Parents outraged, say NY school district dismissed their safety concerns weeks before alleged 'stabbing'

LINDENHURST, N.Y. (CITC) — Parents in a New York public school district are outraged after they believe consistent dismissal of their safety concerns led to a middle school student being stabbed last month.

Emotions ran high at the Lindenhurst Union Free School District's (LUFSD) first school board meeting since a March 27 "altercation" between students warranted police presence.

District communications shared with Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) do not explicitly describe what occurred. However, the incident was repeatedly described as a "stabbing" Wednesday night by parents who claim it shouldn't have been a surprise.

Unfortunately, because I was unable to bring awareness to these threats, our students, teachers and staff experienced the horror two weeks later," one mother said. "You were too busy trying to stifle my voice. You could've prevented that environment. You did not."

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The mother claims she, along with another parent, was "silenced" at a community forum just weeks before the alleged stabbing incident. She says she was attempting to bring awareness to several "knife threats" that day.

I've been bringing the middle school behavior to your attention every month and have mentioned that these behaviors will grow worse. I have asked the board repeatedly, 'what are you waiting for? Something horrific to happen in our schools before you take any kind of action?'" she said. "Am I still crazy? Am I still exaggerating?"

Before ending her public comment, the mother asked the LUFSD board why students were kept in the cafeteria during the incident. She argues the protocol was both unsafe and contradictory to what should occur during a formal school lockdown.

Had this been an active shooter scenario, our students in the cafeteria would have been sitting ducks," she said.

The room erupted when Superintendent Anthony Davidson refuted the claim, saying students were instead in a "shelter in place," which allows them to remain where they are located at the time. Parents shouted that local police have referred to the situation as a "lockdown," and they believe LUFSD is now attempting to "change the narrative."

The district communications obtained by CITC refer to the protocol on March 27 as a "lockdown."

LUFSD has implemented multiple new safety measures since the incident, including additional security guards and random bag searches. The district is also mapping out funds for both control-access vestibules and an improved security camera system.

Parents raised concerns over the proposed funding Wednesday, stressing that they want to trust that the money will truly be used to prioritize safety. LUFSD board members assured them that it would be.

In spite of some of the speculation, Monday's incident was unforeseen by staff and administration," Davidson wrote in a letter to families. "As a community, we not only must heal together but we must also work together."