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The event at Hunterdon Central Regional High School was held on Oct. 27, leaving teachers outraged over the loss of instructional time. Parents additionally expressed concern at a recent board meeting, according to footage shared by Libs of TikTok on Twitter:
“Instead of our students being engaged in academic time, they were applying makeup and changing into their drag costumes,” says one parent. “This was a loss of over 30 minutes of instructional time for these students.”
One of the additional arguments surrounded the attendance of Phoebe Mantrappe, a professional drag performer from “outside the Hunterdon Central community,” while Hunterdon Central students who didn’t receive invites were not allowed inside.
Another parent compared the student drag show to full-on adult entertainment.
“Well it looks like we’ve put a whole new meaning to the word, ‘adult entertainment,’ haven’t we, here, Board of Ed?” the parent angrily expressed.
“Adult entertainment used to mean adults going to strip clubs, watching other adults engage in sexual behavior. Well now, thanks to this board, we see adult entertainment as a bunch of high school staff watching young children for their entertainment.”
In a letter obtained by the Sunlight Policy Center, staff members also noted an alleged incident at a soccer event in which Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Moore banned spectators. The staff questioned why spectators were not allowed at the soccer game but were allowed at the drag show.
“We would like to understand Dr. Moore’s rationale for not allowing fellow students, alumni, neighbors and other community members at athletic events that day, which included the Volleyball senior night, but allowed spectators to observe and facilitate the school sponsored drag show on the same date,” the letter says. “Furthermore, based on the chatter that we have heard amongst the students in our classrooms, Dr. Moore’s decision has created significant confusion, division, and resentment between students.”
In response, Hunterdon Central’s communications officer, Nancy Tucker, told DailyVoice.com that the school has “procedures in place for students who are engaged in athletics and extracurricular activities to leave class early on occasion, to attend those activities,” and that “we have never received a complaint about these procedures.”
Tucker also cited an NJ Advance Media article regarding the investigation into an alleged series of bullying incidents at the Oct. 27 soccer game as to why spectators were temporarily limited at sports events afterward. The game was reportedly followed up with a letter from Moore sent home to parents confirming that every incident targeted “race, gender identity, sexual identity, or disability.”
“Since that article was written, Hunterdon Central has completed an investigation into the incident and followed our Code of Conduct when dealing with any involved students,” Tucker said.
Meanwhile, students in favor of the show spoke around the 1:05 minute mark in a full version of the Board of Ed meeting.
“Our club is a safe space for LGBTQ students as well as friends, said the President of the PULSE (People Understanding Love Serves Everyone) Club.
“Many of the LGBTQ students haven’t shared their personal feelings to either the public, the parents, or both, hence why it was invitation only and no official statement to parents was provided. This ensured that the members of PULSE could feel safe and confident like they were and still are supposed to be able to in PULSE.”
The PULSE President then continues, saying that the only reason the event was held in the school’s Little Theater this year is that the group had outgrown the classroom it was previously held in.
But the reason it was invite-only was because of the harassment, verbal taunts, and even photography the group has been subjected to by other students during their fundraisers and other past events, prompting group leaders to “place extreme emphasis” on preventing future similar incidents for members’ protection, according to the president's statement.
Other arguments in favor of the show surrounded other school groups missing substantially more academic time for events. For example, the 49-minute mark of the meeting shows the board approving an overnight field trip for a Model UN conference to Hershey, PA, from January 5 through January 8 for about 40 students and four chaperones.
Click here to view the full board meeting via Hunterdon Central Television on Youtube.
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