Pennridge ‘advocacy’ debate continues
Proposed graduation requirements, student dissemination and other policies moving forward
EAST ROCKHILL >> The proposed new policy governing district staff advocacy in the classroom wasn’t on the agenda at Pennridge School Board’s Aug. 22 meeting, but it was on the minds of attendees, including some who made public comments.
The proposed policy revises and expands a policy banning employees from political activities in school, changing the ban from “political” activities to “advocacy” activities. Supporters say the change is to make sure that if and when there is a discussion of some controversial topics in the classroom, it is done within the district curriculum and presented in an unbiased way. Critics raise freedom of speech issues and say the proposed policy would stifle signs of support for minority groups of students, including racial minorities and LGBTQ+ students, as well as support for programs in areas such as mental health and suicide prevention.
At the Aug. 15 Policy Committee meeting, proposals included one that the policy allows displays including personal beliefs and family pictures to be worn or displayed on employee desks, along with allowing questions about the displayed items to be answered so long as it does not distract from the employee’s job duties, is not partisan politics or a disruption to the classroom.
Another proposal would allow family photographs of school employees to be displayed but would limit the display of flags. Under that proposal, allowed flags would include the United States flag, along with others such as the Pennsylvania state flag, the Pennridge Rams flag, temporary display of flags or banners as part of student instruction within the approved curriculum, and displays of school or district achievements.
One of the issues in question is whether rainbow flags would be allowed.
“The premise behind the pride flag is social advocacy, which is political. This makes the pride flag substantially different than say an autism awareness symbol,” resident Kim Bedillion said during public comment.
Students need to be protected from political and ideological agendas from both sides and teachers should not be made to feel uncomfortable if they choose not to advocate for certain ideologies, she said.
“If you don’t want a flag, I don’t care, but we have to find ways to work for equality for all,” resident Ralien Besch said. “LGBT people are a demographic. We’re not a political statement and we’re not a religion. We’re just a demographic.”
Resident Melissa Smith commended the board on its efforts to update district policies, particularly for efforts to increase transparency and parent access to information.
“Thank you for putting the focus back on education and not the divisive social issues that seem to creep into schools and take up so much time,” Smith said. “Time in school is much better spent on getting our kids prepared to compete in the job market.”
Graduation requirements, other policies
Proposed policy updates on the agenda on Aug. 22 included new graduation requirements that will go into effect for students entering ninth grade this year.
The only change to the policy, itself, is to clarify that the minimum number of credits district students need to graduate is 24, but the attached documents lay out the specifics.
Changes include the addition of a requirement that all students take a personal finance course.
Nineteen states require high school students to take a financial literacy course, board member Christine Batycki said.
“Pennsylvania’s not one of them, but I think this is a good example of Pennridge being ahead of the pack in adding that to its graduation requirements,” she said.
Another change reduces the social studies requirement from four credits to three and increases the number of elective credits from 7.5 to 8.5. Supporters say the change gives students more flexibility in choosing courses and allows more courses to be taken in areas connected to future studies or jobs. Opponents say the social studies requirement should not be cut. While the existing credit schedule lists three credits for social studies, students are required to take a social studies class each year in grades nine through 12, with one counted as an elective, effectively making the requirement four credits.
“I can’t in good conscience vote to reduce the number of core course requirements in social studies to just three credits,” board President Joan Cullen said.
Board member Ron Wurz also said he prefers to keep the social studies requirement at four credits.
The proposed change was approved 5-4 in a first reading vote at the Aug. 22 meeting. It will now have a second and final vote in September.
Voting in the majority for the change were board members Megan Banis-Clemens, Jordan Blomgren, Ricki Chaikin, Bob Cormack and David Reiss. Batycki, Cullen, Jonathan Russell and Wurz cast the dissenting votes.
In another split vote, revisions to the home education programs policy were approved in its first read vote by a 6-3 tally with Banis-Clemens, Reiss and Wurz casting the dissenting votes.
Banis-Clemens said she didn’t support the revision because a change in state law going into effect for the 2023-2024 school year will give home school students access to more in-school services and classes, so the policy should be changed now.
“Parents of home school kids also pay taxes and so I think it makes more sense to update it right away and put it into effect rather than revisiting this again next year,” Banis-Clemens said.
The new law doesn’t change the district’s requirements or procedures for the 2022-2023 school year, Superintendent David Bolton said.
“We’re trying to codify what we are doing right now so that’s clear,” he said.
“The board will need to consider something new for next year, but that’s true regardless of whether we do anything tonight or not,” Bolton said.
As it generally does when considering new policies, the district wants to get the Pennsylvania School Boards Association recommendations before making the update for the law going into effect next year, he said.
Other policies unanimously approved for the first vote read were curriculum development; curriculum review by parents, guardians and students; exemption from instruction; guides for planned instruction; adoption of textbooks; dual and concurrent enrollment; and student dissemination of non-school materials. With the first read approval, the proposed policies move on to a second and final vote in September.
The student dissemination of non-school materials renames the policy that previously was listed under a student expression heading.
“Since the policy itself only has to do with the dissemination of materials, that language has been removed for clarification purposes,” Banis-Clemens, the chair of the Policy Committee, said.
Board members and Bolton have said the policy only applies to students disseminating materials for non-school-related activities and that under the revised policy, items may be posted, after being approved, on designated bulletin boards in the schools.
In a second read and final vote, the board unanimously approved revisions to the controlled substances and paraphernalia policy.
Copies of the policies are attached to the agenda on the board’s website.