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Residents press Syosset board on DASA incident spike and antisemitic graffiti; superintendent outlines response
Summary
Two public speakers cited a rise in DASA incidents and repeated swastika stickers; resident Brian Tivett read multi-year incident totals and Ira Rubin urged stronger community education. Superintendent Dr. Rogers called the symbol antisemitic, described holocaust education and the district's anti-bias work, and explained limits on publishing disaggregated data due to privacy.
At the board's public-comment period, resident Brian Tivett urged the Syosset Central School District to explain a sharp rise in DASA (Dignity for All Students Act) incidents, presenting multi-year totals and noting 79 incidents in 2023-24. Tivett asked whether the district had publicly called attention to the increase and whether additional, voluntarily disaggregated data could be shared beyond what the state posts.
"In 2023 to '24... there were 79 DASA incidents in Syosset schools," Tivett said, adding he would like the district to publish more context and to consider community outreach in response to the trend.
A second resident, Ira Rubin, told the board he has lived in Syosset for 48 years and described repeated occurrences of swastika stickers, which he said feel specifically targeted at Jewish students and families. "We need to have the PTA teach the people, speak of it," he said, urging aggressive community education and engagement.
Superintendent Dr. Rogers responded to both commenters, reading from a statement and saying, "The ******** is a symbol of antisemitism and we must acknowledge the pain and alarm it causes." He noted the district's holocaust-education programming and the anti-bias task force, said every building has trained DASA coordinators who investigate incidents, and explained that the district consulted legal counsel about publishing disaggregated incident data.
Dr. Rogers said disaggregating the data further than state reports could risk revealing student identities because the counts are small relative to total enrollment; for that reason the district has chosen to follow statutory reporting thresholds. He pledged to share the presentations and additional programming lists the district has implemented and to continue communicating about the response.
Why it matters: Public pressure over safety and bias incidents can prompt policy or communications changes; parents and community groups often expect clear reporting and education plans when bias incidents rise.
Next steps: The superintendent said the district will circulate materials describing recent programming and anti-bias efforts and will continue to report to the board on any follow-up actions.
