Board wrestling with equity policy fallout

SOUTH COVENTRY » The Owen J. Roberts School Board continues to wrestle with the equity policy it adopted in June.

After pushback at the July 19 meeting, the board pledged to hold “listening sessions” with the public.

One of those will occur Monday, Sept. 27, during the board’s legislative and policy committee meeting, which starts at 6 p.m.

Adjustments may be made to the equity policy once more public comment has been gathered, said board member Jennifer Munson, but she reminded the public the policy adopted in June is “in place.”

Remarks both in support and in opposition to the policy continues to dominate, after masks, much of the public comment portion of recent school board meetings and the Sept. 20 meeting was no exception.

Those most recent comments came in the context of a vote on adopting the district’s goals for the year.

Several speakers at the beginning of the meeting criticized what they said was the absence of the equity policy from the district goals listed.

West Vincent resident Nick Rittori told the board he supported the equity policy that was adopted. “It demonstrated to me how we’re ready to recognize the increased diversity

“Since July, equity has become a dirty word in the district.”

— Nick Rittori, OJR resident

of all forms within our community, recognizing that our community reflects the story of America.”

“But apparently, since July, equity has become a dirty word in the district,” he continued, saying the language in the goals seems “watered down” indicating that equity within diversity is not really a priority.”

“The equity policy is really not well reflected in the goals,” said John Barnett, a founding member of the Interfaith Action Committee of Chester County.

In Pennsylvania, nine out of 10 white students graduate, whereas only seven in 10 Black and Hispanic students graduate, Barnett said, “and I was proud that Owen J. Roberts wants to address the barriers that cause those achievement gaps.”

Heather McCreary, a former board member and candidate for the board, called the goals as presented “not even measurable.” She said “there was no data when you put your equity policy that caused a lot of ruckus and divide in this community.”

Munson said she would not vote for the goals unless more specific reference was made to the equity policy.

“There are people who support what we’re doing and people who are uncomfortable with it and the only way to answer their questions is to clearly identify the equity items in the goals so people can look at them and say ‘OK, now I understand.’”

Board member Paul Friel noted that during the July meeting, “I saw a lot more common ground than division. There was a lot of talk about critical race theory and curriculum changes that are being bandied about on cable news that have nothing to do with what we’re doing with an equity policy.”

Superintendent Wilbur Stout said the idea was to get the goals passed and then a lot of work for how to achieve them, what to measure and who would be responsible for their achievement could be worked out.

The goals were finally passed, but only after Solicitor Brian Subers suggest that a sixth goal, identifying which of the previous goals were attached to the equity policy be added.

After the vote, Nancy Mullin from East Nantmeal told the board at the July meeting, “parent after parent talked about how OJR bent over backwards to help their child. Where were we not helping children in the past 10 years? I don’t think we’re going to find much. But you need to slap ‘equity’ on it,” she said.

“There is no such thing as equity,” Mullin told the board. “You can have equality. There’s no point in having this conversation. Of course, they can’t all have the same outcome.”

One speaker, whose name could not be determined from watching the meeting video, said “the equity policy was jammed down our throats in June. In July, you had a packed meeting of people who have concerns. You passed a policy that caused this divide.”

Todd Rechia told the board the equity policy is identical to wording in four other districts “and it does not reflect this community. If you do not have the intestinal fortitude to do what you’re elected to do, I would suggest you resign. Definitely about you, not about us or our kids.”

Danielle Willauer said she heard elementary students “were lined up and told to identify their pronouns. Do we need to push this on kids in elementary school?”

Brooks Roland of Warwick said the equity policy “is still a divide in this community.”

“We’ve had two months since we brought up” the equity policy. “We have concerns. If you don’t represent us appropriately, we’re going to vote you out,” said Roland who also announced he is running a write-in campaign for a seat on the board in November.

A website titled “Make OJR Great Again” features Roland and Rick Cameron and their campaign.

Tavenner Bonsall said the reason “equity needs to be included is because children have been left out. The Title 9 report showed that. This has nothing to do with equity of outcome, has to do with equity of opportunity and support.” She added that politicians are “weaponizing the term.”

In his comments at the end of the meeting, Friel said “I think when there is obvious misinformation made in public comments, we might want to reconsider addressing it. Multiple people come up here and misstate facts. There were hundreds of people at equity meetings who participated. To say people were not participating is a misstatement of fact.”

He added “equity of outcome is nothing in anything we’ve done. It only exists in cable news. There is no intention of equity of outcome.”

“There was a lot of talk about critical race theory and curriculum changes that are being bandied about on cable news that have nothing to do with what we’re doing with an equity policy.”

— Paul Friel, OJR School Board member