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WI School Board tables tenure approval following concerns raised by parents After a handful of parents in West Islip raised concerns about the classroom behavior of a teacher scheduled to receive tenure, the West Islip School Board tabled the resolution appointing Beach Street health teacher Nicole Perperis on June 14. Perperis was listed as a 7th grade health teacher in the Beach Street Middle School for students 6 through 8 grades. While several parents and former students came to Perperis' support, others said she conducted herself inappropriately in the classroom. "This teacher was supposed to cover a basic health class and used very poor judgment in describing sex acts to our kids," said Kenneth Kodak, who added that the teacher used inappropriate costumes and drawings to get her points across. "I am just concerned with the safety and welfare of our children," he continued. "A psychologist needs to talk to the kids in her class to see what happened and undo any damage." "I was horrified to find out what my daughter was learning and what explicit language she used," said flustered mom Linda Hoffman. "Many kids aren't ready to hear what they heard. My son loved this teacher but she lost control near the end of the year," another parent told the board. The parent said that the teacher placed a box in the classroom soliciting students' questions and that the practice raised all sorts of inappropriate subjects, which Perperis discussed in the classroom. One of her former teenage students disagreed, saying the issue was just a matter of maturity. "She was a great teacher. It was just that some kids are never taught anything (about sex) by their parents, so they are not mature," said the high school freshman who did not give his name. "I had her, my sister had her and my little brother has her now and she never did anything inappropriate," said another teen who added that Perperis didn't wear costumes in the classroom. Instead, she sometimes placed post-it notes on her body and then transferred them to a body diagram on the board as a teaching method. A mom who had several children in Perperis' class agreed that she was a good teacher, and never conducted herself inappropriately. "I don't understand what these other parents are saying," said Tracy Medonia. "She is a fine teacher and there has never been a problem." On the website, RateMyteacher.com, Perperis was listed by her students as a great teacher more than 10 times. In fact, several listed her as their favorite teacher. For this reason, and because of her strengths as an athletic trainer, she will be moved to the High School in September, according to West Islip School District spokesperson Nancy Lenz. "We are interviewing all of the 7th graders that were in her class this year to investigate the concerns. Until we get the results, her tenure will be tabled," she said.
In the West Islip School District, teachers are not eligible for tenure until they complete three years of satisfactory service. In addition to teaching in the community since 2005, Perperis is also a volunteer trainer in the West Islip soccer and lacrosse clubs. She did not return several calls placed with the school district to solicit her response to the parents' concerns and the boards decision.
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