Day: November 21, 2023

Policy Cutting Parents Out Of Sex Identity Conversations Passes In Penn Delco –The Penn Delco School Board, last night, Nov. 20, passed policy that will let parents be cut from conversations regarding sexual confusion their child might be having.

The policy also gives boys access to girls’ private spaces.

A standing-room crowd of 50 saw the policy pass by consent in the district’s Service Center on Dutton Mill Road. This means they don’t have to say their ayes or nays before the crowd.

In public comments prior to passing, Lisa Esler of Aston, a former school director, asked that it be tabled.

Kathi Culp noted the issue was ripping apart the community and asked why the board was so eager to pass it. She noted that there is no student in the district to whom it would apply

“Why are we rushing it?” she asked.

Jaci Farra noted the policy violates numerous aspects of the state and federal constitutions including the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause. She also said the policy violates several laws which are written based on objective biological definitions of sex, rather than arbitrary feelings.

She noted what the board did renders Title IX meaningless.

Ms. Farra further noted that the board in their haste rejected a meeting with a lawyer versed in educational policy development despite the lawyer having guided the Pennridge School District‘s successful and community-accepted sex-based bathroom policy.

All the women received loud applause.

After it passed, Joe Dychala of Aston took the podium and ripped the board for what it did. He ended up in a heated shouting match with school board President Leon Armour who ordered him away from the mike well before Dychala’s allotted time. Dychala finished saying his piece, however, and then some.

Mrs. Esler returned and said the board should be ashamed of itself for the rather cowardly way it instituted the controversial policy. She noted that the district’s cost per pupil is $20,000 per year and asked that the board give parents wishing to find an alternative school $10,000, which resulted in condescending sneers from the board.

Ms. Farra returned and said the new policy gives the Superintendent a dangerous degree of authority.

“Giving the administration this much power gives the board members the chance to wash their hands (of unpopular decisions),” she noted.

Brian Devane (sp) noted that he graduated from Sun Valley not that long ago. He said that school boards’ histories of adopting fads has led to tragic ends, some of which he personally witnessed. Devane said that in his school days ADHD was the fashion. Many of his friends were diagnosed with it and prescribed Adderall.

He said that he has attended many funerals for these friends.

Joe DiPietro of Aston said that he joined the Marines after high school rather than attend college. He expressed concern — which is not unwarranted — for the dangers the females students will face under this new policy.

“If something happens to my daughter you are going to see this face again and it’s not going to be cool, calm and collected,” he said.

Phil Falcone (sp) said he might be the oldest person in the room

“If what you guys did, you did 40 or 50 years ago, there would have been people outside with straitjackets,” he said.

Not one person spoke in defense of the policy.

The board, all Republicans, ran uncontested two weeks ago as they won on the Democrat ticket in the primary. Cross-filing is allowed in school board races.

We suspect most Penn Delco residents were rather surprised they would vote for such a policy. Here, for instance, is a story concerning Armour we carried three years ago.

The meeting started with Superintendent George Steinhoff saying district kindergartners will now be bussed and that Democrat State Sen. John Kane (9th District) is completely on board with his dream of cutting funds for cyber charter schools.

Well, that would end one escape for parents fearing for their daughter’s safety.

Starting a charter school is very doable in Pennsylvania and, yes, the school district has to fund it but this actually works out well for taxpayers.

Policy Cutting Parents Out Of Sex Identity Conversations Passes In Penn Delco