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ABC Plans to Film First Day of School, Parent Meetings Set for This Week

In a letter to families published on an ABC News website last week, Lincoln Square Productions–which is currently filming a documentary about racial tension and how it’s being addressed in the Saucon Valley School District for A&E–promised to keep any disruption caused by filming in the schools to a minimum, but said its producers plan to film on the first day of school, which is Monday, Aug. 28.

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In a letter to families published on an ABC News website last week, Lincoln Square Productions–which is currently filming a documentary about racial tension and how it’s being addressed in the Saucon Valley School District for A&E–promised to keep any disruption caused by filming in the schools to a minimum, and said its producers plan to film on the first day of school, which is Monday, Aug. 28.

“We’re planning to capture just a handful of days at school over the next few weeks, filming key events like the first day of school, sporting events and homecoming using very small crews–on occasion it may just be a single person with a small camera,” the letter states.

“We also recognize that the priority for faculty and students is education and we will do everything in our power to minimize any disruptions to normal school operations,” it noted. “We will make every effort to accommodate students or parents who aren’t comfortable participating. Though we hope we can get as many people in the community as possible.”

Lincoln Square Productions, which is the documentary division of ABC News, filmed the Aug. 8 Saucon Valley School Board meeting at which a proposed ban on the Confederate flag and other controversial symbols/language was discussed. A cameraman was also at Hellertown-Lower Saucon Community Day Saturday to capture footage at one of the biggest events of the year in the Saucon Valley area.

“The initial response from the School Board and SVHS administration has been nothing short of supportive and enthusiastic and we are grateful for both the time and open minds others in the Saucon Valley community have brought to our introductory meetings,” the letter said.

It added, “while we understand these can be difficult issues to talk about, we also strongly believe that documenting and sharing these kinds of conversations can have a profound impact on our audience and in other communities across the country.”

To help address any questions and concerns from parents and students, the company has two meetings planned this week at Saucon Valley High School, which it said has agreed to host them.

The first meeting will be held Wednesday, Aug. 23 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and the second will be held Thursday, Aug. 24 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Both will be held in the high school auditorium.

“We know there are many of you out there with thoughts, questions and concerns about this project and we hope these meetings will be an opportunity to address all of them,” the letter stated.

There is also a school board meeting this week on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the high school Audion room.

Questions about the documentary production in Saucon Valley can be emailed to AB****************************@ab*.com.

A copy of the appearance release form participants in the documentary must sign in order to appear in it is also published on the ABC News website.

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About the author

Josh Popichak

Josh Popichak is the owner, publisher and editor of Saucon Source. A Lehigh Valley native, he's covered local news since 2005 and previously worked for Berks-Mont News and AOL/Patch. Contact him at josh@sauconsource.com.

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