Schools

High Schoolers Protest For Hampton Bays Spanish Teacher

Hampton Bays students showed up in force at Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting, though school Superintendent Lars Clemensen said the district would not discuss personnel matters.

Some 25 students wearing matching shirts reading "Salcedo stays in Hampton Bays" and carrying signs converged on Tuesday's Hampton Bays School Board meeting to support Spanish teacher Lily Salcedo, who students say is slated to be laid off before next school year.

"She is more than just a teacher," said junior Alexa Torres, who led the protest. "She was like a second mother for most of us."

Torres said Salcedo, who joined Hampton Bays Schools as a Spanish teacher in September after a previous Spanish teacher was let go, "made learning fun."

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"We would change the words to popular songs to conjugate verbs, listened to music while taking tests, we played games and did many independent projects," Torres said. 

Hampton Bays School Board members listened to the students concerns, however, Superintendent Lars Clemensen said, "It is the district's policy to not address personnel matters out of respect to both staff and students."

Find out what's happening in Westhampton-Hampton Bayswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Aside from showing up at the school board meeting, the students also created a Facebook page called Operation Save Salcedo that asks fellow students to sign a petition to reinstate their teacher. 

"I support her 100 percent," Torres said. "I will fight for her." 

District officials would not comment further.


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