Bronx Principal With White Supremacist Ties Fired

New York, NY- A Catholic elementary school principalwith ties to a white supremacist publicationhas been fired, the New York Archdiocese said Tuesday.

Frank Borzellieri, who previously served as a high school English teacher, is the author of several books, including 2004'sDon't Take It Personally: Race, Immigration Crime and Other Heresies, in which he declared diversity a "weakness,"accordingto theNew York Daily News.

The New York Archdiocese launched an internal review after apublished reportdetailed Borzellieri's controversial views on multicultural education, Martin Luther King, Jr. literature and his efforts to remove an openly gay teacher and activist from a Queens public school.

The Archdiocese'sstatementsaid Borzellieri had been fired because "many of his opinions" were deemed "incompatible with the philosophy and practices of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School and with Catholic schools throughout the Archdiocese."

Ablogbearing Borzellieri's name, describes his views as "a libertarian, Eurocentric, conservative perspective...blasting the hypocrisy of liberals and the cowardice of politically correct so-called conservatives."

He was hired as principal in 2009 by Rev. Fr. Eric Rapaglia, who told theDaily Newshe was aware of Borzellieri's views, but thought much of it was "valuable and logical and reasonable."

Rapaglia has since changed his tune.

"I should not have hired Mr. Borzellieri," he said in an e-mailed statement to theGrio'sTodd JohnsonTuesday afternoon. "I ask for [the community's] forgiveness."

Rapaglia, who also posted the statement on the school'swebsite, writes that he was not aware of Bozellieri's political writings at the time of his hiring, though he did say he read them afterward.

Rapaglia said Borzellieri had previously "worked in two other minority-dominated schools before coming to Mount Carmel, and there was never any complaints from parents or students about him sent to the Archdiocese."

Borzellieri served as a board member in a Queens school district from 1993-2002. During his tenure, he tried to ban multiculturalism and bilingual education. In 1995, he became involved withAmerican Renaissanceand began contributing articles.

About the Author:
The Grio.com is the first video-centric news community site providing African Americans with stories that are underrepresented in existing national news outlets.

Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com