09-04-2025
Penfield board resumes public meetings after threat concerns
PENFIELD, N.Y. (WROC) — The Penfield Board of Education welcomed back the public Tuesday after cancelling both of its March meetings. This came after threats following a February board meeting where parents expressed concerns over a book available in the library. And the way in the door was not business as usual.
As soon as you walked in the door, you were met with security who did a thorough search of everyone's bags and jackets, and then you were scanned by the metal detectors. The district said this was essential after those threats received.
Penfield CSD addresses 'threatening and vulgar' messages
That unresolved meeting in February had a number of parents planning to express their concerns over a book 'The Rainbow Parade,' which is said to show illustrations of men and women at a pride parade wearing limited to no clothing. The school board called a recess after what the district said was yelling and name-calling. That name calling continued via phone and email to Superintendent Tasha Potter and the board.
Keira Mahar is a mom of a Penfield student and said now that the community is invited back, it was important to show up.
'I would rather not need to come to a school board meeting. I elect the people that I feel will represent my views. I trust them to do their jobs, and I would prefer to not need to come to school board meetings, but I'm here for solidarity,' Mahar said.
Superintendent Potter took a moment to address all that has ensued in the past two months — expressing gratitude to the board and local authorities for their help in selecting the right security to be able to move forward.
'The one thing that we wish that would have been able to do during all of the decisions that were being made was to solicit input and feedback from our families and our community at large. However, because of the stress, we were unable to do that,' Dr. Potter said.
The Assistant Superintendent reminded families 'The Rainbow Parade' and two other books are currently being reviewed by an appointed committee to determine if the titles should stay in the library,
'The committee members at this point have been tasked with reading the book in its entirety prior to the committee convening,' she said.
Then, came time for public comment. The three speakers allowed to speak praised the district for its efforts over the past few weeks.
'I and every single one of my senior friends were appalled at the comments. The comments are disgusting,' one resident said.
'Your work isn't easy, and you keep showing up, and I want to acknowledge that,' another said.
Residents like David Ruise told News 8 he was disappointed that no one from the opposing side was able to speak Tuesday.
'It seems maybe like they feel like they're not going to be heard, and maybe they're discouraged to speak. But on the other side, it's good for the other side to see that things are peaceful here and we can agree to disagree,' he said.
The next board meeting is set for April 22 at 6:30 p.m. The security protocols seen Tuesday night will remain in place.
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