The principal of a Brooklyn high school plagued by a gang of young Hitler fans and acts of anti-Semitism will be removed from his position and replaced by a Muslim teacher, the Post has learned.
Dara Kammerman’s departure as interim principal of Origins High School comes six months after the Post revealed complaints that she failed to stem outbursts against Jewish and LGBTQ students and teachers.
On Monday, Kammerman sent an email to the school community to announce she would be “stepping down” after 11 years at the Sheepshead Bay school. She made no mention of the unrest, calling Origins “beautifully diverse” and saying, “I am proud of what the school has become over the years.”
The change also follows a lawsuit filed against the city’s education department by Jewish teacher Danielle Kaminsky and campus principal Michael Beaudry, who say they were fired from the school in retaliation for speaking out against anti-Jewish and anti-gay hatred.
Kaminsky, 34, was terrorized by teenagers who called her a “dirty Jew,” scrawled swastikas in the classroom, gave the Nazi salute and told her “I wish you would have been killed” during the Holocaust, she said. Students tore down an Israeli flag in her classroom and wrote “DIE” on the door.
The misbehavior continued because Kammerman failed to adequately discipline students — once insisting that teens who taunted the teacher about liking Hitler were “trying to have an academic conversation,” the records show.
In another email, Superintendent Michael Prayor said Kammerman “will continue to be a valuable member of my team.” He did not provide further details about her new role. She earned $170,508 last year.
Prayor replaced her with Ahmed Elmaliki, a former English teacher with less than two years of experience as assistant principal at the Boerum Hill School for International Studies.
In his own email, Elmaliki describes himself as “the child of hard-working Yemeni immigrants.”
Elmaliki made no mention of the heinous incidents at the school.
“I am committed to fostering a culture that celebrates diversity, encourages collaboration and cultivates a love of learning,” he wrote.
Elmaliki was chosen in hopes that he could better serve the needs of the school’s large Muslim student population, DOE sources said.
City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (R-Brooklyn) said she was relieved for school staff and families who “endured the hostile environment” under Kammerman, but called on the DOE to do more to protect students and teachers.
“No one is fooled by this ridiculous transfer/promotion, which, instead of leading to consequences, rewards the guilty party,” Mr. Vernikov said.
