Elmont parents call for removing Bellmore-Merrick from HS sports schedule, citing complaints of racial harassment
Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District administration building. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
Sewanhaka Central High School District officials are weighing a request from some Elmont parents to remove Bellmore-Merrick from the high school's sports schedule, after years of complaints about racial harassment at games.
The topic is expected to come up at the next meeting of the Sewanhaka school board, at 8 p.m. March 25 at Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park.
Sewanhaka schools Superintendent Regina Agrusa in a statement Tuesday acknowledged the parents' concerns but said “the district is also aware that many Elmont parents and student-athletes wish to continue these games. As a result, the district is carefully reviewing all options in the best interest of our student-athletes before making any formal recommendations about the future game schedule.”
The parents’ request came after an incident during a girls varsity basketball game in Bellmore last month, when two players from opposing teams tussled over the ball. Officials with Section VIII Athletics, the governing body for school sports in Nassau County, said that dispute was not racial.
However, some Elmont parents said in interviews with Newsday that it followed numerous games at which their children have been subjected to racist behavior, including racial epithets.
The Sewanhaka district includes five high schools in Elmont, New Hyde Park, Franklin Square and Floral Park. Elmont’s student population is 60% Black, 21% Hispanic, 16% Asian and 2% white, state figures show.
The Bellmore-Merrick district includes three high schools in Bellmore and Merrick. Its high schools’ population ranges from 3% to 4% Black, 12 to 15% Hispanic, 12% to 14% Asian and 68% to 75% white, the state reported.
Bellmore-Merrick school leaders and athletic officials say a limited number of spectators have engaged in racist behavior in recent years, and they have been removed from the stands and disciplined whenever officials became aware of the conduct.
Michael Harrington, superintendent of the Bellmore-Merrick district, said in a statement that the district has “extended our deepest apologies and held ourselves accountable for unfortunate behaviors that have occurred in the past with Elmont Memorial High School.”
In a subsequent statement, he said, “We continue to have ongoing conversations with the Sewanhaka Central High School District and Section VIII and remain committed to fostering an environment that is supportive and respectful of all.”
But Jon Johnson, president of the Elmont PTSA Dad’s Club and father of three Elmont Memorial graduates, said, “We can't just keep putting our kids at risk. Why not get ahead of this before something major happens and then we’ve got YouTube videos showing a melee?”
Johnson said numerous parents spoke at a public meeting with district and athletic officials this month, asking for Bellmore-Merrick to be removed from Elmont teams’ schedule this fall.
“There’s nothing else that we have identified at this time as being a fix … The other measures we’ve attempted haven’t worked," he said.
The recent incident that prompted calls to remove Bellmore-Merrick from Elmont's sports schedule “had nothing to do with race,” said Patrick Pizzarelli, executive director of Section VIII Athletics.
The incident occurred at a Feb. 7 game at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore. An Elmont player who is Black was removed and suspended for two future games after a dispute with a white player from Bellmore. A video later showed that the Bellmore player hit the Elmont player and either pulled her hair or got tangled in it, after which the Elmont player punched back, Pizzarelli said.
On a second appeal by Elmont, the Elmont player’s suspension was lifted after one game and the Bellmore-Merrick district suspended its own player for two games, he said.
Two earlier incidents in 2021 and 2023 “were racial, by all means, and we have zero tolerance for any of that stuff,” Pizzarelli said. Those incidents, he said, “were handled appropriately, both by the Bellmore-Merrick school district and Section VIII.”
Not all parents support the request for a break from games with Bellmore-Merrick.
If an incident occurs, school officials should “find the culprit and suspend them” or impose another penalty, said Cal Nwabudu, whose son has played basketball for three years at Elmont and whose two daughters also played sports for the school. “It's not everybody that is responsible for those actions.”
But some Elmont parents said there has been a pattern for years of racial harassment by Bellmore-Merrick community members, many of which don’t get reported because the players don’t want to risk their shot at college scholarships.
“They tell their parents but they don’t tell the officials,” said Sheldon Meikle, father of three Elmont graduates, board member of the Elmont Spartan Club booster organization and former member of the Elmont Union Free School District’s school board.
Lynette Battle, immediate past president of the Elmont High School PTSA and a trustee on the Elmont board of education, said parents “want to see meaningful impact, not just lip service.”
Sewanhaka Central High School District officials are weighing a request from some Elmont parents to remove Bellmore-Merrick from the high school's sports schedule, after years of complaints about racial harassment at games.
The topic is expected to come up at the next meeting of the Sewanhaka school board, at 8 p.m. March 25 at Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park.
