STROUDSBURG, Pa. -- A school board in the Poconos is getting some attention for a controversial decision to turn down a grant.
The Stroudsburg Area school board voted 6 to 2 Monday night to reject a nearly $5,000 grant from the NRA that would help buy new rifles for the district's rifle team.
One board member who opposed taking the grant, an Army reservist, tells Newswatch 16, "The NRA has a vested interest in holding up the debate over guns in this country and I don't believe in allowing them to influence our district."
However, one of the board members who voted in favor of accepting the grant sees otherwise.
"The team had gone out and pursued this money. They are in great need of funding. They went out and secured this. There's no strings attached. This is a grant which is very common in the shooting organizations, and they felt they'd rather make a political statement," said board member Michael Mignosi.
A GoFundMe campaign has now been started to raise money for the team in Stroudsburg.