Animal activists gathered at Islip High School for a vigil following the alleged killing of geese at the school.

Long Island Orchestrating for Nature president John Di Leonardo claims the school hired the USDA to round up and kill the geese. 

“We have confirmed with the superintendent that contract killers with the USDA Wildlife Services rounded up the geese here and killed them, likely with lethal gas,” Di Leonardo says. “So, we are here to ensure that this never happens again, this is not what people pay their tax dollars.”

Superintendent of Schools Dennis O’Hara said in a statement, “For many years, Islip High School have explored various options regarding goose droppings littered on school property. After many avenues were explored and tested, geese were removed from our grounds.” 

Di Leonardo says the group has spoken with the superintendent and he has promised a moratorium on killing geese at the school.

He claims that O’Hara says he will work with the group on a humane management plan. 

O'Hara says there is now a moratorium on killing geese at the school.

The president of the activist group says the USDA kills thousands of geese every year, and accidently killed 86 geese in Baldwin in 2020.

“We are here to put all school districts on notice, that if you are killing geese, we are going to find out and we are going to confront you about it,” Di Leonardo says. “So, you better rise up and do the right thing.”

Di Leonardo tells News 12 there will be a school board meeting Wednesday evening at which he and other activists will be speaking to the school board.