A proposed clay shooting club at Lehighton Area High School has received tentative approval from the school board, paving the way for further review and potential implementation.

The 5-2 decision, reached during Monday’s board meeting, followed a discussion on the merits of the program, student safety and the school’s role in promoting firearm-related activities.

Superintendent Jason Moser presented the proposal to the board, saying that a local community member had expressed interest in establishing the club as an extracurricular activity.

The program would allow students to participate in clay target shooting with a shotgun at an off-campus location, where they could potentially submit their scores virtually and compete against other teams nationwide.

Moser clarified that there would be no financial obligation from the district at this time and that the program would follow all necessary insurance requirements.

“What I did not want to do is go down the road by finding out everything we would have to do and incurring the legal costs of making sure that we’re doing everything correctly unless I felt the board tentatively supported this,” he said.

The proposal prompted a division among board members, with some supporting the initiative as a way to teach firearm safety and responsibility, while others questioned whether a school-sponsored activity should involve firearms at all.

Board member Jeremy Glaush voiced his support, emphasizing the educational benefits.

“Clay shooting as a whole teaches a very responsible use of a firearm,” Glaush said. “I really think that promoting such a thing gives kids a healthy outlet as to how they would use a gun.”

He also noted that many students in the region already hunt and that the club could serve as an opportunity to reinforce proper gun safety.

Board President Joy Beers echoed the sentiment, stating, “exposing children to responsible use of firearms could cut down on the irresponsible use of firearms by familiarizing them with proper use.”

However, director Kerry Sittler raised concerns about the apparent contradiction between the school’s strict policies prohibiting weapons on campus and its potential endorsement of a shooting club.

“We don’t condone (firearms) being allowed on school property, but yet we’re promoting shooting guns outside the school?” she questioned.

Sittler stressed that she was not opposed to students learning to shoot but did not believe the school should be involved in sponsoring such activities.

In response, Glaush noted that similar programs had existed in schools in past decades, reinforcing that the club would be about structured, safe, and responsible firearm use.

“Thirty to forty years ago, most schools had target practice, and had clubs like this all over the place,” he said.

A key issue addressed during the discussion was the necessity of ensuring that no firearms ever come onto school grounds. Moser made it clear that strict policies would be in place to prevent students from bringing any equipment to school.

“The practice is not anywhere on our site,” he said. “So the key would be, students would have to be clear that there are no weapons allowed on school grounds at all.”

The club is hoping to begin activities in March.

“I just don’t think that’s enough time to take a look at this,” director Barbara Bowes said.

Moser said the next steps will involve a review by the school solicitor and ensuring compliance with all required safety and legal standards.

“Since the board tentatively supported this, I will make sure we do the legwork to make it a reality in very short order,” he said.