Fox Lane HS principal to resign after report detailing failed probe of lewd student photos

Fox Lane High School Principal Brett Miller will resign by June and Edward Escobar, the Bedford school district's director of pupil services, is on leave after the release of a report outlining the administration's failures in its handling of an incident in which students took lewd photos and video of special education students in a school bathroom.

Bedford Superintendent Robert Glass announced the staffing changes during a Wednesday night school board meeting that followed the Tuesday release of the report, which was conducted by an independent agency.

Miller told the district he is looking for employment elsewhere and will resign June 30 or earlier if he finds other employment. And, Glass said, "Dr. Escobar is on leave for the foreseeable future."

Miller will work on special projects in the business office until he leaves the district, with Sue Ostrofsky leading the high school for now. Ostrofsky is a former principal of both Fox Lane Middle School and Mount Kisco Elementary. She retired in 2021.

Several members of the school community, including current and former teachers, students and parents, told the board Wednesday how devastating the incident has been. Some pointed to longstanding issues with special education in the district.

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Glass, who joined the district July 1, said the report showed "significant breakdowns" in communication, policy and training. Former Superintendent Joel Adelberg, who led the district when the incident took place and through the district's internal investigation, had already been scheduled to retire June 30.

"The release of this report has opened a wound that had not fully healed following an egregious event," Glass said.

"Our first priority is always to our students," said school board president Edward Reder. "This report illustrates a breakdown in that trust affecting vulnerable students that is never acceptable. Our expectations must be higher."

The community responds

Over a dozen members of the school community addressed the board and were largely critical of the administration's lack of leadership in the aftermath of a student telling a special education teacher on March 11 that two of her students had been photographed in a bathroom.

Karen Close, whose son was a victim in the incident and who has spoken out about the district's failings, said after reading the report it was clear to her the district's administration doesn't care about all students.

"It's obvious that the blatant disregard shown for the oversight, care, well-being and safety of our most vulnerable students was not even considered by the district's administration and board," Close said.

She pointed to the inaction of the administration after the incident was reported and a lack of leadership and basic record keeping in the administration's response to the incident. The report by Kroll Associates, which reviewed the district's internal investigation of what took place, also determined that a lack of leadership led to the district's confused and ineffective response.

"I want no other family to ever have to endure this pain," Close said.

Criticism of poor leadership was a common thread throughout public comments, as was praise for the action taken by the special education teacher who first heard about the incident. Board members also thanked Glass for his leadership.

Fox Lane teacher Amy Salerno questioned the accuracy of the report by Kroll Associates, at least in terms of how certain administrators were portrayed.

"I have such deep respect for some of the people whose actions have been questioned and really torn apart that are in that report," Salerno said, "And just reading it, it did not make sense to me and it didn't seem accurate to my daily experiences with those individuals."

Evelyn Carmichael, a retired special education teacher, said she was bothered that the district's first reaction was to change the routines of special education students. This reaction was "to further impede the freedoms of the students in special education," she said. "Those students have a right to the least restrictive environment."

What happens next

Glass said problems the report identified were already being addressed and the district's legal team would provide "training on investigation protocols, note-taking and documentation" to all administrators on Feb. 1.

The district's policy on parental notification is being revised "to include a one-day notification to families," Glass said. The change will be taken up by the Board Policy Committee Friday and the full board as early as Dec. 21.

The district is also reviewing its Dignity for All Students Act training to ensure it meets the highest standard, he said.

"Issues of communication protocols, ownership of student disciplinary incidents have been addressed and in my estimation are improving," Glass said. He said issues around school culture and climate are being addressed as part of a "rigorous evaluation process."

Reder said the school board and administration have to work together "to look within this report and where those breakdowns occurred so that they don't occur again."

Glass said: "This is about being reliable. This is about being accountable. This is about rebuilding trust all around."

Contact Diana Dombrowski at ddombrowski@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @domdomdiana.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Bedford HS principal to resign after report on lewd photo scandal