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LAPORTE -- In contrast to his lengthy remarks opposing the LGBTQ display in the Sullivan County High School library at last week's committee meeting, school board member Tim Nitcznski's apology for those comments was noted for its brevity.
"My name's Tim Nitcznski and I'd like to say that I'm sorry for the comments that I made at the committee meeting on Nov. 10. I did not mean to offend anyone or any group with my comments, thank you," he said at this week's board meeting.
Prior to Nitcznski's comments, Edward Pietroski, high school principal detailed what goes into deciding what will be included in displays in the library.
"The purpose of a book display is to showcase what the library has to offer and to encourage students to read," Pietroski said.
"Books can be used both as a mirror and a window. They can mirror our students in our world so students can see themselves in literature and feel less alone. They can also provide a window to lives that are diverse from theirs, allowing them to grow as people and have a better understanding of people who have different life experiences," Pietroski said.
At the meeting last week, Nitcznski had complained that he felt having the LGBTQ pride display in the library the issue was being "crammed down our throats." He claimed that it was the equivalent of him wanting a display featuring the KKK or the white supremacist movement.
Other board members at that meeting had also stated that they felt the issue was better covered in a health class setting.
Comments from the public focused on the hurtfulness of Nitcznski's and other board members.
"Several comments made at the Sullivan County School Board on Nov. 10, 2020, in regard to the library's LGBTQ-plus display were irrefutable bigotry and homophobic," one resident had written in a letter to the board in which she stated that she felt Nitcznski should resign from his position on the board.
"If you're willing to do so the board should take a vote to remove him as per board policy 004 for failing to be a good moral character," the writer asserted.
Another member of the public, a former student, said that she felt the conduct of the board members represented a "failure to the students represented by the display and a failure to education overall," which made students in the LGBTQ community feel "unloved, unwelcome and ostracized by a community that is meant to uplift them."
"Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender kids exist and they will keep on existing whether this library display exists or not," the caller said.
An organizational meeting of the board will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 1, and the next regular meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Dec. 15.