National group takes aim at local schools

Project Veritas attending board of education meetings to find signs of liberal bias

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

Project Veritas, a right-wing group known for deceptively edited exposé videos with ties to prominent conservative and Republican groups nationally, has recently made its presence felt in some of Nassau County’s public school districts.

The nonprofit organization has had representatives present in some of the North Shore’s public school districts, with videos showing various officials discussing diversity, equity and inclusion in the class.

An email to Manhasset School District officials last month called for an investigation into Donald Gately, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum. The email was sent following comments Gately made about the district’s diversity, equity and inclusion curriculum in a Project Veritas video.

The email, signed by “Manhasset Parents.” was sent from the email address “ManhassetParents@proton. me.” Efforts to reach the sender’s to verify their identity were unavailing.

Public concerns were also addressed at an East Williston Board of Education meeting last month, where Gately’s wife, Danielle, serves as superintendent, about another Project Veritas video with statements made

by David Casameto.

Casameto is an assistant superintendent for the East Meadow school district who served as a director of technology in East Williston before leaving in 2017.

Project Veritas officials said the complaints were based on comments made at EdCamp Long Island, described on its website as “a grassroots, teacher-led event that brings together educators from across the region to share their ideas and expertise.”

Gately, the co-founder of EdCamp Long Island, was one of the individuals Project Veritas interviewed while attending the EdCamp session.

Mario Balaban, Project Veritas’ media relations manager, told Blank Slate Media last week organization’s presence at EdCamp Long Island was part of an initiative launched in the fall of last year called “The Secret Curriculum.”

A Connecticut vice principal had resigned following Project Veritas’ exposure of discriminatory hiring practices, Balaban said.

“We attend all sorts of events and we became aware of [EdCamp Long Island] and we just wanted to investigate and see what was going on in schools in the region,” Balaban said in a phone interview.

Balaban said the work Project Veritas does should not be viewed in a partisan light because videos showing what educators are saying are not prompted by a political agenda.

“We at Project Veritas don’t see anything political about informing parents and the community, wherever it might be, about what teachers or educators are saying about how they educate, and on occasions, indoctrinate children.”

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