Students and parents press board on representation, 'banned books' and cold classrooms

Several students and parents used the public comment portion of the Elizabethtown Area School District meeting to press the board on curriculum decisions, community tone and building conditions.

Freshman Lila Zyders opened public comment by urging students to voice concerns directly to their student representatives and to the board if they feel under‑represented. "Our motto as a school is all students graduate ready to live, learn, and thrive... not just a certain type of students," she said.

Student speaker Randy Klepping defended students’ voices and criticized recent book removals, saying he and classmates had read titles cited in the controversy and found them valuable. "If we continue the ban on these books... who knows what the impact will be on the students and their well‑being," Klepping said.

Parent Alicia Runkel praised the district's music program but raised urgent facilities concerns, saying some high‑school rooms recently measured "61 degrees with a 19% humidity," and urging the district to act to keep students warm and healthy or provide interim measures such as humidifiers. The superintendent acknowledged the concern and the board asked administration to follow up.

Other commenters called for civility in public debate and for the board to ask more detailed financial and process questions. Several speakers asked the board to clarify the timeline and costs associated with building plans and curriculum changes; one resident asked whether new local development revenues had been sufficiently considered before discussing tax increases.

The board did not take formal action on the public comments themselves but noted the concerns and moved into the business portion of the agenda where several related items (Act 1 resolution, curriculum proposals and finance items) were discussed and voted.