Several parents of students at Inglewood Elementary are voicing their concerns over a recently added security partition to the main office area of the school.
The security structure was installed sometime last week, at the behest of the school’s Crisis Emergency Response Team (CERT). According to Inglewood Elementary School Principal Tonya Swavely, the structure is similar to other North Penn schools, and it was designed to add an extra layer of protection for staff and students in the event the school need to be secured during an emergency.
“We are constantly evaluating the safety of our building,” said Swavely, in an email to parents dated Nov. 13. “With that being said, I believe in the importance of open communication between home and school. If you ever have any safety concerns, please bring them to my attention so that I can address them.”
Only one day after the email was sent to parents, a petition was launched on Change.org requesting the structure be removed due to a perceived lack of safety features and overall appearance. The petition reads, in part:
“A wall was installed in the main office of Inglewood Elementary sometime last week. Parents were never notified about the details of this, including that it was even being considered, as well as funding for the structure. We were informed after its installation that the cost to purchase and install this wall structure was approximately $5,000.
According to an email that was sent to parents on Wednesday, Nov. 13, this wall was being installed for the safety of the students and its staff. However, it is quite clear to anyone who has seen the wall in person, that the structure is not at all a security structure.
We are requesting that the wall be removed, and are additionally requesting that parents be consulted for their opinion on such matters, and even more-so even informed of such drastic changes being made to the school before implementing any such "security and safety" measures.”
To date, the petition has been signed nearly 50 times, including a signature from Kimberly Bonneau, who voiced her concerns to North Penn Now.
“We want this structure torn down and we want input on how our tax dollars or grant funding should be used to keep our children safe,” said Bonneau, whose child currently attends Inglewood Elementary. “We all want safe schools, however, this structure is nothing more than an office partition intended to continue the divide between parent involvement in our school.”
When reached for comment, North Penn School District provided the following statement:
“District administrators are meeting with Inglewood parents this week to discuss their concerns about the wall. We are hoping we can resolve their issues as soon as possible. As always, safety is a number one priority in the school district and we look forward to working with the Inglewood community.”
"As volunteers elected to serve, this board is thankful for such valuable feedback from our school communities," said Kassa. "We set a high standard to have a responsive district administration that listens to families, school leadership and staff as part of a larger strategy to facilitate transparent communication which fosters accountability. By having all stakeholders in Inglewood Elementary’s success share their concerns and goals in an ongoing, open and trusting dialog, I’m confident that a common goal of balancing a vibrant learning environment with a robust school safety plan will ultimately prevail."
North Penn School Board Vice President Christian Fusco, who is also an Inglewood parent, added that the lack of early dialog was regrettable.
“Decisions surrounding the safety and security of our schools, and more specifically, our children, touch on raw emotions and draw strong reactions from everyone who is a part of that school's community,” said Fusca. “There are those who want increased security measures and those who feel these measures change the culture and climate in ways that impact the educational environment negatively. It is our responsibility as a district to make sure that we are not making decisions without first getting community input.”
“Clearly, the lack of dialogue about the wall erected at Inglewood sparked exactly the kind of reaction a proactive approach could have avoided,” Fusca said. “We must learn from this experience as we move forward making these kinds of decisions that are at the heart of a national debate about how to keep our children safe at school.”
Bonneau said that concerned parents are planning on addressing the issue further at several upcoming school board meetings, including the North Penn School Board action meeting on Nov. 21 and the Safe Schools Committee meeting on Nov. 25.
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