School Board of Directors Update

December 12, 2022

Dear Upper Moreland Community,

We would like to follow up on a situation that has had a significant impact on the Upper Moreland Township School District and our entire community over the past several days.

On Tuesday, December 6, Board Director Jennifer Solot made comments at the board’s reorganization meeting that many in our community took offense to. The comments were in relation to the election of a president for the Board of School Directors.

As a result of this incident, Ms. Solot has decided to resign from the board effective January 2, 2023. She wishes to apologize for her poorly chosen words and does not want to be a distraction from the great things happening in our schools on a daily basis. The district thanks Ms. Solot for her five years of service to the Upper Moreland community as a board member.

The comments made by Ms. Solot at the board reorganization meeting were solely hers and were not intended to represent the opinion of the entire UMSD Board of Directors or the district as a whole. Indeed, Board Director Greg D’Elia, who was the subject of her comments, says that he “supports diversity, but these comments did not further diversity and reflected poorly on our community.”

UMSD is committed to providing students, staff, and the community a school environment in which all feel safe, valued, and heard. This is a commitment we take very seriously.

As a district, we focus on nondiscrimination across our schools and classrooms. We value the full diversity of the community we serve and help all students and staff achieve success without discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, marital status, pregnancy, disability, or gender identity. Likewise, in all staffing positions in the district, we hire the most qualified person for the position and do not discriminate.

We want our community to know that we will continue to provide the best possible educational experience to each and every student. As always, we appreciate your support of UMSD and the students, families, and communities we serve.

Sincerely,

Mrs. April Stainback

Board President

Dr. Susan Elliott

Superintendent