Long Island After-School Program Supervisor Fired After Lesson on Sandy Hook Shooting

A beloved supervisor of an East Northport after-school program was recently fired after she made the controversial decision to explain the Sandy Hook school shooting to children during a lockdown drill at Dickinson Avenue Elementary School.

As a retired New York City police officer, parents were comforted that someone like GiGi Kearns was watching over their kids at Dickinson’s PM SCOPE program.

Kearns felt that she had the experience to talk to children about the Sandy Hook shooting, but SCOPE Education Services terminated Kearns one week after the incident when one parent complained about Kearns’ actions.

Many parents say they were left in the dark on why their favorite supervisor would no longer be watching over their kids. They say SCOPE remained silent on the issue even though parents reached out to the program several times and even created a petition with hundreds of signatures.

While Kearns was a police officer, she would go to schools in her precinct and speak on safety issues.

“I had a background speaking with kids on sensitive issues,” she told Patch.

On Friday May 22, SCOPE implemented a new lockdown safety drill, but Kearns said that she and the other supervisors were not given proper instructions to follow. Kearns said that if she had a procedure to follow, she would still have her job and the incident would have never happened.

During the drill, the children were meant to hide under the tables and keep quiet, but a group of six elementary-aged kids were laughing. The drill had to be repeated several times.

One child mentioned Sandy Hook during the drill and that prompted several questions. Many of the children had never heard of Sandy Hook, the 2012 shooting at a Connecticut elementary school in which 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 students and six staff members.

Kearns showed the children pictures of: Lanza, crying Sandy Hook parents, the SWAT team at the school and teachers escorting students out of the building.

A SCOPE parent said her child did not think the photos were gruesome or violent. “It wasn’t an issue with any of them,” Kearns said.

The kids even thought the picture of the SWAT team was the “coolest thing ever,” she said.

When parents picked up their kids at the end of the day, Kearns spoke to the parents of the children who were laughing under the table.

Kearns said five out of the six parents were glad that Kearns spoke to their kids. One parent was not happy.

That parent took her opinion on the issue and brought it to SCOPE.

On Tuesday, May 26, Kearns was called into SCOPE offices where she was given a one-week suspension so the program could investigate the incident. Three days later, Kearns was fired after 15 years of working as a supervisor.

Many parents said SCOPE would not provide them with any reasoning behind Kearns’s termination.

Patch reached out to SCOPE and received the following statement from executive director George Duffy:

“We are aware of and appreciate the concerns brought to our attention by several parents. However, as this is a matter of personnel, we are legally prohibited from discussing the details associated with this decision. All decisions are made in the best interest of the children attending our programs. “

SCOPE said the reason behind firing Kearns was “poor judgment.”

Kearns, however, does not feel that she made a bad judgment call and she does not regret giving the Sandy Hook lesson.

“The bottom line is I have experience in this,” she told Patch.

Several parents wrote to SCOPE and explained that they did not agree with the decision to fire Kearns.

“She made a choice that was controversial, but by no means wrong,” a parent wrote in a letter to the program.

A parent of one of the students who misbehaved during the lockdown believes the situation was mistreated. In a letter to fellow SCOPE parents, Aya Blaney wrote that she is grateful that Kearns corrected her son’s behavior.

“I feel fortunate to have someone like [Kearns] who is a former law enforcement professional who understands and knows what to do,” she wrote.

In a letter to SCOPE, parent Joann Stegner wrote:

“I understand the pressure that a person (a parent) can put on a situation that may force an authority figure to make a very reactive decision. All of the feedback I have received regarding this decision has put administration in a very bad light. Parents are not happy with the decision and the children are upset by losing someone they grew to love and felt safe with.”

The program’s decision led parents to create a petition on Change.org called “Reinstate GiGi Kearns’ Position,” which has more than 300 signatures.

Stegner’s daughter Stephanie even created her own petition. “Bring Miss GiGi Back” received more than 70 signatures.

“I told Stephanie that there are times when adults can rush into making incorrect decisions, but sometimes there are the bigger individuals that admit they could have handled it differently,” Stegner wrote to SCOPE.

Other parents explained the important role Kearns has had in their children’s lives.

“It’s not too often in this world that we can entrust the care of our children into the hands of another whom we wholeheartedly trust and respect,” Monica Kluhsmeier wrote. “GiGi Kearns is one of those people.”

Although Kearns is upset that she was fired, she said she wants nothing more than to get her job back.

Patch reached out to SCOPE and asked if they would consider giving Kearns another chance, but we did not receive a response.

Should Kearns get her job back? Do you think she should have been fired for her actions?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Photo Caption: Stephanie created the petition “Bring Miss GiGi Back” and it received more than 70 signatures.