Penncrest School Board update

In May, Maplewood High School in Penncrest School District displayed LGBTQ books as part of a library exhibit. Penncrest School Board member David Valesky posted about the display, referring to it as "totally evil." Fellow PENNCREST board member Luigi Difrancesco allegedly shared that post. Community members reacted angrily to the post, and there was an online petition to have both board members recalled. The petition gathered 4,500 signatures. At the previously scheduled agenda-setting meeting held on June 14 at the Saegertown Junior/Senior High School in Saegertown, supporters and opponents of Valesky's post both attended. At the meeting, six residents spoke about Valesky's post. Among the three supporters speaking out for LGBTQ students were Saegertown Pride Alliance(SPA) student president LaWrynn Edwards and SPA faculty advisor Stacey Hetrick. Hetrick pointed out that the Young Conservatives Club also meets at the school, and both SPA and the Young Conservatives co-exist peacefully at the school with other clubs. The three speakers supporting Valesky and opposed to LGBTQ students did not see anything wrong or hurtful about Valesky's post.

Separate from the controversy about LGBTQIA+ issues, Valesky spoke out against funding a previously agreed upon contract to make necessary maintenance and improvement to school buildings because it would require a slight tax increase. Several other school board members pointed out that the discussions and research had been thoroughly discussed in several meetings prior and said that not funding the previously agreed maintenance would be irresponsible.

At the next school board meeting on June 16, 12 people spoke about Valesky's post. Although the audience seemed to have more supporters of Valesky than supporters of LGBTQ students, nine of the speakers spoke out for supporting LGBTQ students.

The Penncrest School Board has not made any decisions yet regarding the controversy about Valesky's post.

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