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Pennsylvania school board reverses decision to cancel gay actor's anti-bullying talks

Pennsylvania school board reverses decision to cancel gay actor's anti-bullying talks

 


The Cumberland Valley school board voted 5-4 Wednesday to reverse its decision to cancel an anti-bullying presentation given by a gay actor. Hundreds of people attended the meeting, which was called after an outcry from district administration, parents and students. The event at Martin View Middle School will now go ahead as originally planned next month, with students having the option to unregister if they do not wish to attend. “I am sorry that our actions on April 15 made some of our students, faculty and community feel different and unaccepted. I hope that tonight's meeting helps resolve our differences and gives our district, our community, our staff and especially our students the opportunity to move forward and become one,” said Greg Rausch, president of the board of trustees. The board voted unanimously on April 15 to cancel the meeting with Maulik Pancholy, after some members expressed concern about what they called Pancholy's “lifestyle” and The actor's self-identification as an activist. The board initially supported its decision by citing a district policy that prohibits political events. Now, some council members, including the one who suggested canceling the event, regret their decision and apologized at the start of Wednesday's meeting. They said they rushed to a vote before doing their research, made an uninformed decision and wanted to correct their mistakes. However, board member Matt Barrick maintained his support for the board's initial decision, reiterating his belief that Pancholy's self-proclamation as an activist is political in nature. “Why would we invite someone who considers himself a political activist to come and speak to our children in our school? Take politics out of our schools,” he said. The district superintendent expressed the opposite view to Barrick's. “We think (Pancholy’s) activism is best described as advocacy for what is good and right,” Mark Blanchard said. The board heard from dozens of speakers during a meeting that lasted nearly six hours. The majority said the cancellation of the assembly was harmful to the district's LGBTQ+ community. “The actions of the past week have sent the message that it is okay to bully and discriminate based on one's sexual orientation,” said parent Nate Davis. Several other speakers agreed with the decision to cancel the event, saying activism should not be allowed in schools. “Schools during instructional hours. That's not what our tax dollars should be funding,” Shelly Howard said. Last weekend on MSNBC, Pancholy commented on the issue. He said his activism is about ensuring children who are different know they are seen.

The Cumberland Valley school board voted 5-4 Wednesday to reverse its decision to cancel an anti-bullying presentation given by a gay actor.

Hundreds of people attended the meeting, which was called after an outcry from district administration, parents and students.

The event at Martin View Middle School will now go ahead as originally planned next month, with students having the option to unregister if they do not wish to attend.

“I am sorry that our actions on April 15 caused some of our students, faculty and communities to feel different and unaccepted. I hope that tonight's meeting will help resolve our differences and bring our district, our community, our staff and especially our students, the ability to move forward and unite,” said Greg Rausch, Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

On April 15, the board voted unanimously to cancel the meeting with Maulik Pancholy, after some members expressed concern about what they called Pancholy's “lifestyle” and to the actor's self-identification as an activist.

The board initially supported its decision by citing a district policy that prohibits political events.

Now, some board members, including the one who suggested canceling the event, regret their decision and apologized at the start of Wednesday's meeting. They said they rushed to a vote before doing their research, made an uninformed decision and wanted to correct their mistakes.

However, board member Matt Barrick maintained his support for the board's initial decision, reiterating his belief that Pancholy's self-proclamation as an activist is political in nature.

“Why would we invite someone who considers himself a political activist to come and speak to our children in our school? Take politics out of our schools,” he said.

The district superintendent expressed the opposite view to Barrick's.

“We believe (Pancholy’s) activism can be described as advocacy for what is good and just,” Mark Blanchard said.

The board heard from dozens of speakers during a meeting that lasted nearly six hours. The majority said canceling the rally was harmful to the neighborhood's LGBTQ+ community.

“The actions of the past week have sent the message that it is okay to bully and discriminate based on one’s sexual orientation,” said parent Nate Davis.

Several other speakers agreed with the decision to cancel the event, saying activism should not be allowed in schools.

“He is a self-proclaimed activist. Activists tend to have a political bias, so under no circumstances should politics or activism be invited into our schools during teaching hours. That is not what our taxes should fund it,” Shelly Howard said.

Last weekend on MSNBC, Pancholy commented on the subject. He said his activism is about ensuring children who are different know they are seen.

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