LANSDALE—On Tuesday, November 12th, the North Penn School District Educational Center held its November work session. The board discussed adopting new Title IX policies and approved furthering quotes for projects at North Penn High School and Gwyn Nor Elementary.
Mr. Christian D Fusco, Board Vice President, addressed the concerns regarding the purpose and reasoning behind the discrimination and harassment policies going into place.
The purpose of the policies North Penn seeks to adopt is to ensure protection for students against discriminatory actions pertinent but not limited to race, religion, and sexuality.
“The purpose of this policy is not to have people in bathrooms or students on sports teams, it is to make sure that there’s a process for when someone is harassed or discriminated against for them to use so they can get proper protections,” Vice President Christain D Fusco explained. “This is federal law and it is in fact the right thing to do.”
Fusco continued by explaining that these policies are ultimately being implemented for the safety of all students throughout the district, not just a select few.
“We have had these situations in the past where our LGBTQ students have been put under a microscope, they’ve been vilified in a lot of ways, they’ve been discussed as some kind of threat to others and we all know historically that’s not the case for this population,” Fusco stated. “They’re the ones who’ve been marginalized. They’re the ones who have demonstrated the need for these types of protections for decades if not longer.”
“Ultimately what it comes down to is that this is an issue of students’ safety,” Fusco concluded. “We are not going to put into this policy that protections are going to be afforded to these people in this realm and not [others] because of some slippery slope argument”
Mr. Al Reosch built upon the topic, adding that these policies are not just for the protection of the LGBTQ community, but all students who are discriminated against or harassed.
“It is not only for people of the LGBTQ community, it’s also people of religions, races, and disabilities. Each of those populations has been abused over time and we are now enlightened and know that it is not proper to pull these people out and mistreat them.”
Mr. Jonathan M. Kassa referenced what legislatures across the country are doing regarding similar types of policies.
Throughout public comment, citizens in the North Penn Area expressed both approval and concern with the adoption of these policies, sharing personal experiences and beliefs going both ways.
The Board motioned quotes for an all-purpose air conditioner repair at Gwyn Nor as well as the assessment and design to search for Asbestos/hazardous materials at the high school during renovation.
All motions will be reviewed at the upcoming action meeting taking place on Thursday, November 21st, 2024.