The principal of Origins High School in Brooklyn, Dara Kammerman, is being replaced after complaints that she failed to stop antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ behavior at the school. The school, located in Sheepshead Bay, has been dealing with issues involving students expressing hate towards Jewish and LGBTQ students and staff.
Kammerman, who had been working at the school for 11 years, announced in an email that she is “stepping down.” She did not mention the problems at the school, instead calling it a “beautifully diverse” place and expressing pride in what the school had become.
The decision to replace Kammerman comes after a lawsuit was filed against the city’s Department of Education (DOE) by Jewish teacher Danielle Kaminsky and campus manager Michael Beaudry. They claim they were removed from the school after reporting the hateful incidents. Kaminsky said she was harassed by students who called her “a dirty Jew,” drew swastikas, and made Nazi salutes. They even told her, “I wish you were killed” in the Holocaust.
Kammerman reportedly did not properly discipline the students involved. In one case, she suggested that students who praised Hitler were just trying to have an “academic conversation.”
Superintendent Michael Prayor said that Kammerman will still be part of his team but did not explain what her new role will be. Last year, she earned $170,508.
Kammerman will be replaced by Ahmed Elmaliki, a former English teacher and assistant principal with less than two years of experience in administration. Elmaliki, the child of Yemeni immigrants, will be taking over the school, which has a large Muslim student population. In his introduction, Elmaliki emphasized his commitment to celebrating diversity and fostering a positive learning environment but did not mention the incidents that led to his appointment.
Some, like Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, are relieved by the change in leadership but believe more should be done to protect students and staff. She criticized the DOE for transferring Kammerman instead of holding her accountable.
