Pennridge School Board repeals ban on teacher advocacy

 A divided Pennridge School Board Monday, Dec. 2 repealed the district’s ban on teacher advocacy, the latest in a series of reversals of actions taken by the previous GOP-led board.

The move follows an ongoing legal review of several controversial board policies. Approved in September 2022, the policy had replaced a ban on employee political activities with a broader ban on advocacy activities, in areas “including but not limited to religion, sexual orientation and gender identity, social, political and geo-political matters.”

Following the policy’s approval, teachers were instructed to remove all religious symbols, political signs and Pride-related materials from their classrooms, though some students later alleged that only Pride materials were affected.

The policy attracted significant opposition from parents, community members and some civil rights organizations, arguing that it stifled freedom of speech and signs of support for minority students. It was later cited in an ongoing federal civil rights complaint, which accuses the district of fostering a hostile environment for students of color and LGBTQ+ students.

At Monday’s meeting, the board voted 5-4 to restore the original ban on employee political activities, which states that “district time, resources, property or equipment, paid for by taxpayers, may not be used for political purposes by district employees when performing assigned duties.”

In voicing her support for the change, policy chair Leah Rash condemned the advocacy ban for discriminating against LGBTQ+ students and cultivating an atmosphere of insecurity and mistrust.

“There has not been one consequence of the current policy that has done anything other than target specific groups of our students and paralyze our staff as to what they can do to help,” said Rash.

“Who someone is is not controversial,” Rash continued, “Advocating for one group does not diminish the importance of other groups; it’s about addressing specific needs and challenges to create a more supportive environment for everyone, that is the definition of advocacy.”

Some board members defended the advocacy ban, arguing that it is needed to ensure unbiased classroom instruction.

“It’s important to establish boundaries and rules of engagement for all of our staff, including in the classroom, in terms of stating personal viewpoints to students, advocating for certain positions,” said board member Christine Batycki. “It’s just responsible. We do it in the business world, in our families, in our homes, on boards of organizations. So I don’t understand why we wouldn’t do it in our school district as well.”

Board member Ricki Chaikin echoed Batycki’s sentiments, adding that teachers had been counseling students on gender identity issues without their parents’ knowledge.

“Teachers are not qualified to help a student figure out their gender identity, and they’re certainly not to keep it from the parent,” said Chaikin. “It was never about students not being able to express themselves; it was about teachers not being allowed to advocate for or against and hide things from parents.”

But board member Carolyn Sciarrino argued that the political activities policy is sufficient to address concerns of classroom advocacy and bias.

“The policy is one we’ve had for many years and was working before the advocacy policy was created,” said Sciarrino. “There is this narrative that taking away the advocacy policy will allow teachers to work in secret behind parents’ backs, and that is not the case, nor are we encouraging such behavior.”

Following the discussion, the board voted 5-4 to repeal the advocacy policy and reinstate the political activities policy, with Rash, Sciarrino and board members Chris Kaufman, Bradley Merkl-Gump and Ron Wurz voting in the majority and Batycki, Chaikin and board members Jordan Blomgren and Bob Cormack voting in the minority.

Board reorganization

The board re-elected Wurz as board president by a vote of 8-1, with Blomgren voting for Sciarrino. The board also elected Sciarrino as board vice president by a vote of 5-4, with Batycki, Blomgren, Chaikin and Cormack voting for Batycki.

The board also approved four new programs, including AP Latin for grade 12 beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, Advanced STEM Lab: Product Design and Development for grades 9-12 and STEM Innovation Lab: Manufacturing and Product Entrepreneurship for grades 10-12 beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, and Honors Advanced Computer Design and Animation for grades 10-12 beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.

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