At the start of Thursday night’s meeting, the Homer-Center School Board addressed concerns that were brought up last month on a book used as part of the 10th Grade English curriculum.
At the center of discussion by the district administration and the academic committee was the book “All American Boys”, which some parents last month said dealt with some topics like racism and drug use in a controversial manner. In a statement at the start of the meeting, board president Michael Bertig said that the board heard equal number of positive and negative comments about the book, but after investigation, they determined that the book was adopted per district policy, and that parents always had the option of asking for an alternative book for their child. Bertig also said that the board, in the interest of transparency, wants to make all curricular materials easily accessible to parents.
In other business, the board approved a contribution of $6,125.05 to Homer-Center Parks and Recreation to cover the district’s share of a local match for a grant of $122,501 for the pool liner at the Homer City Pool. To get the money, Parks and Rec must cover 15% of the project’s cost.
The board also congratulated 12th Grader Annaleigh Spade from Homer City on being named to the All-National band for oboe. She will perform in the upcoming concert in Washington DC.
