Palmyra Area School District Supt. Dr. Bernie Kepler read a statement to a packed conference room Oct. 24 regarding concerns parents had about a “secret library” that were brought to the school board at its Oct. 10 meeting.
In May 2024, the administration found that the high school’s SAGA club had a collection of books that was supported by their student-run club. SAGA, or Sexuality and Gender Acceptance club, is a student-run club mostly attended by LGBTQIA+ students and their allies.
“The SAGA club books were maintained in a high school classroom closet where the SAGA club’s meetings are held,” Kepler said. “The books in question were the private books of that club, were not part of the district’s library system and were not publicly available to the student body. The books were privately maintained.”
Residents originally addressed the board on Oct. 10 about a staff member who was maintaining a “secret library” of books with sexually explicit material. The books were discovered by a former district employee who informed high school principal Scott Richardson, and were supposedly labeled to appear as if they were part of the school library.