the community debate that has stemmed from the renaming is “atypical” for the district.
“There has become a part of this honor that has really tainted this tremendous honor,” he said.
Grishman began his career as an elementary and middle school math teacher, later taking on administrative roles. Before his time at Jericho, he served as superintendent for four districts in the state.
Grishman has served in the role for 47 years, making him the longest-standing superintendent in New York State history, he said. In 2012, he received the New York State School Superintendent of the Year award.
School board members supported honoring Grishman by the school district.
“As a board president, as a community member, as a parent of children in this district and—most importantly—as your friend, you are an extraordinary man who has done an extraordinary job shepherding what I would say is arguably the most prolific time in the history of Jericho schools,” said Foresto.
“The work that you’ve done, your level of commitment and your love for this district is unwavering, and I thank you for that,” he told Grishman at the meeting.
“You deserve the renaming because of what you just did,” said Jill Citron, the school board vice president.
At the February board meeting, residents referenced the naming of the Ratner-Seamon Elementary School, which honored the late Jeffery Ratner, a school administrator who died in 2019. At last month’s meeting, Foresto said that renaming buildings is up to the board’s discretion, but many districts solicit opinions from the community before doing so.
Grishman said he has received hundreds of letters of support from parents and former staff members.
At the February board meeting, former Cantiague Principal Barbara Bauer expressed her support for the naming and said the building is an especially fitting honor, as Grishman’s grandchildren attended the elementary school.
Foresto said the district will likely honor Grishman’s commitment and service in the “not-so-distant future.”
