Phillips Avenue Elementary School students and parents rallied at the Riverhead Board of Education meeting last night to call for the reassignment of a beloved school security guard to the school after he was transferred to another building.
A dozen students held up signs reading “WE NEED CRUMP” and “BRING BACK MR CRUMP PLEASE,” as parents pleaded with the board during its public comment portion to reassign Tim Crump back to Phillips Avenue from the middle school, where they said he has been assigned since the mid-winter break.
Parents said Crump had built meaningful relationships with students and their families at Phillips Avenue. Laura Niewadomski, the Phillips Avenue PTSO president, said that during the difficulties of education during the pandemic, the one constant her son could count on at school was Crump.
“Mr. Crump has always been there. Mr. Crump himself is a Phillips Avenue graduate and he is a local community member. He lives in our area,” Niewadomski said. “Mr. Crump is one of the first faces that everyone sees when they come to Phillips Avenue, and he knows each and every one of our children by name, and they know him.”
A Change.org petition launched by Niewadomski three weeks ago to ‘Keep Mr. Crump at Phillips Ave’ has garnered 675 signatures.
“You did not take into consideration that we at Phillips Ave are a family and Mr. Crump is an integral part of that family,” said Kelly Rand, a parent of two students at Phillips Avenue. “He has been part of our family for over three years and all the students look forward to seeing him and saying hello, giving him a fist bump in the hallway. To many of the students, he’s not only a security guard, but he has a finger of safety, authority, and respect.”
“This was not just a job for him,” Rand said. “He gave his whole heart and soul to every student in that school. He gave money out of his own pocket for ice cream. He created a Thanksgiving food drive. He was at every teacher driveby when school first closed down, including my son’s birthday.”
Crump was in the cafeteria when the meeting took place but did not address the board. He told a reporter he was not allowed to comment.
“I watched for years as Phillips Avenue has been neglected and treated unfairly by the district. I’m not the only person in the room who knows that this district has a history of making personnel mistakes,” Niewadomski said. “Please, this mistake can be fixed, and our children and Mr. Crump can all be back together.”
Superintendent Augustine Tornatore said Crump was moved to the middle school because of “what we’ve been dealing with on the secondary level,” which appeared to refer to drug–related incidents at the middle school and high school.
“Decisions are not easy to be made,” Tornatore said. “But there are many pressing issues that we’re trying to resolve in the district. And I did say to all those people I emailed back, talked to on the phone or met in person that we will revisit the situation once we feel that we have more stability for our students on all levels.”
Parents said Crump’s removal from the building could also present a security risk to Phillips Avenue. They said the Flanders and Riverside area has historically been an area with much violent crime, and that Crump’s transfer leaves the building without a male security guard.
“You cannot take Mr. Crump from this [Phillips Avenue area],” Susan Tocci of Flanders said. “You want to know why? You may not know this [area], but Mr. Crump, wherever you are, he knows his [area]. And he has the support and respect from the residents.”
Tornatore said he has visited Riverhead since he was young and he has a home in Baiting Hollow. He said he knows the Flanders and Riverside area. His comments received blowback from parents.
The board of education then adjourned the meeting and Tornatore continued talking to parents after the meeting ended.
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