School Board Reverses Maulik Pancholy Cancellation

metroweekly.com:

Maulik Pancholy, who is gay.The Cumberland Valley School District school board voted 5 to 4 to allow the assembly at Mountain View Middle School in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, to proceed as originally scheduled.Students whose parents object to the presentation’s content will be allowed to opt out of the assembly.Pancholy, nationally known for his role as Jonathan on NBC’s hit TV show 30 Rock, is the author of two award-winning novels for young adults.The Best at It is the story of a gay Indian-American boy and his experience dealing with bullying in a small Midwestern town.

Nikhil Out Loud is about a group of eighth-grade theater kids rising up against homophobia in their community.The board canceled the assembly on April 15, citing concerns about Pancholy, who describes himself as an “activist” on his website.

They said it could violate a district policy prohibiting “political” events. Others objected to Pancholy’s “lifestyle,” expressing fear that he might raise issues related to homosexuality, citing the content of his novels.

The conservative-leaning board, which represents the suburbs around Pennsylvania’s capital city, Harrisburg, received an unexpected level of blowback from the community.