Latest news with #PenfieldCentralSchoolDistrict
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Large turnout at Penfield CSD to vote on school budget, Board of Education members
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Long lines of people showed up to vote for the Penfield Central School District's budget and board of education members months after the district faced controversy. The huge voter turnout prompted the district to keep the polls open for at least another hour. The results didn't come in until after midnight — the budget and proposition passed, and three candidates were elected. Jeff Burns was one of the voters who showed up. He said they were waiting in line for over an hour and a half. 'I've been doing this for 20 years and have never seen anything like this. I was in line for over an hour and a half lot of people outside, many of us were shivering, and they told us once we were in line, if you were in line by 9, you would be able to vote,' Burns said. The large turnout comes months after the district faced controversy over 'The Rainbow Parade,' a book by Emily Neilson. It was alleged a student went home with the book that featured illustrations of people wearing limited or no clothing. The controversy led to residents attending board meetings, addressing their concerns, while board members reported that some in attendance yelled or threw insults. Some meetings were even cancelled after the district received threatening messages. 'I think that the school board election was really the key issue and that there has been division,' Burns said. 'People wanted to vote for the people they felt would be better on the school board. There's a group trying to ban a group of books, and I'm against that. That's why I came out.' News 8 is following the school election results. You can find a complete list by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Penfield school decides to keep controversial books on library shelf
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A book committee appointed by the Penfield Central School District has made its decision to keep three library books that received objection from parents. 'The Rainbow Parade,' 'Aliens and Other Visitors,' and 'The Bluest Eye' will stay on the library shelves after the review committee 'determined these books should remain in circulation at our school libraries.' In February, parents in Penfield raised concerns to the Penfield school board after allegations a kindergartener came home with 'The Rainbow Parade,' which is said to have 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 district later said after that board meeting, it received multiple 'threatening and vulgar' messages, leading to the cancellation of multiple meetings due to the threats. The meetings resumed in April with security. 'We understand that some families will be happy with this decision, and others may bedisappointed,' Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Dr. Leslie Maloney said. 'For those who are dissatisfied with this decision, we want to emphasize that these books are not part of the curriculum, and parents have the right to flag their child's account to prevent them from taking specific books out of the library.' The district released re-evaluation reports for each title, which can be viewed below: re-evaluation_report_for_the_rainbow_parade_1Download re-evaluation_report_for_alien_1Download re-evaluation_report_for_the_bluest_eye_1Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
Penfield CSD addresses ‘threatening and vulgar' messages
Editor's Note: The full list of messages, which was sent out by the district to families, can be viewed at the bottom of this article. Please note some of the material may be offensive or disturbing to read. The district has redacted vulgar language. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Penfield Central School District addressed messages sent to the district, which officials described as threatening and vulgar in nature, this week after a contentious board meeting last month. The district sent a letter to families on Friday and provided censored examples of the messages that they received, which they said included racist language and violent content. Penfield Superintendent Dr. Tasha Potter said they cannot share more details as investigations continue, but they emphasized that safety is their priority. Last month, the school district canceled some meetings due to the threats. They said those threats were sent via email and voicemail. The threats came following a school board meeting where parents had concerns over a book called 'The Rainbow Parade,' which, according to the description, follows a child free to express their gender identity during a pride parade. Hannah Pascucci has two kids in the district. She told News 8 Wednesday that having concerns is valid, but she said she believes this was not the way parents should have approached it. 'I couldn't talk to my teenager about the messages the district received because they were so upsetting,' she said. 'They {the school} had to pull the high schooler who was on the board because it wasn't safe for that student anymore. That's so distressing.' Pascucci also made note that she's worried about the future of the board, and hopes this doesn't stop people from running and keeping a healthy school board with different perspectives and opinions. We also spoke to a Penfield resident, Erica Cortese, who said she was at that board meeting that night in February. 