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Administrators at Smithtown High School East contacted the Suffolk County Police Department on Wednesday, Dec. 18, after discovering what the district described as a series of “troubling” posts the employee shared online.
Officers with the Fourth Precinct Crime Section reviewed the content and determined they were not criminal and posed no credible threat, a Suffolk County Police spokesperson told Daily Voice.
The employee, who school officials said had recently been hired, was transported to a hospital for evaluation.
It was not immediately clear whether the staffer was a teacher or worked on campus in another capacity.
In a letter to parents sent Wednesday, Smithtown High School East Principal Robert Rose said the employee had been reassigned pending an investigation.
A follow-up letter from Smithtown Central School District Superintendent Mark Secaur sent on Thursday, Dec. 19, confirmed that the staffer in question was “no longer affiliated with the district.”
“We share the community's concern related to the content that was posted, and once we were made aware of it, we took immediate action,” Secaur said. “We take this and other similar matters very seriously, hence the swift response that included our local law enforcement officials.”
Rose told parents he was “very thankful” that a community member immediately made administrators aware of the posts, allowing officials to “act quickly and manage the situation effectively.”
“The old adage ‘If you see something, say something’ was adhered to and we are grateful,” he said.
Secaur said the district’s current hiring process includes an administrative review of applications, resumes, and other documents, as well as reference checks, and fingerprint background screenings.
However, he noted there are “several concerns” with vetting a candidate’s social media history, including the fact that social accounts are often private or not easily identifiable.
“What may be deemed as disqualifying by some can have significant legal implications (e.g. First Amendment protections),” Secaur said.
“We recognize the importance of continuously evaluating our procedures as they relate to hiring and the professional conduct of our staff and will certainly, in consultation with our attorneys, examine our current approach with an eye towards methods to improve it.”
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