14-02-2025
Penfield BOE to temporarily pause public comment during upcoming meetings
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Penfield Board of Education has announced there will be no public comment period during its March and April meetings.
The news comes after parents raised concerns at a meeting Tuesday night before the board from allegations that a kindergartener came home with a book, 'The Rainbow Parade,' that has illustrations of men and women at a pride parade wearing limited or no clothing.
During the meeting a school board official stated these librarians follow strict curriculum that shows them what is allowed for specific ages and students. The district also outlined its policy for expressing concerns about reading material and claimed no written complaints were submitted.
The next day, in a conversation with News 8, Dr. Potter made a statement about what she calls the hatred rooted in a disturbing display at the meeting Tuesday.
'I want to make the community aware of the harm and hatred that was centered in the room last night when we had someone dressed in a full gorilla costume,' she explained, 'if you think about the historical context of someone being dressed in that manner and having a black Superintendent and members of the board of education that are both black and brown I think was extremely harmful.'
The Penfield Town Supervisor Jeff Leenhouts also released a statement on the matter:
'On behalf of the Town of Penfield, I want to clearly state that racism has absolutely no place in our community. Community members have the right to express their concerns and be heard. However, doing so in a respectful manner is critical to public discourse. We are committed to ensuring all members of our community are respected and valued in all public forums. I look forward to working with our community and advancing Penfield forward, together.'
The next Penfield Board of Education board meeting is scheduled for March 4.
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