Locust Valley school board member Lauren Themis resigns, citing intimidation and 'erosion of trust'

A Locust Valley school board trustee has resigned, citing a climate of intimidation and lack of "good-faith collaboration."

Lauren Themis, who had served about six years on the board, announced her resignation Wednesday — the same day the district filed a lawsuit against state and federal officials after a state order temporarily blocked the enforcement of a new district policy prohibiting transgender students from using the bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity.

Themis did not address the lawsuit in her statement, posted on social media, and declined to comment further when reached by Newsday on Monday.

In her statement, Themis wrote that she was "constrained or challenged" from speaking freely and that there was a lack of transparency from other board members.

"Taken together, these circumstances made it clear that I could no longer serve without compromising my morals and principles or placing continued strain on my family," Themis wrote in the statement provided to Newsday. "No role, however meaningful, is worth enduring sustained hostility, intimidation or the erosion of trust that is essential to effective public service."

In its own statement, the board of education acknowledged Themis' resignation and thanked her for her service.

"The Board remains fully committed to its work on behalf of all students, staff and the broader school community," the statement said. "We look forward to focusing on our priorities to help strengthen academic and athletic excellence; ensure honest, transparent and ethical governance; and maintain high fidelity to the district’s mission, policies and long-term strategic goals."

Concerns raised

In her statement, Themis said issues arose this past spring after she became aware of "decisions and actions taken by fellow board members and the administration without my prior knowledge or disclosure, particularly involving sensitive policy matters related to Title IX."

Title IX is a federal civil rights law that bans sex-based discrimination in education programs. It has been cited by the Locust Valley district as one of the reasons for implementing its new policy involving student use of bathrooms and locker rooms.

Themis, who said she believes that boys and girls should have locker rooms separated by biological sex, did not elaborate on the nature of the decisions that concerned her. But Themis, who was board president at the time, wrote that "these circumstances raised serious concerns for me regarding transparency, trust and governance."

She ultimately decided to step down from her role as president, she said.

Themis said she began to feel marginalized on the board when she continued voicing concerns about issues such as "Title IX implementation, ideological programming including Pride Week and DEI initiatives, accountability for declining academic outcomes and significant spending issues related to facilities projects." She also expressed concern with how legal resources were being used, which she wrote in some instances "felt targeted rather than deliberative" and without full cooperation from the board.

Themis also wrote that "longstanding" district partnerships, including with the nonprofit Operation Democracy, were "suddenly subjected to heightened scrutiny."

Themis serves in a volunteer capacity as vice president of Operation Democracy, which provides civics education programming.

"A legal review was initiated concerning prior collaborations that had been fully known, formally approved by Board resolution and supported for years. While I cooperated fully, I grew increasingly concerned about the cost to taxpayers, the lack of clarity surrounding the process and what I perceived as an absence of transparency," she wrote.

In a statement, the board disputed the allegations.

"Board of Education voting, including on district policies, contracts, personnel, curriculum and more, is done in public," the board wrote. "We operate with as much transparency as possible while also following the advice of our legal counsel on all sensitive matters, including investigations, and following the laws of student and staff privacy ... At the core of our work is a focus on what is best for students and supporting the district mission, and we look forward to continuing this work for the remainder of the school year and beyond."

Themis, in her statement, highlighted her work on the board on behalf of district students.

"Throughout my tenure, I worked tirelessly to support their health and well-being, increase recess, reduce the use of technology in our elementary schools, reintroduce grammar and foundational skills, overhaul our food program, expand technical education and advance countless districtwide initiatives, projects and policies," she wrote.