North Penn School District issued a statement on Wednesday addressing a locally-viral image that shows a teacher at Pennfield Middle School taping a mask to a student’s face.
The image was initially shared on Monday night by the North Penn Stronger Together Facebook page, along with a call to action for residents and parents to address the issue with the school board and district administration. In the image, a teacher can be seen applying a piece of tape to the student’s mask and left side of his face.
“Pro-mask or anti-mask, I hope we can all agree that taping masks to children’s faces crosses the line,” reads a portion of the text accompanying the image. “This was not a joke for the child or the parents.”
The North Penn Stronger Together page most recently represented four Republican candidates for school board in the 2021 General Election. However, they now claim that they are no longer tethered to a political party or campaign, and they have instead evolved into a “sounding board for concerned parents.”
On Wednesday morning, attention surrounding the incident increased when Florida-based political strategist Chuck Callesto sent a tweet about the incident to his more than 290,000 followers. The post has since been retweeted more than 3,000 times, generating nearly 500 comments.
BREAKING REPORT: Teacher at Pennsylvania's Pennfield Middle School Caught TAPING MASK TO YOUNG CHILD'S FACE In Class – Outraged Parents Plan Demonstration at Upcoming School Board Meeting...
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) January 19, 2022
In response to the release of the image, North Penn School District released a statement condemning the teacher’s actions as inappropriate and unacceptable, and adding that the matter is being addressed.
The statement reads, in full:
“An image taken in one of our
classrooms last week and circulating on social media does not represent the
universal values that the North Penn School District strives to instill in both
our students and staff. After an immediate investigation, it was determined
that while the incident was isolated and no malice was intended, the actions of
the teacher were entirely inappropriate and unacceptable, no matter the
context.
We understand that the act of taping a mask to a student’s face is concerning
to many and apologize that it occurred. The matter is serious and it is being
addressed with the employee. However, all personnel and student matters are
confidential and no further information can be provided.”
Prior to the release of the district’s statement, the North Penn Neighbor’s for Progress Facebook page — which represented four Democrat candidates during the 2021 General Election — issued a post saying the matter should be dealt with internally and condemning what they viewed as the exploitation of negative news for political gain.
“The continued exploitation of any piece of negative news to re-instigate the cynical, partisan rhetoric that fueled your failed campaign is exhausting,” the post reads. “But exploitation of a child and family on social media, in pursuit of political gain, is absolutely unacceptable.”
North Penn School District’s next public meeting is scheduled for Jan. 20 at 6 p.m.
See also:
North Penn High School Students Participating in District and Regional Bands
North Penn School District Educational Foundation Awards 2021-2022 Mid-Year Grants
Kindergarten Registration Opens Soon for North Penn School District
North Penn Now Accepting Nominations for 2022 Class of Knights of Honor
North Penn Educational Foundation Receives MontcoStrong 2021 Grant
