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Parents tell Sachem board bullying at Sagamore persists; board pledges to investigate
Summary
Multiple parents said school staff have not adequately responded to repeated bullying reports at Sagamore Middle School; the board pledged to investigate, said personnel matters would be handled outside public session, and promised follow-up the next day.
Parents told the Sachem Central School District Board of Education on Nov. 19 that bullying at Sagamore Middle School continues despite reports to teachers and administrators.
Joy Diaz (speaker 17) said her family followed district reporting protocols — first contacting a teacher, then the vice principal — but had received no substantive follow-up: “We reported this to the teacher. We did not get help. We did not get emails back. We did not get any phone call,” she told trustees. “If our children go home and they commit suicide or they hurt themselves, it’s on you guys, because we did what we were supposed to do as parents.”
Another commenter, Amal Zabakos (speaker 18), said he had sought incident reports and was told conflicting information by school personnel. “I asked for incident reports. One tells me I’ll have it to you. One tells me none were ever made. I’m done,” he said, adding that he had raised the issue repeatedly with school administrators.
Chair (speaker 1) told the speakers the board takes bullying “very, very seriously” and that the board would investigate the matter, but noted that personnel-related investigations must be conducted outside public session. The chair said someone from the district would get back to the parents the next day with follow-up.
What happens next: The board said it would gather information from administrators and address the issue through appropriate personnel channels; parents were told to expect follow-up by the district the next day.
