One month after a high school assembly presentation on racism was deemed offensive and divisive, Daniel Boone School Board members said Feb. 12 there should be some general guidelines for future assemblies.
Prior to the board’s discussion, the issue was debated earlier in the evening by the board’s Curriculum & Instruction Committee.
Committee Chairwoman Julia Olafson said the school district doesn’t have a policy that addresses vetting assembly presentations for students.
“I don’t want to micromanage (presentations), but I want to understand how these decisions were made,” said Olafson, adding that the YWCA was invited to the Curriculum & Instruction Committee meeting. “I will find out why they weren’t there.”
Besides fully vetting future presentations, board Vice President Jeffrey Scott said other issues should be addressed, include reviewing the presenter’s materials and the district notifying parents of the possibility of sensitive topics.
“No one reviewed the YWCA’s materials,” said Beverly Albright, a member of the committee, adding, “They were requested by (Daniel Boone Area High School Principal Preston) McKnight, but the YWCA denied that.”
The Tri-County YWCA in Pottstown presented a program on Jan. 10, the first in its series of assemblies to regional high schools. The presentation focused on “Stand Against Racism” and “Teen Dating Violence Awareness.”
Tri-County YWCA Chief Executive Office Stacey Woodland said Jan. 12 that the YWCA’s goal with the assemblies is to raise “awareness about structural and institutional racism and the prevalence of teen dating violence.”
Daniel Boone School District Superintendent James P. Harris apologized at the board’s Jan. 10 meeting for the controversial presentation that he said was aimed at empowering women.
“It was about racial inequality, and the presenter did different scenarios about the inequality of different races,” Harris said.
But school board members and parents were upset when they found out about some of the content of the assembly.
Board member Steven Miller said the takeaway by his daughter, who is a senior at Daniel Boone High School, was that she is a “privileged white female,” and those who have privileges should recognize that and share with those who aren’t privileged.
Board member Beverly Albright said her daughter felt more of a racial divide after the assembly program.
“We’re experiencing the dangers of allowing someone else to come in and present on a sensitive issue,” Albright said at the Jan. 10 meeting.
In other business, the board has scheduled a budget meeting for March 14 at 6:30 p.m., at the district’s administrative offices, 2144 Weavertown Road, Douglassville.
Miller was appointed to chair the board’s new, ad-hoc Technology Committee.
Board members said committee oversight is needed as the district begins to purchase and implement new financial software, new child accounting software, upgrades the network, increases the district’s Wi-Fi access, and as the student iPad distribution occurs.
The board tabled the reading of correspondence until the letter-writer is present to read their letter.
“If they aren’t here to speak, I don’t think the letter should be read,” said member Aaron Durso, adding that it sets a precedence for reading every email sent to board members.
“What if we are flooded with emails? We would be here all night,” said Durso. “My [correspondence] requests were all denied. So, I think the same should be done here. I think that letter can be read in the three minute (allotted time period per speaker).”
Former board member Richard Martino told the press on Feb. 8 that he couldn’t attend the Feb. 12 Committee of the Whole meeting but expected that his submitted letter would be read during the meeting.
