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Heads up! Our parent watchdogs have scanned the upcoming agenda for Downingtown Area SD. We found 8 items that need your immediate attention before the vote.
| 🚨 HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 9) |
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Vendor ‘Curriculum Associates’ Awarded $118,800 Contract
The board is approving a $118,800 contract, paid for with federal Title II funds, with Curriculum Associates for professional development related to its ‘i-Ready’ software for K-8 math. i-Ready is an adaptive learning platform that uses extensive student assessments and data to create personalized instruction, which can be a vehicle for both data mining and embedding SEL concepts.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Contact the District Office (see the Official Agenda link) and ask the Board: ‘Regarding Item R.4, what student data is collected by i-Ready, who owns it, and how is it protected? Parents must have the right to review all content and opt-out of any non-academic surveys or instruction delivered through this platform.’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: $118,800 (Federal Strings Attached)
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| ⚠️ NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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New Policy Provides Menstrual Products in ‘Non-Gender Specific Restrooms’
The board is approving Policy 246.1, which requires the district to provide free menstrual products in all female and ‘non-gender specific restrooms’ in Middle and High Schools. This policy officially codifies the existence of ‘non-gender specific’ bathrooms, embedding gender ideology into district facilities policy.
Recommended Action Plan
PACK THE ROOM: This is not about products; it’s about policy. Contact the Board (see the Official Agenda link) and attend the meeting to speak on Item K.3. ‘Policy 246.1 uses school facilities to advance a political ideology about gender. We demand the removal of the phrase ‘non-gender specific restrooms’ to protect the privacy and safety of all students.’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: Codifying Gender Ideology
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| ⚠️ NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 6) |
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District Paying Over $314,000 in Undisclosed Student Settlements
The agenda includes three separate ‘Settlement Agreement and Release’ items for unnamed students, totaling $314,570, paid from the Special Education budget. While specific details are confidential, this pattern of large, opaque payments raises serious questions about recurring issues the district is settling without public discussion.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY: Contact the Board (see the Official Agenda link) regarding items L.4, R.5, and R.6. ‘While respecting student privacy, the public deserves to know why the district is repeatedly paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements. What is the nature of these recurring issues, and what is the board doing to fix the root cause?’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: $314,570
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| 👀 MONITOR (LEVEL 5) |
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District Outsourcing Title IX Investigations to Law Firm
The district is paying $3,000 for a ‘Title IX Pool Counsel Membership’ with the law firm Sweet, Stevens, Katz & Williams. The firm’s service menu shows they can be hired to act as external investigators and decision-makers in student disciplinary cases, raising concerns about accountability and potential ideological bias from an outside group.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND OVERSIGHT: Contact the Board (see the Official Agenda link) regarding Item Q.1. ‘Why is the district outsourcing core disciplinary functions like investigations to an external law firm? Parents deserve to know that these sensitive student issues are being handled by district employees who are directly accountable to our community.’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: Outsourced Discipline
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| 👀 MONITOR (LEVEL 5) |
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Report from ‘Communities That Care’ on Agenda
A report is scheduled from ‘Communities That Care,’ a program that uses a public health model to address youth problem behaviors. These programs often rely on extensive, sensitive student surveys about their family life, attitudes, and behaviors to collect data, which can be an invasion of family privacy.
Recommended Action Plan
INVESTIGATE: Email the Board (see the Official Agenda link) about Item D.8. ‘Does the Communities That Care program involve student surveys? If so, we demand that parents be given the full survey to review and must provide active, written consent before their child participates.’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: Your Child’s Privacy
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| ALERT (LEVEL 4) |
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Report on ‘School Climate’ and ‘Wellness’ Scheduled
The agenda lists reports from the ‘School Climate and Student Engagement’ director and the ‘Wellness Committee.’ These terms are often used as cover for implementing SEL surveys, mental health screenings, and other programs that collect sensitive data on students and families without full parental consent.
Recommended Action Plan
ASK QUESTIONS NOW: Email the Board (see the Official Agenda link) about items D.2 and D.3. ‘What specific metrics are used to measure ‘School Climate’ and ‘Wellness’? Will any student surveys or mental health screenings be conducted, and if so, will parents have the opportunity to review them and opt-in their children beforehand?’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: Student Data & Privacy
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✅ Wins to Defend
Good moves worth showing up to support so they stick.
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| Major Win (LEVEL 8) |
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District Adopts Strict ‘Phone-Free Classroom’ Policy
The administration is implementing a new ‘Bell-to-Bell, Off and Away’ cell phone ban for grades K-8 and prohibiting phone use during class for grades 9-12. This policy aims to reduce distractions, increase student focus, and improve the learning environment.
How to Lock It In
SECURE THE WIN: Email the Board and Superintendent to thank them for prioritizing a distraction-free learning environment with the new cell phone policy (Item B.3). ‘Thank you for putting student focus and academic engagement first. We strongly support the new cell phone guidelines and will partner with you to ensure their success.’
✅ Why It Matters: Return to Academic Focus
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| Win (LEVEL 6) |
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District Focuses on Phonics-Based ‘Structured Literacy’ Training
The district is spending $2,125 in Title II funds for teacher training in the ‘Fundations’ curriculum. The agenda item explicitly states this training supports ‘research-based instructional practices to strengthen foundational literacy skills’ and the district’s ‘commitment to evidence-based literacy instruction.’
How to Lock It In
AMPLIFY THIS WIN: Email the Board (see the Official Agenda link) to praise Item L.7. ‘We strongly support the investment in evidence-based, structured literacy programs like Fundations. Thank you for prioritizing proven methods to ensure our children learn to read.’
✅ Why It Matters: Return to Core Academics
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