LEHIGHTON, Pa. — "Banning books specifically on LGBTQ topics, birth control, the ethics of cheating, and other critical subjects isn't about content; it's about control," said Kasara Weinrich, Lehighton.
This was the sentiment from many parents, current students, and alumni of Lehighton Area High School during a school board meeting Monday night.
The main purpose of the meeting? To determine if certain books in the high school's library should only be checked out by students with parental consent.
"I have a few friends part of the LGBTQ+ community in school and a lot of them are not supported by their parents and they don't feel safe going to their parents," said Natalie Blair, Lehighton student.
Sean Gleaves is the treasurer of the Lehighton Area School Board. He proposed the idea of putting together a committee to conduct a book audit, where members will read 33 books from the high school's library and evaluate the content.
"My entire intention is to protect the innocence of children, and I believe that some of the ideas that are in some of these books are dangerous to children," said Gleaves.
Many of the books contain themes ranging from LGBTQ+ issues to African American history. Others are about sexual health and education.
Some at the school board meeting agreed with Gleaves' stance, saying the themes can be too mature for high school students.
"Teachers need to stay in their lane and stick to science and math etcetera, everything else is my job as a parent," said Jennifer Mintean, Lehighton.
"We need to be sure that the content that students have access to in our schools is not harmful," said AmyJo Herring, Lehighton.
However, the majority of the speakers during the public comment portion of the meeting were against the audit.
"I understand some of the concerns that people have with materials that might be found in the library, but we have librarians, we have professionals that have chosen these materials," said Carrie Vail, Lehighton.
Although no formal decision has been made on whether an audit will be conducted, the Lehighton Area School Board says it is revising policies and plans to host another meeting soon to discuss the matter further.