North Penn School Board Director Jon Kassa addresses a crowd of demonstrators at a Black Lives Matter rally in Lansdale on June 7, 2020. Fellow board
North Penn School District’s Board of Directors met virtually on Tuesday night to discuss an equity statement and an anti-racist resolution in the wake of civil and racial unrest in the United States and the North Penn area.
NPSD School Board Vice President Christian Fusco said that the equity statement is the first of a three-phase implementation, which also includes a districtwide equity policy and an equity action plan.
“This is sort of a statement of our principles,” Fusco said. “This is a statement of our beliefs as a district… This is the recommended course from the Pennsylvania School Board Association when taking up equity policy. This is an important first step.”
The two-page statement, which can be read here, says that “recognizing the critical role of school leaders in the provision of education for our students, the Board of School Directors of the North Penn School District calls for equity. Equity is the just and fair distribution of resources based upon each individual student’s needs.”
The statement goes on to say, “In the pursuit of equity, the Board of School Directors of the North Penn School District is committed to assessing our actions locally and acting to address both individual and systemic issues of inequity in order to overcome institutional barriers and create opportunities so that all children have the tools and supports necessary to achieve their highest potential.”
Fusco said that while some of the language was based on the PSBA’s recommended wording, NPSD is committed to not just making statements but taking actionable steps.
“We feel that this is not about advancing a conversation, this is about taking action,” Fusco said. “This is a district that passed a cultural proficiency plan two years ago, and this is not something that we’ve come to all of a sudden.”
Board member Jonathan Kassa also championed the message,
“This is about a movement across the community to make sure that equity is at the forefront of what we do,” Kassa said. “It is not something that we put on the shelf and point to, to pat ourselves on the back. It’s real, it’s actionable.”
“Though this isn’t about a conversation-statement, this is putting our flag in the ground, as school board directors, if you work at North Penn, you need to understand what this statement means, and what it means as we move forward with the next steps for equity and in the statements that we have as a board,” Kassa said.
Most public comment was in support of the statement, although one district resident, Jim Thompson, said he believed the board was “painting a very negative picture of North Penn School District” with the statement, and he found certain statements offensive.
“All of those statements are very disturbing to me,” Thompson said. “Quite frankly, I’m offended, and I think everyone in this district should be offended about this. It seems like the board is populated - and this is a criticism of the board - by a number of activists who want to change the morality and ethics of the entire community based on controlling the school board.”
Thompson urged the board to do a better job of defining racism, where and how the board identifies racism and inequality in the district.
“I don’t think you’re doing a good job of explaining it,” Thompson said.
Fusco responded by saying that much of this is a result of studying data in the district.
“We’re not saying that North Penn is this terrible racist institution,” Fusco said. “What we’re saying is, ‘We can improve.’”
“We know we’ve heard from students who say we can do better, families who suggest that we can do better,” Fusco added. “And we are doing our best to respond to those families. And we are doing so through data analysis.”
No action was taken on the equity statement at the meeting — the agenda item was moved “as is” to the board’s next action meeting, scheduled for July 16.
In related news, the board discussed a resolution supporting an anti-racist climate in the district.
In the resolution, the school board says it recognizes that there is no place for hate or racism in schools, and therefore vows to “unequivocally stand firm in our collective responsibility to foster an equitable and inclusive environment for every student, staff member, parent, and community member. We commit to use our role as school board directors to recognize, respond, and speak out against injustice and racial inequity in our school community.”
As part of the resolution, the school board has committed to taking the following actions:
This all comes on the heels of demonstrations against racial injustice in the North Penn area, as well as the district’s decision to place a special education supervisor on administrative leave after she posted racially insensitive comments on Facebook.
In a statement, the district said that the comments “do not align with NPSD’s core values,” and that “through the development of a culturally proficient staff, the school district seeks to create an environment of respect where all members of the school community are empowered to learn, grow and appreciate one another.”
As with the equity statement, the board voted to move taking action on the anti-racism resolution to next Thursday’s school board meeting.
See also:
North Penn School Board Approves Revised Property Tax And Rent Rebate Program
North Penn School Board Passes 2020-2021 Budget With 2.6% Tax Increase
Editorial: School District Deserves Praise For Handling Of 2020 Graduation, Commencement
North Penn Employee Placed On Administrative Leave Following Comments Opposing Black Lives Matter
North Penn Announces Plans To Move Forward With Hybrid Commencement Celebration