'What I saw is a room filled with parents ready to talk to the board and air their concerns, and the board from the get-go acted like they didn't want to hear what they had to say to begin with. This all was started with them leaving the room,' she said. Other parents who reached out to News 8 said they were worried about the safety of the students as well as the administrators. Earlier this month, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office told News 8 that none of the threats rose to the level of criminality. You can read the full statement from Dr. Potter below: Dear Penfield Families,We have received multiple FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) requests regarding the vulgar and threatening emails and communications recently directed toward the District. While we are unable to share specific details about each communication due to the ongoing criminal investigations, we want to be transparent with our community. Therefore, we are providing redacted examples of the types of messages that we have received and continue to receive (see below).Although we have received many negative messages, I also want to recognize the overwhelming number of positive messages of love, care, and kindness we have received. I believe it is these messages that truly reflect the values of our community, and the values that we want to instill in our children. Please know that we deeply appreciate these messages of we navigate these challenging times, we encourage families to have conversations at home about the importance of civil discourse, especially when addressing hate. We will continue to work with local and state law enforcement, as well as community partners, to ensure the safety and well-being of our District. You can read the messages sent below in full, please note, some of the content may be disturbing to viewers. redacted_sampling_of_hate_messages_2025Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
Penfield suspends BOE meetings amid threats, inappropriate messages
The Penfield Central School District has canceled its Board of Education meetings scheduled for March 4 and March 18 due to threatening and inappropriate messages directed at board members, according to district officials. In a letter to district families on Friday night, the district reported receiving approximately 200 messages—via email, phone calls, traditional mail, and the district's 'Contact Us' form—since a contentious February board meeting was abruptly halted due to 'disruptive and offensive conduct.' 'The language used in these messages has been discriminatory, racist, homophobic, and outright inappropriate,' the letter states. 'This kind of behavior is unacceptable in any community, especially one that strives to be safe, inclusive, and welcoming for all.' According to the district, legal counsel reviewed 84 messages submitted through the school's online contact form, as well as three voicemails. Their findings included: 27 of the 84 messages contained threatening language. Seven emails specifically targeted the Board of Education. Superintendent Tasha Potter received direct threats, some appearing racially motivated. Three voicemails left at the district office were deemed particularly disturbing. In response, the district announced that board meetings will reconvene on April 8, 2025, with 'enhanced safety protocols' in place. Additionally, student participation in meetings will be suspended for the remainder of the 2024-2025 school year due to security concerns. Planned safety measures include: Hiring a safety and security coordinator. Increasing school security services. Continued collaboration with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, which will maintain a presence on school campuses. Reviewing policies related to board governance and school safety. 'While these measures are necessary, they are not taken lightly,' the district stated. 'The safety and well-being of our community are our top priorities, and we must work together to ensure that the district remains a place of respect, safety, and inclusivity.' Despite the meeting cancellations, the district emphasized its commitment to community engagement and encouraged residents to share concerns via email at boepublic@ The February board meeting became heated as community members debated the inclusion of The Rainbow Parade, a children's book featuring a young girl attending a Pride parade with her two moms. Parents expressed differing views, with some arguing the book was inappropriate for children and others supporting its representation of diverse families. Tensions escalated further when a man in a gorilla suit wearing a MAGA hat entered the meeting. Superintendent Potter and Board President Emily Roberts stated that the behavior of some attendees left a student representative visibly shaken. 'They claim to protect students, but I question that claim because they left one student, whom we were able to observe, visibly shaken,' Roberts said at the time. The meeting was shut down. In response, the district paused public comments for the March and April meetings to 'restore a positive environment where respectful conversations can take place.' This story includes reporting from Democrat and Chronicle reporter Kerria Weaver. — Madison Scott is a journalist with the Democrat and Chronicle who edited our Weld Street Project and also did reporting for it. She has an interest in how the system helps or doesn't help families with missing loved ones. She can be reached at MDScott@ This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Penfield suspends BOE meetings amid threats, inappropriate messages
