The Penfield school board has cancelled its meetings for March after it and the district superintendent received threatening messages.
The board was supposed to meet on March 4 and March 18. The decision to cancel the sessions follows a meeting in February that received national attention after a group disrupted the meeting in protest of a children's book about a pride parade.
In a message on the district’s website, Superintendent Tasha Potter said she and board members received around 200 messages since that meeting.
"The language used in these messages has been discriminatory, racist, homophobic, and outright inappropriate," Potter said in a message to district families. "This kind of behavior is unacceptable in any community, especially one that strives to be safe, inclusive, and welcoming for all."
In her message, Potter said that the district's legal counsel reviewed 84 messages from a contact form for the board and superintendent and three voicemails. The counsel's findings:
- Of the 84 messages, 27 contained threatening language
- Seven threatening emails were directed to the school board
- Potter received much of the vitriol, some of which was racially motivated. She directly received three threatening emails.
- Three "particularly disturbing" voicemails were left with the district office.
The message did not detail the nature of the threatening language.
The board will reconvene in April with additional safety measures including security and police presence. Student participation will also be suspended for the rest of the school year.
"While our students have been a highlight of Board meetings this year, the increased security concerns with larger adult audiences require us to take this step," read Potter's message. "However, I will work closely with our principals to ensure that we continue to highlight and celebrate our students in other meaningful ways."
