Transgender sports ban advances
Pennridge board voted on policy
EAST ROCKHILL — The Pennridge School Board on Tuesday evening unanimously advanced a proposal to ban transgender students from playing on sports teams that match their gender identity.
The policy, titled “Sex-Based Distinction in Athletics,” codifies sex-based sports teams in the school district, requiring students to play on the team that matches their biological sex, with the aim of promoting “participation by the historically underrepresented sex in a fair and competitive environment.”
It continues, “Based upon real and demonstrable physical and competitive differences similarly aged and trained biological males and biological females in athletic performances, we recognize that combining sexes for competition purposes would have a chilling effect on female participation in interscholastic athletics.”
While the board was largely united in support of the policy, members of the public were split, with supporters arguing that the policy protects female athletes from unfair competition and physical harm and opponents characterizing the policy as discriminatory, illegal, unnecessary and a distraction from real issues in the district.
“You are not addressing Pennridge matters,” said Heather Young of Silverdale.
“You guys just swap minorities to target, and it’s tiring trying to clean up the violence and suicide that your hate leaves in its wake.”
“This is not something that I spend any of my time worrying about as a mom of daughters in this district,” said Katie Rene of Perkasie.
“My 6-year-old daughter could take down most 12-year-old boys on a sports field, so chromosomes and private parts don’t always determine who needs protection from whom.”
“If you spoke to any of these kids, you’d find out they’re really trying their best to not stand out in school, yet you continue to put targets on their backs,” said Leah Rash of Hilltown.
“When you target one group of students for being different, you tell every student who feels different for any reason that what they can expect from you is judgment and condemnation, not understanding. Setting that tone in this district is very dangerous.”
“It is simple science. If you are born a boy, you should play on the boys’ sports teams, and if you are born a girl, you should play on the girls’ sports teams,” said Matt Carbornaro of Perkasie.
“We have seen real life examples of what happens when girls’ sports are not protected.”
“Girls’ sports should be protected. There are real and substantial biological differences between males and females,” said Janelle Montigney of Hilltown. “Girls should not be losing spots and scholarships to boys who are naturally stronger and faster.”
“I appreciate that you aren’t waiting for a certain number of students to be affected before you act,” said Emily Geib of East Rockhill. “It’s called girls’ sports for a reason, and those reasons have to do with biology, safety and fairness, not feelings.”
No punishment for refusals
The board’s discussion centered on the last section of the policy, which prohibits the district from punishing athletes who decline to compete against the opposite sex, a nod to a provision that permits the district to provide “reasonable accommodation” for females to try out for boys’ sports team if a comparable girls’ team is not available. Policy chair Megan Banis-Clemens made a motion to remove the section to give the administration discretion over the matter.
“They would just apply it on a case-by-case basis, erring on the side of no one being punished, but leaving room for it to be handled on a case-by-case basis because not everything is black and white,” Banis-Clemens said.
But board member Joan Cullen argued that the section was needed to ensure that students could never be punished for declining to play against a member of the opposite sex.
“It was an important part of the policy to reflect that we’re not going to punish students regardless,” Cullen said. “I would like something
that clearly says to Pennridge students that we’re going to respect their decision and their feelings no matter which direction they go.”
In response, Banis-Clemens pointed to hypothetical scenarios that could warrant punishment by the administration, including a boys baseball team refusing to play against another team with a female player. However, she signaled her willingness to reinsert an amended version of the section before the second reading vote.
Following the board’s discussion, the policy, as amended by Banis-Clemens, passed unanimously.
Split board vote approves curriculum
The board approved a new middle school reading, English and language arts curriculum written in collaboration with Jordan Adams, CEO of Vermilion Education LLC. While Adams was hired to “review and develop” the district’s K-12 social studies curriculum, he has additionally been tasked with developing the additional curriculum.
The board’s April decision to hire the fledgling consulting firm has bitterly divided board members and caused an uproar from the community due to the firm’s inexperience and ties to Hillsdale College, a private conservative Christian college that has drawn criticism for its portrayals of American history. Numerous parents have declared their intention to opt their children out of any curriculum influenced by Adams.
In a June meeting, Adams presented his reading, English and language arts curriculum recommendations, which included an increased emphasis on classics and the restriction of books with sensitive subject matter and graphic content, arguing that such material can encourage destructive behavior and inflict psychological damage on students.
To that end, the new courses’ required readings primarily include classics and inspirational stories, including “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” “Heroes of the Holocaust: True Stories of Rescues by Teens,” “Ground Zero” and “Becoming Muhammad Ali.”
Some board members expressed opposition to the new curriculum, rehashing arguments about the Vermilion contract’s rushed approval process, the lack of transparency surrounding Adams’ involvement in curriculum writing and the disrespect for the expertise of district teachers.
“There’s no way I would ever vote for anything that this man has participated in,” board member Ron Wurz said. “It’s time to give our curriculum back to our teachers and administrators and do it as we’ve always done.”
However, board member Jonathan Russell, a Vermilion opponent, signaled his support for the curriculum, citing its approval from Sarah Raber, the district’s K-12 reading, English and language arts supervisor.
Cullen noted that Raber and other curriculum supervisors were threatened with termination if they did not cooperate with Adams. She also highlighted the parental opt-out as an obstacle to its implementation.
“It’s not as simple as opting out of a book or a movie or an assignment. This is interwoven throughout the entire curriculum,” Cullen said. “We will need to create a different course, which we haven’t had the time to do, so I can’t support it.”
The board approved the curriculum by a vote of 6-3, with Wurz, Cullen and Christine Batycki voting in the minority.
5-year teachers’ contract OK’d with pay increase
The board approved a five-year contract with the Pennridge Education Association, the Pennridge teachers union. The union’s previous contract expired in July as the board and the union struggled to come to an agreement. Pennridge teachers, the lowest paid teachers in Bucks County, had sought 5% annual raises, while the board initially proposed a 2% raise.
Under the new contract, teacher and professional salaries will increase by an average of 3.48% per year with step movement included in each year. Additionally, starting salaries will increase to $51,000 in the first year, reaching $56,500 in the fifth year.
“These increases will allow the district to remain competitive, to recruit and retain the highest caliber teachers for the district and the community,” board President David Reiss said.