Parents and community raise bullying, security and Juneteenth essay concerns at Riverhead meeting

Members of the Riverhead community used the June 10 board meeting public-comment period to raise concerns about alleged staff bullying, security-guard conduct, parking and property-use communications, and the history of a Juneteenth youth essay contest.

The comments matter because they raise recurring concerns about student safety, staff conduct, transparency in facilities use, and community-run programs tied to district schools.

Eva Roberts, who identified herself as a community resident, taxpayer and district employee, urged the district to better publicize and celebrate the June 12 anniversary of Loving v. Virginia and described the origins of a youth essay contest tied to civil-rights themes. Roberts said she would be handing out cookies in the transportation department on the anniversary and traced the essay contest’s origin to local civic leaders and the East End Voters Coalition.

Ken Darsh, owner of Bagel Lovers, said he has waited months for a response about renting district property at 700 Oswald (additional parking). Darsh said he had submitted insurance and was awaiting a building-use form and finalized fees. District staff present said they would forward the building-use form and were working on fees and follow-up.

Multiple commenters raised safety and bullying concerns. An identified parent from Wading River said the district’s Dignity for All Students Act signage did not match experiences she described, alleging ongoing bullying by faculty at elementary schools and insufficient responses from administrators. The parent asked how the district would “rectify the terror instilled in our children” and urged greater attention to student mental health.

A community member who identified as Kirby from the Town of Riverhead said a security guard had touched her son and described difficulty getting school officials to address the incident. Kirby said staff sometimes directed her to third parties to raise health or nurse-related concerns and said she felt the district was “sweeping everything under the rug.” The board acknowledged the comments and said security director Terry Culhane was aware of concerns and that staff would follow up.

Emeline Bach Torres, a Riverhead High School alum and current Cornell University student, and Robert “Bubby” Brown, who described himself as a former chair of the East End Voters Coalition, both spoke about the Juneteenth essay contest history and urged the district to return to the contest’s original focus on youth actions to address discrimination.

Board members and district staff responded in the meeting by saying they would follow up on facilities and security questions; when a speaker raised the Bagel Lovers property issue, a district staffer acknowledged receipt of the insurance and said the district would forward the building-use form and finalize fees.

No formal board action on the public concerns was recorded at the meeting; trustees invited individuals to follow up with staff for investigations or next steps.