Mitchell Retiring From South Orangetown

Kenneth Mitchell, superintendent of the South Orangetown school district, will retire at the end of the year—calendar, not school year.

Mitchell made a name for himself right after coming to the South Orangetown school district by tackling an angry, armed parent who held him at gunpoint June 9, 2009. The man was unhappy about the school's swine flu policy.

He's made a name for himself more recently over issues of privacy and student data raised by New York state's EngageNY reform initiative. As president of the Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents, he has been a spokesman for educators and parents. 

The Board of Education meets Thursday for the first time since Mitchell's announcement. 

Here's the full text of the school board's announcement:

Dear SOCSD Community,

The Board of Education is writing to inform you that after thirty-seven years in public education Dr. Mitchell has made the decision to retire from SOCSD effective December 31, 2014. Dr. Mitchell has served our community since July 14, 2008. During that time he has led the District through the many challenges facing public education. His activity in public school advocacy and the development and implementation of our long term plans has been a tremendous benefit to the District. As a governance team we will continue to build upon our initiatives to move the District forward in meeting the goals and needs of our students and community.

The Board of Education extends best wishes to Dr. Mitchell in his future endeavors and thanks him for his dedication and leadership. We look forward to our continued work with Dr. Mitchell through the end of the year.