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During the monthly meeting of the Hollidaysburg School Board of Directors Committee of the Whole/Voting Meeting, the hot topic was the second vote of Policy 321 and the decision by the majority of the board to table any vote on it.
Policy 321, which regards political activities and addressing sexual orientation discussions and symbols in the classroom, was tabled until the policy meeting, where what is appropriate can be discussed. Boardmember Doug Stephens made the motion to table the vote until the next meeting because several board members felt the language as it existed was too vague in the policy. Boardmember Nicole Hartman voted no on the first reading of the policy because of vague terms. The vote to table Policy 321 was passed by a 5-3 margin with members Stephens, Hartman, Lonna Frye, Scott Brenneman, and Ronald Sommer voted in favor of tabling while Jennifer Costanza, Ken Snyder, and Carmen Bilek voted against it. Member Manny Nichols was not present at the meeting.
Boardmember Costanza questioned if the vote was being tabled as a stall tactic. She went on to say the matter had been up for discussion for several months and that no questions or concerns were brought up by board members during this time. Costanza wanted to move forward with a vote immediately.
Mike Rawlins, Hollidaysburg area teacher and president of the Hollidaysburg Area Education Association, spoke during the public comment section to state that the policy was incredibly vague. He stated that Hollidaysburg teachers were upset about Policy 321 and its adoption.
“This is a vague policy and we have no idea what it could bring,” Rawlins said.
He stated any uncertainties that arise must be brought before the board. Rawlins asked who would be responsible for policing this, as the principal is already full with responsibilities and the superintendent has bigger issues to deal with daily.
“Vagueness leads to lawsuits,” Rawlins stated.
Christa Murphy, Hollidaysburg resident, also addressed the vagueness of the policy during the public comment section, feeling it would lead to chaos.
“Family pictures are allowed, but can I answer any questions on my son or spouse?” Murphy asked.
She stated one out of every ten kids identifies as LGBTQ+.
Trish Haight spoke up to support the policy as she said people are amazed at how political the school system has become. She said to keep sociopolitical viewpoints out of the classroom.
Other business
The board unanimously passed Policy 824, which will maintain professional adult/student boundaries. A third vote will be needed to get final approval on the policy.
Five new courses were proposed and approved for the upcoming year: Introduction to Poetry Writing, Computer Science, Fundamentals of Wood Tech., Business Etiquette, and Introduction to Microbiology. Superintendent Dr. Robert Gildea said these courses would help get kids out of study halls into elective courses. Costanza wanted to table the new courses until the exact cost of the textbooks is known.
The board passed a motion to authorize the administration to advertise a Request for Proposal (RFP) under the Guaranteed Savings Act Program. ESSER Grants and Safe School Grants would be used for this. For an RFP, the district must advertise for three weeks in two newspapers. Advertising money would come out of the general fund budget. Costanza disagreed with this spending, but the motion passed 7-1.
The next Committee of the Whole/Voting meeting will be Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Hollidaysburg Area Senior High Library.
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