The North Penn School Board meeting last Thursday was filled with spectators--most of whom were frustrated by the district’s recent decision to regulate holiday celebrations at school. In essence, the regulation gives principals the authority to decide on a policy for holiday events at their respective schools. During the first 90 minutes of the meeting, several parents expressed their concerns to board members about the policy’s effect on holiday--particularly Halloween--celebrations at their schools.
Walton Farm Elementary parent Steve Sioli came forward at one point, hoping to clear his family’s name in the wake of recent speculations that he is to blame for the school’s decision to ban Halloween festivities. He says, however, that he had simply asked the principal to send his child home or to the library if there were any in-school parties, since he and his family members are Jehovah’s Witnesses. “We were okay with being excluded,” he said. “For some reason that point did not stick.” Sioli claimed that it was never his family’s intent to start a controversy, and that he believes the principal overreached in trying to find a common ground by deciding to ban the holiday altogether.
Donna Chaffee, another Walton Farm parent frustrated by how the principal has managed the regulation, also spoke out: “The mismanagement is draining our teachers,” she said. “It is [also] draining our parents and it eventually is going to hit our students.” According to her, the situation has created a strained relationship for teachers who are not sure what exactly they are allowed to do.
Later on in the meeting, Next STEP candidate Paul Edelman expressed concern over the lack of communication pertaining to the implementation of the policy. According to Paul, strengthening communication between board members and faculty is key to preventing issues such as this from arising in the future. However, he believes that the audience's irritation during last Thursday’s meeting highlighted the key point Next STEP candidates have been campaigning all along: Students’ needs must come first.
Although the policy was apparently intended to help students by protecting instructional time, Paul believes it is doing just the opposite. The current controversy has put even more stress on already busy teachers, thus preventing them from being able to fully focus on their jobs.
Next STEP candidates have always believed that students’ needs are the number one priority. When policies and regulations begin to affect students in a negative way, they must be reevaluated. Students must always remain the number one priority, no matter what the circumstances.
You can make a difference by electing Next STEP candidates Tina, Murali, Alex, and Paul on Tuesday, November 5th.
