He wants to be his own headmaster.
The headmaster at prestigious-but-scandal-wracked Dyker Heights private school Poly Prep is stepping down at the end of the upcoming school year to enjoy his golden years, he announced Sept. 1.
The move comes months after a school employee filed a lawsuit alleging a senior administrator took his son and another student on a boozy trip to Cuba on the school’s dime. David Harman, Poly’s headmaster for 15 years, cited his age and a desire to spend time with his family as motivation, according to a letter he posted to the school’s website.
“By next summer, I will be pushing 68, and after much reflection and many conversations with my wife Kristin, my family, and others, I have concluded that it is the right time for me and for the school to make this change,” Harman wrote. “I am ready to start a new direction in my life and am confident this is the best time for Poly to transition to a new leader who can take the school forward to even greater success.”
In May, employee Lisa Della Pietra brought suit against the school, alleging the school failed to protect her from retaliation after she outed her boss, fund-rasing director Steven Andersen, for allegedly taking his son and another student on a hooker-and-booze-fueled trip to Cuba on the school’s dime.
Della Pietra also alleged that the school hired a strongman to intimidate people who might testify against the 161-year-old school.
Harman only mentioned the suit in passing once in his more-than-1,000-word announcement.
“The school is in great shape, the current lawsuit notwithstanding, but I have always said to the students and faculty that all of us can be better than we were, and I aspire to model that mantra personally and for Poly again this year,” Harman wrote.
But sources close to the school say Harman could have done more to check Andersen. The conflict-averse headmaster allowed Andersen to exert undue power rather than address mounting evidence Andersen acted out of line, according to one alum who graduated about a decade ago and who is active in the alumni community.
And Della Pietra’s accusations weren’t the only bombshell to rock the school during Harman’s tenure. Grads filed suit in 2009 alleging that longtime football coach Phil Foglietta sexually abused them between 1966 and 1991. The case settled in 2012 for an undisclosed sum, and more than a year later, Harman issued a formal apology to the school community.
The search committee for a new headmaster will include parents, alumni, trustees, faculty, teachers, and a consultant — and the school is pledging to take feedback from the broader Poly community as it selects a new leader, according to a letter from the school’s alumni association.
“As part of this process, we will be seeking and value the input from the Poly community on the important characteristics and qualifications in a new Headmaster,” the letter states.
