Babylon BOE To Hold Virtual Meeting

BABYLON, NY — The Babylon Board of Education, which faced criticism from community members for its behavior at a December 13 meeting, announced Wednesday that it will conduct its January 10 meeting virtually.

The board announced on its website that due to "current public health concerns regarding COVID-19, this meeting will be held via video conference with no in-person attendance."

The public session will begin at 7:30 p.m. Viewers can access the live stream through a Zoom link.

Board members and superintendent Linda Rozzi faced scrutiny last month after numerous attendees claimed their behavior at a December 13 meeting was a "disgrace" and deemed "bullying."

Brittany Rohl, the first of many alumni to claim she was sexually abused by a Babylon High School teacher, said that the behavior of board members and superintendent Linda Rozzi was also "painful" for many who said they were sexual abuse survivors, who were interrupted and silenced while attempting to speak. Attorney General Letitia James launched an investigation into the Babylon School District in November, after numerous community members shared their traumatic experiences.

Attendees also told Patch that the proceedings started late, and many people were not allowed inside due to limited room capacity. Rohl later created a Change.Org petition addressed to the board to change the structure of future meetings. It currently has more than 600 signatures.

"The result was that the community continued to lose faith in the Board of Education," Rohl wrote. "Regardless of the intent with which the 12/13 meeting was planned, it sent a message to the community that the Board of Education is not willing to listen to us as parents, alumni, and students."

According to the meeting agenda and in a statement to Patch, the board stated that while the meeting will be virtual, there will also be an opportunity for questions and comments from community members during the live stream.

"It has always been the practice of the Board of Education when holding a fully virtual meeting, with no in-person attendance allowed, that questions and comments could be submitted via Zoom," the board told Patch.

Rohl, who traveled from her residency in Florida to Babylon to speak at an in-person meeting on November 15 after board members prohibited her from speaking via Zoom, said that she is beyond disappointed.

"It confirms my hunch that I wasn't allowed to speak at the November meeting from my home in Florida for a reason: they really didn't want to hear what I had to say," she said.

Rohl also told Patch that she believes that what she calls the board's inconsistent rules for its Zoom viewers is a "vivid reminder" of the "carefully designed procedural loopholes" to protect employees over students.

"These things initially appear as ignorance, and the community gives them the benefit of the doubt, but is actually quite calculated," said Rohl.

Darcy Bennet, Class of 2009, also spoke at both the November and December meetings about her accusations of abuse. Bennett said she traveled two hours to the meetings, and that entering the high school gave her severe anxiety. What made things worse, she said, was sharing her trauma with the BOE who "would who would pick their nails and roll their eyes" when she spoke.

"They have been extremely unprofessional with the way that they handle these meetings and very disrespectful to people having to travel to get to Babylon to try to make positive changes," she said.

Rohl told Patch that seeing this behavior repeat itself makes her less inclined to give "the benefit of the doubt" and trust the board.

"Seeing the gaslighting play out in real time over the past few months, adding credence to alleged cover-ups, is very validating," said Rohl. "I'm grateful to be able to see this for what it is."