The high school has bugs and mold, the Elizabethtown students said, and the board didn't budget money for new library books.
students, bundled in heavy winter clothing and carrying signs of protest, lined East High Street on Tuesday morning decrying what they see as an ideologically driven school board that does not listen to student concerns.
According to senior student organizer Avery Grosh, students have reached an impasse with“We’ve been showing up for years to the school board meetings and expressing our opinions on issues and asking them respectfully to not do what they’re doing,” Grosh said, “and they have not listened.” The students voiced concerns about the school board’s tax policies, its unwillingness to take seriously the concerns of students and its decision not to fund the purchase of new books for the high school/middle school library. Cars drove by blaring their horns in support, but at least one passenger made a rude gesture to the students. Elizabethtown Area High School Principal Jason D’Amico stood outside as the students gathered, flanked by two school resource officers. D’Amico said they were out there to ensure students participating were safe and directed questions to district spokesperson Troy Portser, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The issues Freshman Kiersten Erikson said the state of the building motivated her to protest. She and sophomore student organizer Kiera Deeds detailed a list of issues with the aging school building, including mold, odors, poor air quality and the presence of cockroaches and other insects. The district is working on a plan to renovate or replace the building, the expense of which has increased pressure on the board to cut costs and raise revenues. Students at the protest Tuesday said the school board should be maximizing its ability to annually raise taxes to improve the district’s financial standing. Students took issue with other policy moves by the all-Republican school board, including its decision to allocate $0 in the 2025-26 budget for new books at the high school/middle school library. Students also objected to the board directing the education planning committee in December to reevaluate the role of the two nonvoting student representatives on the board after board member Stephen Lindemuth likened their input to something more akin to public comment than the reporting of student news. “We were given student representation, but they’re ignored, they’re disrespected,” junior student organizer Kylee Wood said. “It’s gotten to the point where we can’t do this on terms because they won’t listen, and we have to take it to the public.” Grosh agreed. “We’ve gotten to a point where students have been disrespected,” she said. “Our student representatives have been spoken down to and metaphorically gagged by our school board merely because the student body has different opinions than they do.” Grosh said students would continue protesting before classes each day until the board responds to their concerns.
Elizabethtown @Jpickel Education Section:/Education
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