SULLIVAN COUNTY, Pa. — Some people in Sullivan County are upset after a school board member seemed to compare the LGBTQ community to the KKK. It all stems from a display at the high school library.
The LGBTQ display was set up last week in the high school library, and district officials say it is there to educate and inform.
Tuesday's Sullivan County School Board meeting got heated when board member Timothy Nitcznski discussed the new display.
"Don't tread on me; don't force it down my throat. That's how I feel about it," Nitcznski said.
Nitcznski was referring to an LGBTQ display set up at the high school's library. The display features flags, quotes, and books. District officials say it is to educate students about the LGBTQ lifestyle.
"If you're going to go down that road, I feel that we should have KKK month, or I feel that we should have white supremacy month," Nitcznski said.
Nitcznski disagreed with what he referred to as the "rainbow in the library."
"I am thankful that my kids and I have no grandkids attending that, but I feel it is being crammed down our throats, and I do not like that."
Board member Anthony Durland also chimed in.
"Are we going to have a month to go over all of the Catholic beliefs now? No. So why is this not being brought up in a health class setting?" Durland asked.
Many people who live in Dushore and Laporte are upset about what was said.
"I just thought it was kind of extreme to compare it to the KKK."
"There's a lot of them in Sullivan County, so he needs to be accepting of these people. A lot of them have children that go to the school."
The Sullivan County Superintendent Patti Cross and Board President Kimberly Phillips put out a joint statement on YouTube. They are proposing that school board members take sensitivity and diversity training.
"We know that we have a diverse student body, and we want all students to feel supported and included in our community," said Sullivan County School Board President Kimberly Phillips.
Newswatch 16 reached out to Nitcznski, but we did not hear back.