Jonathan Kassa.
(The following submission is part of a monthly series of editorials, courtesy of our partnership with the North Penn School District and the North Penn School Board.)
Dear Community,
As many of you know, the North Penn School District (NPSD) Board of School Directors strives to maintain an open line of communication with the students, staff and community of North Penn. We welcome questions, concerns and feedback from our stakeholders regarding important issues that we can help to resolve or clarify. The success of NPSD relies on the partnership between its leaders and those whom we serve. This transparency is something that we as a school board place as a top priority at North Penn, between us and the community and also throughout the entire school district.
To that end, I’d like to highlight some of the areas in which we are successfully implementing this philosophy at North Penn.
In January of 2019, NPSD launched the Pennsylvania "Safe2Say Something" anonymous reporting system. This program, educates students, teachers and school administrators on how to recognize warning signs and signals of individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others, and encourages them to say something to a trusted adult or use its anonymous reporting system. Since its inception at NPSD, we have received more than 200 tips including over 30 critical life safety tips which our district team acted upon immediately. Many tips received have resulted in successful interventions that have helped to keep our students safe. We appreciate those who are using this program to safely communicate concerns about the wellbeing of their peers and encourage everyone to do so. School and district leaders continue to promote the use of Safe2Say. Each year, students in grades seven through 12 receive training about the system. Specialized training tailored to grades four through six is currently being developed. Information about using the program can be found in schools, on student computers, and online here.
As we continue to grow and evolve as a district and a community, the need for adjustment can present new challenges. Although redistricting is never an easy process, recent changes to boundary lines for three of our elementary schools are taking place for the 2020-2021 school year. Space was needed at Inglewood Elementary School which meant moving some students to Gwynedd Square and Nash elementary schools. Following extensive community input and dialog with the board at a number of public meetings and via many thoughtful emails from parents, a solution was developed that impacts the least amount of families while solving a challenging logistical situation. I want to commend our administration for their thorough research and commitment to finding a fair resolution and a heartfelt thank you to the Inglewood families who engaged us throughout the process.
Many of you remember that we partnered with Hanover Research to conduct a survey throughout the district around this time last year. This comprehensive survey of staff, students, parents and the community members focused on the culture and climate of our schools. The survey asked questions related to a variety topics regarding school climate, including the building, academic, and social environments, safety, stakeholder engagement, and community inclusiveness. We appreciate those who took the time to complete the survey as it helped us to gauge how well we are meeting the needs of our stakeholders.
Following the survey, we shared the results and worked with district leadership in order to analyze and discuss the meaning of the results. We then developed plans and initiatives to improve areas in which our constituent responses demonstrated areas of improvement, while building upon identified strengths. With a baseline now in place, we look forward to launching a follow-up survey this spring to see how we’re doing on improving upon the identified areas while making sure we are still excelling in other areas, as well. Keep an eye out for this survey in early April.
As we continue to progress as a community, there is always room for improvement and adjustments across our schools. Districtwide communication, data and transparency play a key role in making this happen because it adds to public accountability and, therefore, helps to increase confidence in the direction of North Penn. Please feel free to reach out to me or my fellow school board directors with questions, concerns or feedback at any time. Our contact information can be found here. We are elected, unpaid volunteers, here to serve our community; we couldn’t serve effectively without the families, students, staff and community members of North Penn being engaged in these important community discussions. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jonathan M. Kassa
NPSD Board of School Directors
Term Expiration: 2021
See also:
Editorial: State Educational Mandates And Their Relationship With Property Taxes
Editorial: It’s Time To Discuss A Ninth Grade Center At North Penn High School
Editorial: Partnerships Key To Success Of North Penn School District
Lucy, Charlie Brown And That Football: Harrisburg Politics And Your Local Tax Bill
Editorial: Why The Renovation Of Crawford Stadium Matters
