Malverne School trustee responds to NAACP

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Ms. Bayley also claims that a lack of black teachers as role models, and certain decisions, such as the choices of this year’s football team co-captains, result in the lack of black students assuming leadership positions. Again, this is not the case. A review of the officers in our various student governments and clubs will show that they are very much proportionate to the race of the student body. As for Ms. Bayley’s comment as to why three out of four co-captains on this year’s football team were white, they are chosen each year by the coaching staff and their decision was based on ability, character, leadership and team spirit. The majority of the coaching staff is black. The coaches like myself are colorblind not color preferenced, as is the NAACP. I commend the coaches on their excellent and gutsy choice.

At the recent school board meeting, I voiced my resentment of the NAACP for assigning the failure of the school district to hire more black teachers. I believe the priority in hiring a teacher should always be based primarily on individual’s ability first and everything else comes second. I said that the community and particularly parents should be the primary role models. I questioned the lack of male role models within the NAACP itself. In the more than 20 years I have been attending board meetings, I rarely, if ever saw a black male upper officer. The absence of male leadership signifies to me a shortcoming in this organization that seems keen to place blame on our school board and administration.

Lastly, I would like to point out that the NAACP does not represent the opinions of all Lakeview residents. I also find it ironic that an individual, who I considered one of our school community’s best black male role models, the now retired principal of Malverne High School, Mr. Brown, was despised by the NAACP, in addition, both current black members of the board were not supported by the NAACP and yet were elected when they ran.

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