The Mineola Board of Education is not united in the way it is answering a former employee's charges that the school superintendent and deputy superintendent acted inappropriately in creating a hostile work environment and making derogatory comments.

Former administrative assistant to the superintendent Lana Illiano filed a lawsuit against Dr. Larry Licopoli, Dr. Michael Nagler and the Mineola School District on Feb. 7 alleging that the defendants created and condoned a sexually and religiously hostile work environment. Attorneys for both Licopoli and Nagler both denied the charges. School board president John McGrath also stated in a letter to the community that can be found on the district's Web site, that the district is confident it will prevail against the charges.

However, one member of the five-member board of education, Laraine Salvatore, who was elected to the board in 2007, has sent a petition to the New York New York State Department of Education calling for the commissioner of education to reinstate the former administrative assistant to her position, investigate the actions of the superintendent, deputy superintendent and three board members (McGrath, Vice President Steve Siwinski and Trustee Mary Ellen Williams), which, the petition, alleges, "engaged in nonfeasance of their duties as board members."

In her own open letter to the community, which can be found in the Letters to the Editor section of this newspaper, Salvatore states that she has a different opinion of the findings that an attorney commissioned by the board to conduct an investigation of the matter.

The Mineola Board of Education, in July, hired an attorney, Douglas Libby, to undertake a special investigation of certain serious allegations concerning alleged wrongdoing on the part of the superintendent and deputy superintendent including sexual harassment, wrongful termination and creating a hostile workplace.

On Jan. 24, the attorney completed the investigation and, according to the petition Salvatore sent to the state, concluded that such substantial wrongdoing had occurred. "I wouldn't have filed the petition if I didn't feel what I said in it was true. There was no place else for me to go," said Salvatore about filing a petition for the commissioner of education. "When you have a consensus on the board, the board's attorney has to go with the consensus."

The board majority, through the board of education's attorney Jack Feldman of the firm Ehrlich, Frazer & Feldman, send its response to Salvatore's petition to the state education department.

In the board majority's response to Salvatore's petition, it denies that the report prepared by the outside counsel hired by the board concluded that substantial wrongdoing had occurred. The board majority also denied that the board failed to take remedial action. The response also states that the "petitioner's (Salvatore's) allegations consist of her personal opinions and speculations" and that the petitioner hasn't set forth factual allegations, let alone proof to support her claim that the board failed to take any remedial action.

McGrath said the board did investigate the matter but the report referred to in Salvatore's petition did not conclude there was substantial wrongdoing. "Mrs. Salvatore's petition doesn't have any proof and Mrs. Illiano's complaint is merely allegations," he said.

With talk of a harassment lawsuit, it's hard to lose sight that the Mineola School District could be on the verge of making substantial changes. With a grade configuration study nearing its conclusion, the Mineola School Board will soon be faced with having to make a decision on perhaps closing one of two schools, leaving its grade configuration the way it is.

A possibility exists that the school board could decide to close two elementary schools or possibly Mineola Middle School and merge the middle level grades into the high school.

At this Thurday's meeting of the board of education, the firm that is conducting the grade configuration study, School Leadership LLC, is expected to present six options to the Mineola Board of Education.

Although it will be the board's decision on whether to reconfigure the way the school district delivers its educational program, McGrath, the board president, wants the public's input.

The board meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 28 at the Willis Avenue School. The board will meet for a work session at 6:30 p.m. in the second floor staffing room of the school. The public session is expected to commence at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. The public is invited to attend both sessions.