The Bethlehem Central School District is mourning a member of its staff. Justin T. Brown, 32, an employee of the district’s Technology Department, passed away suddenly at home over the weekend, according to his family.

Brown, who worked for Bethlehem for 10 years, was an IT Manager and Senior Network & Systems Engineer. In addition to his regular duties of supporting the district’s educational and administrative technology, Brown was also one of the co-founders of the district’s Student Help Desk. The Student Help Desk is located at the high school and employs up to two dozen student interns every year who assist BCHS students and staff with any hardware and software issues they may be having.

Under Brown’s guidance, Bethlehem’s Student Help Desk became the first of its kind in the Capital Region and has served as a model for school districts nationwide.

“Justin Brown was part of the very fabric of this school district,” said Superintendent Jody Monroe. “He was everyone’s go-to guy whose hard work and innovative thinking brought the district national recognition as a leader in K-12 technology. He was proud of his work and so were we.

“Despite his many professional accomplishments, it will be Justin’s never-ending smile and upbeat personality that our staff – and the students he mentored — will miss the most,” said Monroe. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Justin’s family and friends during this very difficult time.”

Monroe said that counseling services were being made available to both students at the high school and staff districtwide.

Services for Mr. Brown will be held on Friday, October 5 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., with a service at 12 p.m., at Joseph A. Lucchese Funeral Home, 726 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx. For more information please visit the Joseph A. Lucchese Funeral Home website here. 

A GoFundMe site has been set up by the family to support educational expenses for Justin Brown’s two young children, Natasha and Lennox. Learn more about donating to the Education Fund for Natasha and Lennox.