School Board Snapshots- September

The Snapshot page is intended for a “one-stop shop” approach to the happenings of our monthly school board meetings.

The School Board welcomes you at the meetings and invites you to participate in the meetings' public comment sections.

If you have comments or concerns about Pennridge School Board matters, please e-mail psdschoolboard@pennridge.org.

- You can also watch the entire meeting from September 27th by clicking the YouTube video link below. We have also divided the meeting into sections for easier viewing. This link takes you to our 'Ridge Channel' on YouTube where you can subscribe and watch this and all of the Pennridge School Board meetings as well as all kinds of videos made for the Pennridge School District.

- Policy Committee Report & School Board Decisions

- Curriculum Committee Report & School Board Decisions

- Facilities Committee Report & School Board Decisions

- Finance committee Report & School Board Decisions

- Sneak Peek: October School Board agenda items

Policy 109 – Resource Materials- Click here for the link to the policy.

Overview – This policy governs all resource materials that are used throughout the district. The main categories include district library, classroom library, and all instructional resources.

What is the same?

1. Our Professional staff continues to be responsible for recommending all library, classroom, and curricular materials.
2. The emphasis remains on providing comprehensive, varied, and age-appropriate resources.
3. The review process for any resource that is challenged will be completed through our professional staff.

What is new?

1. Resource materials being recommended for purchase will be posted publicly on our website for a minimum of two weeks.
1. Details on this process will be shared soon.
2. Age-appropriate sexualized content is differentiated by level and more clearly defined.
1. We will work with librarians and curriculum supervisors to review current resources.
3. Permitted but deprioritized sexualized content is differentiated by level and more clearly defined.
1. This will help the staff determine which materials require additional review prior to being used.
4. Parent consent must be obtained before students are assigned any deprioritized resources that contain sexualized content.
1. This will be facilitated through the curriculum process.

Specific content about Policy 109 can be seen and heard in the video, starting around 1:14:00 into the meeting video.

Policy 321 – Advocacy Activities- Click here for the link to the policy.

Overview – In Policy 321, Advocacy is defined as using power, position, or authority to advise or persuade students. This policy more fully defines the expectation that all staff members will not advocate their personal beliefs across a number of categories. Instead, staff will retain their personal views and remain neutral on advocacy-related matters during assigned work hours.

What is the same?

1. After family members, educators are some of the most important advocates in a child’s life. This policy does not eliminate the importance of those relationships and does not prohibit staff from speaking with and supporting all students and their families.
2. This is a staff policy and does not address student expression.
3. Staff members continue to be allowed to display curricular and personal items (family photos, college/fan items, jewelry, other small personal items worn by the individual, etc).
4. Staff members retain their right to engage in areas of advocacy outside of their assigned work hours.
5. Staff members continue to be expected to only discuss advocacy-related matters when it applies directly to their curriculum. In those instances, all topics will be presented in a balanced and factual manner.
6. This policy does not address district and/or building-sponsored materials (clubs, sports, spirit events, etc.).

What is new?

1. For the sake of this policy, advocacy, and the areas addressed, are defined.
2. District resources and property (desks, walls, doors, hallways, etc.) may not be utilized for advocacy purposes.

Click here for the video of the meeting and you may want to skip to 1:20:30 for the specific discussion on Policy 321 as well as the voting afterward.

Policy 217 – Graduation Requirements- Click here for the link to the policy- as of 9/30/22.

Overview – Policy 217, Graduation requirements at Pennridge High School, was scheduled for Final Approval at the September meeting. However, the Board decided, by a majority vote of 6-3 to continue the discussion and table the policy for another month. Many of the public comment speakers dedicated their time at the podium to this policy. Among them were Pennridge staff members, parents, and a student.

Click here for the video of the meeting.

Public comment begins around 05:40, and around 1:46:00, there is discussion and votes on Policy 217- Graduation Requirements.

Click here to read the specifics of the course.

Housing and Interior Design II-

This course provides students the opportunity to develop skills in applying the principles and elements of design. Projects are integrated throughout the course to provide applications as the students study architecture, furniture styles and constructions, surface treatments and backgrounds, design, the function of space, lighting, outdoor living space and environment, and presentation strategies.

The purpose of this course is to provide students with the fundamental principles and concepts identified with housing and interior design and to develop critical thinking and decision-making skills through the application of this knowledge in these industries.

The board unanimously approved multiple district facilities projects to the tune of $4.6 Million. On the list is the long-awaited overhaul of the kitchen inside the South Middle School and the replacement of the District diesel fueling station.

The entire GESA Amendment #7 that lists all of the projects approved at the September meeting can be viewed by clicking this sentence which is a link to the document.

More discussion about this and other topics can also be heard during the committee meeting earlier in September. Click here to watch it.

At the September meeting, the School Board unanimously approved a list of expenses for the school year. The entire list may be seen here on our PSD board docs site.

Among many other valuable programs that help support our students, staff, and programs, Pennridge High School is now able to add dual enrollment college-level coursework options from Gwynedd Mercy University. Bucks County Community College was previously the only other dual enrollment option.

More discussion about this and other topics can also be heard during the committee meeting earlier in September. Click here to watch it.

The School Board approved Tenure for the following employees. In Pennsylvania, teachers acquire tenure after teaching in the same school district for three years and maintaining a satisfactory rating during that time.

Congratulations to these teachers- you make us #PennridgeProud!

Katrina Blocher

Chelsea Connelly

Samantha Fell

Amy Jankowitsch

Brooke Labs

Nicole Miller

Allie Riegel

Kelly Schutte

Sarah Scott

Ailish Simonson

Heidi Stevenson

Mario Ventresca

Danielle Warner

Ashley Weida

Jessica Ashlock

Hannah Koch

Email: dthomas@pennridge.org
Website: www.pennridge.org
Location: 1200 North 5th Street, Perkasie, PA, USA
Phone: 215-257-5011
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PennridgeSchoolDistrict/
Twitter: @PennridgeSD