Karen Lessler, Kings Park High principal, dies, superintendent says
Kings Park High School Principal Karen Lessler spent two decades as an educator in the Middle Country Central School District. Credit: Newsday / John Paraskevas
Karen Lessler, the principal of Kings Park High School and former president of the Middle Country school board, died Monday night, district Superintendent Timothy Eagan said.
Lessler, 65, of Centereach, had been battling cancer, he said.
“During her 20-year tenure in Kings Park, Dr. Lessler touched the lives of many students, employees and parents,” Eagan told Newsday. “She often talked about ‘the work’ — which of course was serving the community and the community’s youth. She loved her job and she will be sorely missed.”
A cause of death was not released, and family members were not immediately available for comment.
Lessler, who was married with an adult son and stepson, earned a bachelor’s degree from Stony Brook University and a doctorate in educational administration from Dowling College, according to a bio on the Kings Park Central School District’s website.
The longtime educator started in the district in 2002 and spent 17 years teaching social studies and advanced placement world history at William T. Rogers Middle School. She was appointed assistant principal of the high school in 2019 and became principal in July 2021.
Lessler previously served as a social studies department lead teacher, student council adviser, teacher mentor, vice president of the Kings Park Teachers Association and associate professor of western civilization at Suffolk County Community College.
She also spent two decades as a board member for the Middle Country Central School District, including as president, before retiring recently to concentrate on the high school.
In 2020, the Harvard Club of Long Island selected Lessler as a Distinguished Teacher after a former student nominated her.
In a letter to district parents Tuesday, Eagan said the school’s crisis intervention team, along with district psychologists and mental health personnel, would be available for students and staff Tuesday and Wednesday.
“This loss is sure to raise many emotions, concerns and questions for our entire school, especially our students,” Eagan wrote.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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