Sewanhaka schools Superintendent Regina Agrusa in a statement Tuesday acknowledged the parents' concerns but said “the district is also aware that many Elmont parents and student-athletes wish to continue these games. As a result, the district is carefully reviewing all options in the best interest of our student-athletes before making any formal recommendations about the future game schedule.”
The parents’ request came after an incident during a girls varsity basketball game in Bellmore last month, when two players from opposing teams tussled over the ball. Officials with Section VIII Athletics, the governing body for school sports in Nassau County, said that dispute was not racial.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
Some Elmont parents want to remove Bellmore-Merrick from the high school's sports schedule, after years of complaints about racial harassment at games.
The request was prompted by the suspension of an Elmont girls varsity basketball player after a dispute with a white player from Bellmore. A video later showed that the Bellmore player hit the Elmont girl, who then punched back.
Bellmore-Merrick school leaders and athletic officials say a limited number of spectators have engaged in racist behavior in the past, and the issue has been addressed when officials became aware of the conduct.
However, some Elmont parents said in interviews with Newsday that it followed numerous games at which their children have been subjected to racist behavior, including racial epithets.
The Sewanhaka district includes five high schools in Elmont, New Hyde Park, Franklin Square and Floral Park. Elmont’s student population is 60% Black, 21% Hispanic, 16% Asian and 2% white, state figures show.
The Bellmore-Merrick district includes three high schools in Bellmore and Merrick. Its high schools’ population ranges from 3% to 4% Black, 12 to 15% Hispanic, 12% to 14% Asian and 68% to 75% white, the state reported.
Bellmore-Merrick school leaders and athletic officials say a limited number of spectators have engaged in racist behavior in recent years, and they have been removed from the stands and disciplined whenever officials became aware of the conduct.
Michael Harrington, superintendent of the Bellmore-Merrick district, said in a statement that the district has “extended our deepest apologies and held ourselves accountable for unfortunate behaviors that have occurred in the past with Elmont Memorial High School.”
In a subsequent statement, he said, “We continue to have ongoing conversations with the Sewanhaka Central High School District and Section VIII and remain committed to fostering an environment that is supportive and respectful of all.”
Jon Johnson Credit: Courtesy of Sheldon Meikle
But Jon Johnson, president of the Elmont PTSA Dad’s Club and father of three Elmont Memorial graduates, said, “We can't just keep putting our kids at risk. Why not get ahead of this before something major happens and then we’ve got YouTube videos showing a melee?”
Johnson said numerous parents spoke at a public meeting with district and athletic officials this month, asking for Bellmore-Merrick to be removed from Elmont teams’ schedule this fall.
“There’s nothing else that we have identified at this time as being a fix … The other measures we’ve attempted haven’t worked," he said.
Elmont player suspended
The recent incident that prompted calls to remove Bellmore-Merrick from Elmont's sports schedule “had nothing to do with race,” said Patrick Pizzarelli, executive director of Section VIII Athletics.
The incident occurred at a Feb. 7 game at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore. An Elmont player who is Black was removed and suspended for two future games after a dispute with a white player from Bellmore. A video later showed that the Bellmore player hit the Elmont player and either pulled her hair or got tangled in it, after which the Elmont player punched back, Pizzarelli said.
On a second appeal by Elmont, the Elmont player’s suspension was lifted after one game and the Bellmore-Merrick district suspended its own player for two games, he said.
Two earlier incidents in 2021 and 2023 “were racial, by all means, and we have zero tolerance for any of that stuff,” Pizzarelli said. Those incidents, he said, “were handled appropriately, both by the Bellmore-Merrick school district and Section VIII.”
Not all parents support the request for a break from games with Bellmore-Merrick.
If an incident occurs, school officials should “find the culprit and suspend them” or impose another penalty, said Cal Nwabudu, whose son has played basketball for three years at Elmont and whose two daughters also played sports for the school. “It's not everybody that is responsible for those actions.”
But some Elmont parents said there has been a pattern for years of racial harassment by Bellmore-Merrick community members, many of which don’t get reported because the players don’t want to risk their shot at college scholarships.
“They tell their parents but they don’t tell the officials,” said Sheldon Meikle, father of three Elmont graduates, board member of the Elmont Spartan Club booster organization and former member of the Elmont Union Free School District’s school board.
Lynette Battle, immediate past president of the Elmont High School PTSA and a trustee on the Elmont board of education, said parents “want to see meaningful impact, not just lip service.”
Maura McDermott is a reporter on the investigations desk. Since starting at Newsday in 2012, she has also covered real estate and the business of health care.
Top Stories
Most Popular
