A proposal to create a clay target league team at Lehighton Area High School drew support from a majority of school board directors during last week’s meeting.

The plan, presented by a district parent, Jerome Scarpati, calls for partnering with Blue Mountain Sporting Clays in Walnutport for practices and competitions.

“They do not have another league associated with them at all,” Scarpati said. “They were really excited about the possibility of us coming there.”

The USA Clay Target League, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, bills its priorities as “safety, fun and marksmanship in that order.”

Scarpati told the board the league has operated for 29 years without a single firearm-related accident.

“In 2024, there were 14,000 new members nationwide,” he said. “That brought total membership for the year to 54,000. The league’s retention rate is 95% for athletes and 99% for teams.”

Scarpati said 38% of athletes earned firearm safety certification just to join the team, while 60% already had one.

“Forty percent of the parents surveyed reported back that their kids chose to get involved in other hunting and shooting sports after joining this,” he said.

The proposed team, he said, would have no cost to the district, although Superintendent Jason Moser said Lehighton was waiting on final word about any potential insurance liability.

“We are not seeking or requiring any fee to participate,” Scarpati said. “I’m never now or in the future looking to be paid for this position, nor the three coaches I have looking to volunteer.”

Student participation would cost about $200 to $220 for the eight-week season, which includes ammunition, clay targets, facility fees and a $40 registration fee. Facility fees at Blue Mountain Sporting Clays are $6 per round, or $12 per practice, and each participant would shoot two 25-round courses weekly.

“That is the absolute end all be all, highest cost the kid would ever have to pay with zero fundraising,” Scarpati said.

Local support has already been pledged, Scarpati added.

“We spoke to Cabelas, we spoke to Walmart, we spoke to (A.F. Boyer) sporting goods,” he said. “Everyone has expressed interest in some form or fashion, supporting the sporting clay industry, supporting the team by supporting the costs involved.”

The sport is open to boys and girls and accessible for students with disabilities. “Twelve-year-old girl, 18-year-old boy, shooting the same gun, shooting the same target, shooting the same spot,” Scarpati said. “We don’t differentiate between anybody.”

LASD director Jeremy Glaush said, “I believe wholeheartedly in this venture. I believe that when kids are taught how to safely use a gun, they’re less likely to do stupid things.”

Scarpati responded, “This course is going to teach a kid the safe and proper way to handle that firearm from a younger age, hopefully before they decide to turn 18 and say, ‘Oh, I’m gonna go buy a shotgun, and I’ve never shot one before.’”

One board member raised concerns about the school’s association with firearms.

“I don’t believe that schools should be promoting or supporting it … as far as I’m concerned, it’s about mental health concerns,” Barbara Bowes said.

Scarpati said participation through the school offers benefits that independent shooting cannot.

“This gives that child an opportunity to feel like a part of a team … just like the football kids do, or just like the volleyball kids do,” he said.

League affiliation, he said, can also allow students to letter in the sport and be included in the school yearbook.

District officials also discussed possible impacts of extracurricular activities on attendance and academic performance.

“There is research to support that kids who are participating in some sort of extracurricular activity generally do better,” Moser said.

Scarpati noted that clay target shooting is a recognized sport in other states, with some colleges offering scholarships.

“There are extensive scholarship opportunities, not just for college, but also throughout the year, state tournaments, for replacing, for advancing,” he said.

The board did not take action on the proposal Monday night.