Parents out in force at meeting
Diversity, social media rules spark comments
EAST ROCKHILL >> The announcement at the beginning of the June 16 Pennridge School Board meeting that the district planned to make mask wearing optional when classes start again in the fall brought applause from some in the audience who had come to argue against mask requirements.
That still left some other hot topics to be discussed, though.
Leading off the first public comment period, resident Ross McLennan said he was strongly against changes made following a June 1 committee meeting that removed any reference to school board members from the proposed new district social media policy.
“The purpose of this policy is to establish the process and standards for approval and operation of district-owned social media accounts, and to identify the differences between personally owned social media accounts and those maintained by the district,” the policy says, laying out guidelines for district staff, students and members of the public posting comments on the sites.
McLennan said he’s concerned that school board members would be able to post politically charged comments.
“Without a policy in place, directors can use their social media to spread lies, disinformation and propaganda. They can call out students, teachers and district employees that do not agree with them. Meanwhile those same students, teachers and district employees are rendered helpless since they are bound by this social media policy,” McLennan said.
“It is absurd that these directors can possibly think that they are immune and that they cannot be held accountable for content in their social media postings,” he said.
Carolyn Sciarriino, one of the candidates in this year’s election for four four-year seats on the board, also said the board members should be included in the policy.
“School board members should be held at the same standard as school employees in many ways, especially when it comes to social media standards in the policy,” she said.
If board members were included in the policy, though, there would not be a way to enforce it, board member Megan Banis-Clemens said later in the meeting as the board was about to vote on the first reading of several policies including the social media one.
“We have no authority over each other,” Banis-Clemens said. “We can’t hold ourselves to a policy like that.”
By an 8-0 vote, with board member Katy Dolan absent, the board approved the first reading of the policy. Another final vote will be taken before the policy goes into effect. That vote is expected to be in August.
In public comment at the end of the meeting, Adrienne King, another candidate in this year’s election, said she understands that the board can’t hold its fellow board members accountable under the policy, but said the social postings should be used to bring people together, not create division.
“I would hope that as leaders of the school and within the community, that you wouldn’t need a policy to tell you that you should be leading and representative for all of those that are under your guidance,” she said.
The meeting also included comments on the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative, which made a presentation at the June 1 meeting, and on Critical Race Theory.
“When parents are informed, they overwhelmingly do not want Critical Race Theory and some other diverse perspectives being taught to their children,” Christine Batycki, another school board candidate, said.
“Here in Pennridge, we’re being told that this curriculum renewal program and the DEI iniitiative do not contain CRT, but when I was at the June 1 meeting, there were trigger words that raised a red flag,” she said.
“You’re asking us as parents to trust you when we don’t really have many specifics in order to do that,” she said. “Broad concepts are being shared of vision and goals, but we all know that the devil is in the details and that when implementing these things in real life, it can often lead to surprises.”
Batycki said she wanted answers to questions including, “How will a culturally responsive curriculum improve our test scores?” and “What does success look like?”
Dawn Curran, another board candidate, said she’s impressed with the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative.
“Few things are more important to my husband and me than ensuring that our kids are learning to both recognize and appreciate diversity in their schools and the community,” she said.
“What can go wrong with diversity training? Nothing usually, but this training is different. The concern is that it demands our students have a stunted world view where people are categorized predominantly based on race, sexual preference and gender identity,” resident Nick Teliska said.
“I don’t know of a single person that is against the concepts of diversity, equity or inclusion. The concern is for the unintended consequences,” he said. “If we don’t ask ourselves what could be a potential negative outcome, we may end up unintentionally creating new marginalized segments of society contributing to the next generation of divided citizenry and formalizing a new bigotry based on modern prejudices and stereotypes.”
“CRT is not indoctrination. It’s not curriculum. It’s not telling you that you are an oppressor or a victim as was said in the last meeting. What it does, it helps examine potential biases you might harbor, whether you realize it or not,” Kevin Leven, of Bucks County AntiRacism Coalition, said.
“What are you so afraid our children will learn?” he asked, “that there’s work to be done regarding dismantling and rebuilding these systems in a way that everyone is better off?”
“We should want all the families in our district to
“It is absurd that these directors can possibly think that they are immune and that they cannot be held accountable for content in their social media postings.” — Ross McLennan
“What are you so afraid our children will learn — that there’s work to be done regarding dismantling and rebuilding these systems in a way that everyone is better off?.” — Kevin Leven, Bucks County Anti-Racism Coalition
“We need to understand that critical thinking is not a divisive technique to draw division. If we don’t talk about it, we don’t know about it and if we don’t know about it, we don’t do anything about it and we don’t come together in order to be more united and so that everyone in this community and school feels safe, valued, protected and like they’re a part of this community.” — Adrienne King
have a positive educational experience and we should listen most closely to those who are telling us that they do not,” resident Katie Rene said.
Resident Kim Bedillion pointed out phrases such as “culturally responsive.”
“Call it by any other name if you wish, but it is clear that culturally responsive curriculum and instruction is based on CRT,” she said. “The community is overwhelmingly against the inclusion of any components of CRT within the school district whether it be renamed as culturally responsive or diversity, equity & inclusion.”
Crime statistics show very few hate crimes in Bucks County, Bedillion said.
Hate crimes are often not reported, though, Adrienne King said.
“We need to understand that critical thinking is not a divisive technique to draw division,” King said. “If we don’t talk about it, we don’t know about it and if we don’t know about it, we don’t do anything about it and we don’t come together in order to be more united and so that everyone in this community and school feels safe, valued, protected and like they’re a part of this community.”
Resident Stacey Smith said she thinks people have made Critical Race Theory out to be scarier than it really is.
“We are not supposed to be made to feel guilty. We are simply being asked to acknowledge and try to understand other people’s experiences and we can’t do that unless we listen to them,” she said.
“Why wouldn’t we want to teach our kids to be anti-racist? Children obviously need to be taught math, science, English, about working hard and reaching for their goals,” Smith said, “but they also need to be taught how to be part of a multi-cultural world, how to be a successful member of our society. Leaving this out of our curriculum leaves a gaping hole in our students’ education and leaves them under-prepared for the world beyond their primary education.”