3 new members join board; Lisi named president

PENN » The Avon Grove School Board has three new members and new leadership. Rick Dumont, Lynn Weber and John Auerbach became a part of the board following victories in the November elections, with Bill Wood as the only incumbent who retained his seat.

Tracy Lisi, a board member since 2015, was elected by the board to the position of board president at the reorganization meeting Dec. 7, with former president Bonnie Wolff moving to vice president.

“I think it’s a really exciting time for the district and I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to represent the board as president of the Avon Grove School Board,” Lisi said following the recent board meeting. “I think we need to evaluate opportunities for the district to grow and enhance their programing. I think we have a lot of key initiatives to continue to pursue and evaluate.”

During the meeting the board heard a presentation from Avon Grove Intermediate School fifth graders and their language arts teachers on the class book clubs. Working in small groups, the students practice “accountable talk,” where they discuss ideas from the books they are reading and share thoughts and respond in a respectful way that encourages communication.

The meeting ended on a very different note, in the public comment section, when a parent shared his child’s recent experience

with violence on the school bus. According to the parent of the 6-year-old, on Dec. 6, an older boy on the bus punched him and threatened to get a gun and kill him.

In addition to the disturbing nature of the incident, the parent was upset

by the administration’s response. He was disturbed that as the parent of the victim he was not contacted by the school. His perception is that the district is not taking the matter seriously.

Also under public comment, the board was asked to reconsider their abstinence only approach to sexual health education, suggesting that it does not meet the needs of all students.