To the Jericho Board of Education, Superintendent Grishman, District Leadership, PTA Council, and SEPTA Leadership:
The events of February 11th’s Board meeting will forever stand as a testament to both extraordinary courage and profound moral failure within our district. On that evening, we witnessed something remarkable: a young boy, one of our students, summoning the bravery to stand before his superintendent and speak his truth. Looking Henry Grishman directly in the eye, this child gave voice to what many have felt but few have dared to say: “You don’t hear me and you don’t see me.”
The response to this moment of raw honesty and courage revealed the rot at the core of our district’s leadership culture.
Let us document precisely what transpired, so there can be no denial or minimizing of these shameful events. Board Vice President Jill Citron, a licensed attorney who should understand the gravity of manipulating public discourse, admitted to soliciting supporters for the Cantiague Elementary School renaming proposal. Throughout the evening, orchestrated standing ovations and emphatic applause came from:
- Board President Dr. Christopher Foresto
- Board Vice President Jill Citron
- Board Trustee Dr. Divya Balachandar
- Superintendent Henry L. Grishman
- Assistant Superintendent David Cohen (Educational Operations & Human Resources)
- Assistant Superintendent Victor Manuel (Business Affairs)
- Assistant Superintendent Dr. Ivy Sherman (Curriculum & Instruction)
Each burst of choreographed applause served as a display of institutional power, a clear message about which voices would be celebrated and which would be silenced.
It must be noted that while some board members maintained their neutrality during these orchestrated displays, demonstrating their understanding of the importance of unbiased governance, the majority chose to participate in this choreographed show of power.
Then came the moment that exposed the moral bankruptcy of our educational leadership. A child – a student whom you are all charged with protecting and nurturing – stood up to speak his truth. In that moment, the contrast could not have been more stark or damning. The same room that had erupted in applause for every solicited statement supporting the administration fell silent. The same PTA leadership that claims to advocate for our children sat mute. The same SEPTA members who profess to protect our most vulnerable students refused to show support.
Board Member Citron, who had worked so diligently to pack the room with supporters, offered no acknowledgment. Dr. Sherman and Mr. Cohen, who had enthusiastically applauded the parade of solicited praise, could not muster the basic decency to support a student’s right to be heard. The superintendent’s loyal “groupies,” so quick to cheer for their chosen narrative, demonstrated where their true loyalties lie – and it is not with our children.
In that moment of student courage, the silence was deafening. The same room that had erupted in orchestrated applause and standing ovations just moments before fell completely silent. An entire assembly of educational leaders, parent advocates, and community members – who had so enthusiastically celebrated their own narratives – demonstrated where their true loyalties lie through their stark shift to complete silence. Let that sink in.
This failure demands accountability. We require a formal, written apology to this student from:
- Superintendent Henry Grishman
- Board Vice President Jill Citron
- Ivy Sherman and Dave Cohen
- PTA Council President Aileen Gingold and the entire PTA Council leadership
- SEPTA leadership
This apology must acknowledge:
- The manipulation of the public meeting through solicited support
- The creation of an intimidating environment for dissenting voices
- The failure to support a student exercising his right to be heard
- The betrayal of your fundamental responsibilities as educational leaders and child advocates
Your collective behavior sent a crystal clear message to every student in our district: institutional power matters more than student voice. Loyalty to leadership trumps truth. Adult careers and relationships take precedence over student welfare.
A child stood up and faced what he perceived as his “monster.” He showed more courage, integrity, and leadership in those few minutes than the combined actions of our highly-paid administrators and self-proclaimed parent advocates. This student deserved to be supported, to be heard, to be acknowledged – even if you disagreed with his message. Instead, you chose to demonstrate exactly what he was brave enough to call out – that you don’t hear him, and you don’t see him.
The community now sees clearly what happened. We see the coordinated effort to control the narrative. We see the willingness to silence dissent. Most disturbingly, we see the complete abandonment of your moral obligation to support student voice and advocacy.
We demand this formal apology be delivered by the March 20, 2025 Board of Education regular meeting. Furthermore, we demand a public commitment to reforms that will prevent such orchestrated suppression of student voice in the future. Anything less will only confirm what this brave student already knew – that our current leadership is more interested in maintaining power than hearing the very children they are meant to serve.
The students are watching. The community is watching. It’s time to demonstrate that adult leadership in our district means more than protecting the powerful at the expense of the brave.
Make no mistake about what follows if these apologies are not forthcoming: This will not fade away. This will not be forgotten. This is not a threat – it is a promise of unwavering advocacy for every student you failed that night.
We, the Jericho Voice, will become the shadow that follows each of you through your remaining careers in Jericho and into retirement. Every public appearance, every professional endeavor, every attempt to rewrite this history will be met with the truth of what you did to this child. We will use every legal means at our disposal – every public forum, every social media platform, every professional network – to ensure that your names remain forever tied to this moral failure.
For every parent advocacy organization you attempt to join, they will know. For every educational position you pursue, they will know. For every attempt to burnish your legacy, they will know. Your betrayal of this student, and by extension every student in this district, will follow you until you make this right.
This isn’t about anger – it’s about justice. This isn’t about revenge – it’s about reform. This is about ensuring that never again in this district will a child stand alone before power. Never again will supposed educational leaders and parent advocates choose institutional loyalty over student courage.
You have until the March 20, 2025 Board of Education regular meeting to demonstrate that you understand the magnitude of your failure and are willing to make it right.
Choose wisely. The community is watching.
Unwavering in pursuit of justice,
Jericho Voice
On behalf of every student who deserves better
