New security measures are in place for Penfield Central School District Board of Education meetings after the district says it received threats.
The district held its first meeting in more than a month on Tuesday after receiving what it said were threatening messages with racist and homophobic language. It canceled both of its scheduled meetings in March.
The new measures come after controversy arose surrounding the availability of a book in an elementary school library. Some parents have criticized "The Rainbow Parade" for what they say are pornographic images.
The school board ended it's February meeting early due to a contentious public comment period regarding the LGBTQ-friendly book.
The new security measures include the hiring of a security company to provide armed guards for district events, conducting bag checks and metal detector screenings at board meetings and requiring district stakeholders to register for public comment at least a day ahead of time.
Parents did speak during Tuesday night's meeting.
"Your work isn't easy... and I'm including all the administration and all the people behind me that serve the district as well," said parent Megan Callan. "It's complex, it's been scrutinized and it is vital.
"We're fortunate to have librarians that partner with us to meet the needs of our family at this moment in time while protecting the freedom to read of all of our students," said parent Sara Mayer-Fried.
Some district parents have called for the book to be removed from schools and formal objections to the book have been filed with the district. Superintendent Tasha Potter said the district was going to convene a committee to review those objections. Potter said she wanted to hear the concerns of all parents, including those who do not have an issue with the book.
While the school district said the concerns of parents were being taken seriously, many of the parents felt they were being silenced and the controversy gained national attention.
