CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — The Cumberland Valley School District has been thrown into the national spotlight, after a controversial vote by its school board this week.
On April 15, the school board voted unanimously to cancel an anti-bullying assembly scheduled for May 22 at Mountain View Middle School that was to feature "30 Rock" actor and author, Maulik Pancholy, who is gay.
“I thought it was outrageous and very concerning," said Trisha Comstock, a parent who is behind a petition now circulating online, asking the board to reverse its decision. “It clearly sends a message to our staff, our students, and our residents that identify as LGBTQ+, that part of the community, that they’re not welcome, they’re not seen, they’re not respected.”
The reaction from Comstock and others comes after the discussion held by board members on Monday night.
According to the district's superintendent, the event was originally organized and approved by Mountain View's principal.
The topic was not on the original meeting agenda but was brought up by board member Bud Shaffner during the portion in which members are able to discuss additional items for consideration.
“My only question is, do we even have any idea what he’s going to be talking about?" board president, Greg Rausch, asked Shaffner. "I know he’s a homosexual activist and what have you and has written books and things like that but do we even know what he’s going to be talking about?”
Rausch continued, “If we don’t know what he’s going to be talking about, I can’t vote on it and I’m going to object to it because I can’t vote on something just because a person doesn’t have a lifestyle I approve of. I’m not going to sit there and discriminate against an individual because I don’t know what they want to talk about.”
Rausch did end up voting yes, as did the other seven present members.
“If you research this individual, he labels himself as an activist, he is proud of his lifestyle and I don’t think that should be imposed upon our students at any age," added Shaffner.
“It’s not discriminating against his lifestyle, that’s his choice, but it’s him speaking about it and it did say that’s not the topic, but that’s what his books are about and he will probably talk about his pathway because he talks about anti-bullying and empathy and inclusion so part of that is his journey as an individual," said board member Kim Potteiger. "And as a self-proclaimed activist, that’s where it gets concerning I think.”
Pancholy has written several children’s books including one which tells the story of a gay Indian American boy coming into his own.
On his website, Pancholy calls himself an “activist.”
“If you just do some basic digging on Mr. Pancholy’s website, you’ll see he’s an activist for anti-bullying which is what we need in our schools," said Comstock.
On Thursday, Pancholy released a public statement on his Instagram regarding the controversial vote.
"On Monday evening, I learned via social media that the school board of the Cumberland Valley School District in Pennsylvania voted 8-0 to cancel my scheduled author visit with the students of Mountain View Middle School due to concerns about my 'activism' and what they called my 'lifestyle.' My heart goes out to the entire Mountain View Middle School community, and particularly to the students."
His statement continues, addressing his books and growing up without a representation of South Asian-American or LGBTQ+ characters in media.
"When I visit schools, my 'activism' is to let all young people know that they're seen. To let them know that they matter. When I talk about the characters in my books feeling 'different,' I'm always surprised by how many young people raise their hands- regardless of their identities and backgrounds- wanting to share about the ways in which they, to, feel different," Pancholy continued.
The statement ended in part with Pancholy addressing the support he's received from Mountain View Middle School, including the petitions, and added that he hopes every single student at MVMS receives the same message of support and love.
“My daughter Brooke is an out-gay student so this hits a little differently in our house and for her," said Valarie Ryerson, another parent in the Cumberland Valley district. "Her first concern because this is who she is was for her other gay friends in the school district and her gay teachers.”
During Monday's discussion, school board members voiced concerns that Pancholy’s talk would creep into what they deemed “political” territory, going against a previously instated policy that bars political events from Cumberland Valley schools.
“We made a conscious decision years ago after the President Trump rally that was here caused so much stuff, that we’d never get involved with that on either side of the political spectrum. I think this falls under that," said board member Matthew Barrick.
In a phone conversation with FOX43 on Thursday, Shaffner denied the decision has anything to do with Pancholy’s sexuality, saying it is about uploading a previous school policy.
"Political activism should not be in our schools, it's not meant for our schools," he said. "It should be left at home to be taken care of by the parents."
Parents aren’t buying it.
“The video speaks for itself," said Valarie Ryerson, another parent in the district. "They said what they said. There’s really no getting away from it.”
“It’s all smoke and mirrors," added Comstock. "If you watch the video, the school board member clearly says ‘He’s a homosexual and he’s proud of his lifestyle.’”
“The women who run and founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving are activists, Mother Theresa was an activist, Golda Meir was an activist, Elie Wiesel was an activist, activist does not equal bad, activist does not equal political agenda," continued Ryerson.
Both women hope the board will reconsider at its next meeting, which is scheduled for May 6.
“I know myself, a lot of other people in the community would welcome with open arms and show grace and empathy to anyone who said, ‘This was a mistake, we have to walk this back,'" said Ryerson.
As of Thursday afternoon, Comstock's petition had garnered more than 2,300 signatures, saying the response has been the "silver lining in a bad situation."
“The board’s decision was not a reflection of the culture in our schools or how our administrators or teachers feel and I think that carries out into the community," she said. "This isn’t how our community feels either.”
The Cumberland Valley School District released a letter on April 18 to faculty, staff and administration expressing direct disappointment felt by the District's Cabinet-level administration regarding the cancellation.
"We believe that Mr. Pancholy's assembly should have been allowed to happen and that all of our staff and students should be proud to be part of a school community that values who they are," CVSD officials wrote in the letter.
In a statement to FOX43, Tracy Panzer, communications specialist for the Cumberland Valley School District said:
"Each year, our principal at Mountain View Middle School works together with staff members to identify award-winning young adult authors to visit with students. In the past, authors have given a presentation as part of a unique educational experience for students.
The visit was not on the board’s original April 15, 2024, agenda. However, during the portion of the meeting in which board members may bring up additional items for consideration, one board member motioned to rescind the invitation to this year’s scheduled visit by author Maulik Pancholy to Mountain View. Ultimately, the board voted not to allow the visit.
The motion made Monday was specifically to cancel the event that was scheduled for May 22 during school hours.
One board member did bring up the possibility of the event being held after school hours, but it's not clear if that idea will go any further.
The full April 15 school board meeting can be watched here.
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