Judge dismisses Valley Stream teacher Jeffrey Hsi's lawsuit alleging he was forced out of post after trustee complained
A judge has dismissed a Valley Stream South High School teacher's lawsuit. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
A judge has dismissed a Valley Stream South High School teacher's lawsuit alleging a board trustee exerted undue influence over school officials to remove him from a science research program.
In a four-page order dated Friday, State Supreme Court Justice Donald X. Clavin Jr. in Nassau County sided with the Valley Stream Central High School District. Clavin wrote that the state Education Department's commissioner, Betty A. Rosa, has “primary jurisdiction” over the dispute and teacher Jeffrey Hsi did not exhaust administrative remedies before filing the lawsuit.
“Matters of educational policy, committed to the professional judgement and discretion of those responsible for the administration of the public schools, are inappropriate for resolution by the courts,” he wrote, citing previous court cases.
Hsi, who was representing himself in the case, declined to comment Monday.
District officials also did not comment Monday.
Hsi, a tenured physics teacher, alleged the district “arbitrarily” took him off the school’s science research program, which he had led for 22 years, following complaints from trustee Melissa Herrera and her husband, Jonathan Herrera.
The conflict began after the couple’s son, who participated in the science research program, was disqualified from the New York State Science and Engineering Fair in March. Hsi had signed the then-senior's application indicating he was both a “qualified scientist” and a member of an Institutional Review Board for the student’s project, which poses a conflict of interest.
Hsi said a technical error on the competition website had required the student submit a qualified scientist form, even though it didn't apply to his project. The teacher said he signed the form in a “last-minute, good-faith effort” to help the student meet the submission deadline.
Hsi alleged that the Herreras demanded he be disciplined after their son was disqualified. Following multiple investigations, Hsi was issued a counseling memo in June and directed to refrain from such conduct again. The day after he was given the memo, Hsi was told he was removed from the program, according to the suit.
His removal sparked an outcry from alumni who described him as a caring but exacting mentor who pushed them to excel. The former students said his absence robbed future students from benefiting from his expertise and guidance.
Hsi sued in October, seeking to be reinstated to the research program. He attached in exhibits letters of complaints from Jonathan Herrera, who wrote his son’s disqualification “did not stem from any failure on his part” and was “caused entirely by Mr. Hsi's deliberate choice to ignore well-established ethical boundaries.”
The Herreras did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Dandan Zou covers education for Newsday. Previously, she worked for a community newspaper in Maryland and a personal finance magazine in Washington, D.C.
