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Heads up! We have scanned the upcoming agenda for Pennridge SD. We found 10 items that need your immediate attention before the vote.
| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 9) |
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Superintendent Granted Lifetime Healthcare in Consent Agenda
An amendment to the Superintendent’s contract, hidden in the Consent Calendar under Item 6, grants the Superintendent and his spouse 100% district-paid healthcare coverage for life, even after separation from the district, until they both reach age 65. This creates a massive, long-term financial liability for taxpayers and is being passed without a separate, public discussion.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Email the School Board (contact info on district website): ‘I demand the Superintendent’s contract under Item 6 be pulled from the Consent Agenda for a separate discussion and roll-call vote. Taxpayers deserve to know the full cost of providing lifetime healthcare benefits to a former employee.’
💰 Impact: Lifetime Taxpayer Liability
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| HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 8) |
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District to Adopt New Student Data & Career Planning Platform
The district plans to adopt ‘Xello,’ a comprehensive K-12 platform for college and career planning that will replace two existing systems. These platforms collect vast amounts of student data and increase screen time, often without proven academic benefits.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Email the School Board (contact info on district website): ‘Before approving the Xello contract, please publish the independent, non-vendor-funded evidence that this platform improves student outcomes, and a report on how much daily screen time it will add for each grade level.’
💰 Impact: Your Child’s Data
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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Vague Title — Manual Review Required
The board is holding a first reading for a new ‘Policy 218 Student Discipline.’ The draft policy was referenced in the agenda but the text was not included, preventing public review of potential changes to how students are disciplined, which could include ideological frameworks like ‘restorative practices.’
Recommended Action Plan
INVESTIGATE: Open the file ‘Policy 218 Student Discipline DRAFT first read 9.9.26’ attached in the Official Agenda (linked above) to confirm whether it contains sensitive policy changes.
💰 Impact: New Disciplinary Rules
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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Undisclosed Curriculum Proposal on Agenda
The agenda lists ‘Approval of Curriculum Proposal’ under Item 7.B but provides no description or attached documents outlining the proposal. This lack of transparency prevents parents from reviewing new curriculum before it is approved by the Board.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Email the School Board (contact info on district website): ‘Regarding Item 7.B, what specific curriculum is being proposed for approval? Parents have a right to review all materials before the Board votes. Post the proposal publicly now.’
💰 Impact: Undisclosed
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 6) |
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District Pays $14,725 for Undisclosed Keynote Speaker
The district paid $14,725 to Dr. Tracey D Severns for a keynote speech at a staff convocation, as shown in the General Fund Bills list. The topic of this professional development was not disclosed in the agenda or minutes, preventing parental review of the content being taught to teachers.
Recommended Action Plan
ASK QUESTIONS: Email the School Board (contact info on district website): ‘Regarding the $14,725 payment to Tracey D Severns, what was the topic of her presentation to staff, and may parents review the materials?’
💰 Impact: $14,725.00
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| NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 6) |
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District Confirms Use of ‘Multi-Tiered System of Supports’ (MTSS)
Meeting minutes from August 31 confirm the district is implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). MTSS is often used to justify universal academic and behavioral screening of all students, creating data files on children without full parental consent.
Recommended Action Plan
MONITOR: Ask the district for the specific screening tools used under MTSS and the parental consent forms required for this data collection.
💰 Impact: Student Data Collection
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| MONITOR (LEVEL 5) |
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District Pays for Student EdTech Software
The General Fund Bills list includes a payment of $531.25 for IXL Learning software. Before approving payments for EdTech, the Board must provide independent evidence that this product improves academic outcomes and disclose how much daily screen time it adds for students.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY: Email the School Board (contact info on district website): ‘Regarding the payment to IXL Learning in the bills list, where can parents review the evidence of its academic effectiveness and the daily screen time it requires of our children?’
💰 Impact: $531.25
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| MONITOR (LEVEL 5) |
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Board to Use Official Vote in Lobbying Group Election
Under Item 14, the Board will use its official capacity to cast votes in the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) elections. The PSBA is a powerful lobbying organization, and this action commits the district’s public standing to influence its political direction, using taxpayer-funded authority.
Recommended Action Plan
MONITOR: Email the School Board (contact info on district website): ‘Regarding Item 14, please state for the public record which candidates the Board supported in the PSBA election and why. Taxpayers deserve to know how their district’s influence is being used in state-level politics.’
💰 Impact: Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying
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| ALERT (LEVEL 4) |
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‘Service Learning Club’ Renewal Raises Action Civics Concerns
The board is renewing the ‘Service Learning Club.’ While community service is valuable, ‘Service Learning’ is often a vehicle for political activism and lobbying, also known as Action Civics, which is not appropriate for a school club.
Recommended Action Plan
OPT-OUT ALERT: Email the School Board (contact info on district website): ‘Regarding Item 9.C.4, please provide a list of the partner organizations and specific activities planned for the Service Learning Club to ensure it is focused on community service, not political activism.’
💰 Impact: Political Activism
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| ALERT (LEVEL 4) |
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District Pays Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Vendor
The General Fund Bills list shows a payment of $324.40 to ‘Social Thinking,’ a known Social Emotional Learning (SEL) vendor. SEL programs often replace core academics with psychological programming and emotional data collection on students.
Recommended Action Plan
ASK QUESTIONS: Email the School Board (contact info on district website): ‘Regarding the payment to Social Thinking, what specific materials were purchased, which students will use them, and what is the parental opt-out process?’
💰 Impact: $324.40
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