Pennridge School District. (Credit: Pennridge School District)
Under the new policy, the superintendent, in collaboration with the cabinet, will be tasked with approving third-party surveys
The Pennridge School Board Monday, March 24 advanced a policy allowing parents to opt their children out of third-party surveys, the latest in a series of reversals of the previous GOP-led board’s decisions.
The current policy, approved in 2023, requires parental consent for student participation in any third-party survey as well as non-third-party surveys on “controversial issues,” defined as “topics related to personal beliefs such as religion, political and geopolitical materials, sexual orientation and gender identity.”
The policy also withdrew the district’s participation in the “Pennsylvania Youth Survey” (PAYS), an anonymous state survey of middle and high school students addressing drug and alcohol usage, bullying, violence and mental health issues. The purpose of the survey is to assess the extent of problem behaviors among students and allocate the necessary resources.
At the time, board members argued that the policy was needed to protect children from inappropriate questions, while parents and community members castigated the policy as an attempt to cover up a “toxic environment” in the district.
Under the new policy, the superintendent, in collaboration with the cabinet, will be tasked with approving third-party surveys. Parents will be notified of all third-party surveys at the beginning of the school year and no less than 10 days prior to the survey’s distribution, with the choice of opting their children out. Parents can also request copies of the surveys.
“It’s not gonna be opt-in. It’s gonna go back to opt-out,” said policy chair Leah Rash.
The policy also eliminates parental consent for non-third-party surveys on controversial issues and restores the district’s participation in PAYS.
At Monday’s meeting, the board’s discussion primarily concerned PAYS, with some members defending the survey as a crucial data collection tool and others characterizing it as age-inappropriate and harmful.
“We require parental consent for photographs of their children, and surveys should be along those same lines,” said board member Christine Batycki. “They can be viewed as intrusive and asking sensitive information.”
“PAYS is voluntary and confidential, so it is different than photographs,” countered Rash. “There’s no way to link the data back to the student. Students are also not forced to answer all the questions on the survey.”
“But if it’s anonymous, how is it really helping?” asked board member Jordan Blomgren. “Is it hurting some but helping others? Is it introducing some things that maybe some students at a young age haven’t been introduced to? That’s where I struggle.”
In response, Rash and board member Chris Kaufman noted that the survey is designed to provide a “complete picture” of students’ experiences and has a proven track record of success.
“It’s a community survey. It’s meant to be informative for the community,” said Rash, adding, “Did you know that there’s vaping in the middle school? Some parents may not even know that.”
“It would be shortsighted of us as a district to take PAYS away from our students at such a crucial time,” added Kaufman. “We’re seeing more and more students being influenced by social media and experiencing mental health crises, and we can’t get a good picture of it if we bury our heads in the sand.”
“We learned during the mental health seminar that children as young as six have contemplated suicide,” Kaufman concluded. “If it helps to save one life, I’m all for it.”
After some discussion, the board approved a first reading vote of the policy by a vote of 6-3, with Batycki, Blomgren and board member Ricki Chaikin voting in the minority. The policy will return to the policy committee for a second read and further discussion.
New administrators
The board approved the hiring of Henry Hunt as Director of Athletics and Activities at a salary of $130,000 and Abram Hughes as Central Middle School Principal at a salary of $161,914, effective July 1, 2025. Hunt currently serves as the Director of Athletics for the Central Bucks School District, while Hughes serves as the house principal for Pennridge High School seniors.
The board approved the hiring of Chris Bogen as Assistant Director of Operations. He currently serves as the Facility Manager at Seylar Elementary.
The next Pennridge School Board meeting is on April 28 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit pennridge.org
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