For parents not on Pennsbury’s email list, a notice was sent out at 4:33 PM yesterday, announcing that the school had decided to shift from In-Person to Virtual learning. This decision was made unilaterally by the administration without any parental involvement or feedback. The reason given for the switch…wet grass! For those that have repeatedly attended Back To School Night at PHS, only a handful of cars park on the grass. further, we have had ran and snow on Back To School Night in years past, yet the show still went on.

Back To School Night being held in-person has been a contentious issue with Superintendent Dr. Tom Smith during School Board Action and Committee Meetings. There are allegations that he has tried to leverage COVID-era policies to diminish another aspect of parental involvement in our children’s education. The reality that Smith and the Board fail to recognize is that Virtual Back To School Night is as ineffective for parents as Virtual Schooling was for our children. Back To School Night provides the community with two valuable evenings a year where we can meet our children’s teachers, see their classroom environments, and evaluate the conditions of the facilities—not only as parents but also as taxpayers.

What Is The Purpose Behind Not Wanting To Be In-Person

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that we will ever understand the true reasons behind the decision made by Smith and his administration. Under the Right To Know Law (RTKL), pre-decisional communications are exempt, and Pennsbury’s Solicitor, Erin Aronson, often earns her fees by blocking visibility into decision-making. Even if this weren’t the case, they would probably switch to Google Chat and intentionally destroy records—an issue that Pennsbury will face head-on at a State Senate Hearing on March 24, 2025.

Why was the switch to virtual learning made due to wet grass? We can only speculate. Regular attendees of School Board Meetings have noted an undertone suggesting that Pennsbury is opposed to parental involvement and has publicly claimed that the District is well-equipped to fill the parental void. In the past, contributors to PSD411 have used Back To School Night to verify the District’s claims about purchases, such as the ~$250K spent on video cameras for classrooms. These cameras were never utilized and were not found in any classrooms checked in PHS East and PHS West during those evenings or when public access was granted at the start of the new building project.

Last year, PSD411 contributors inspected the PHS West building to verify student access to restrooms. They confirmed student complaints about limited restroom access, which the District attributed to security concerns from past altercations. These closures violated the PA School Code, which mandates a specific number of toilets and sinks based on the number of students. Complaints were filed with the Bucks County Health Department in the summer of 2024, leading to the reopening of all restrooms in September 2024.

Given the past instances where community members have inspected buildings when they are open to the public, it’s possible that this history contributed to the decision to shift to virtual learning due to “wet grass.” Recent meetings have been tense, especially concerning the Federal Government’s executive orders requiring the removal of DEI from school buildings. Progressive School Board Members Delwiche, Petrecco, and Palsky have clashed with Donna Aherns, verbally accosting Ahrens for suggesting that any political symbolism be placed in a showcase cabinet for a desired constituency group rather than within the classroom setting.

While the Pennsbury School District preaches about how transparent they are with parents and the community, actions like these do nothing but create pause for concern that decisions being made are not in the best interest of the District but instead they are made on the personal whim Administrative staff and the inattentive School Board.

The post Pennsbury Shifts “Back To School Night” to Virtual Setting At High School first appeared on Pennsbury411.

Ongoing Complaints Go Unaddressed

Despite our efforts to highlight these incidents, the Pennsbury School Board has consistently refused to investigate or take action. There has been no mention of these issues during the Policy and Personnel Committee meetings chaired by Jeannine Delwiche, whose focus remains on progressive-leaning ideologies. Recently, we informed the Pennsbury community about the mysterious departure of the well-regarded Director of Special Education Regina Rausch, as well as the contract extension and promotion of Dr. Cherrissa Gibson. We have submitted at least six emails of concern from contributors to PSD411 to our School Board. However, the only responses we have received have been from Solicitor Erin Aronson, who has denied the allegations. Below is a recent email detailing concerns about promotion and job posting practices, which have led to dissatisfaction among district employees.

RTKs Unveil Discord Behind The Scenes

Upon receipt of this latest whistleblower, PSD411 contributors put forward RTKs to determine the veracity of the last workplace hostility complaint. The specific email sent to Administrative staff by Dr. Smith was requested along with the new hiring procedures noted by the whistleblower. The following RTK response was received from the District exposing the latest tumult in the Administrative building. As asserted in the whistleblower, Smith was challenged by staff over hiring processes and a lack of transparency for which he addresses in the opening paragraph and then shares an attachment with a revised formal hiring process document.

Revised Hiring Procedures Present Concerns

According to the Administrative Interview Procedures, the District has confirmed that the document was last revised in January 2025. Unfortunately, we are unable to discern the exact changes made. However, the document provides insight into Pennsbury’s hiring process for new staff. The process follows a relatively rigid format dictated by the Director of Human Resources, leaving little opportunity for interviewers to get to know the candidates. The District’s inflexible vision is strongly imposed on potential candidates, including their stance on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

The process also outlines how the Interview Team is formed, with the Director of Human Resources dictating which questions can be asked. Notably, Equity Liaisons are included in the Interview Team for all hiring circumstances. Candidates are scored on a rubric by the Interview Team based on their responses. For those unfamiliar, Equity Liaisons are assigned to each school building as DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) implementation overseers and receive an annual stipend of $2,841.40. One prominent member of the Equity Liaison Team is Pennsbury Teachers’ Union President Nicole Pierce, who recently negotiated a highly favorable contract through 2031, ensuring a minimum of 2.75% salary increases regardless of national cost of living adjustments.

The revision of these hiring procedures appears to have taken place on January 10, 2025, which directly conflicts with the Executive Order eliminating DEI at institutions receiving federal taxpayer funds, enacted by President Trump on January 20, 2025. PSD411 previously reported that Pennsbury stands to lose $3.4 million in federal funding if it doesn’t update and remove references to DEI in all of its internal policies, including hiring practices and curriculum. Pennsbury has until March 21, 2025, to implement updated policies that remove DEI and to suspend all contracts with outside vendors or risk forfeiture of federal funds.

The post Pennsbury Hiring Practices Under Fire For Favoritism and Discrimination first appeared on Pennsbury411.

Did The School District Misrepresent The Metrics Again?

In recent years, we’ve discovered that Pennsbury’s data analysis can be misleading, attempting to polish the reputation of a once highly respected school district. Instances include censoring a community member who tried to address incorrect data and being caught red-handed altering students’ ethnicity classifications. This has made it difficult to trust any numbers being presented. Does anyone genuinely believe that disciplinary incidents decreased by 65% in just one year? In that same presentation, Pennsbury also released the PSSA and Keystone scores.

As you review the PowerPoint presentation above, you’ll notice that Pennsbury’s performance appears on their face quite impressive. The district continues to outperform state averages, which include Philadelphia’s scores and thus drags down the overall metrics. However, the district’s baseline comparison only goes back to 2022, when PSSA scores were still significantly affected by COVID-19 and had not yet recovered. Although Pennsbury possesses pre-COVID data, they consciously chose not to use it as a baseline. Let’s delve into the reasons behind this decision by Superintendent Tom Smith and his Administrative staff.

Comparing Against Pre-Covid Data Tell Different Story

Our team at PSD411 meticulously investigated Pennsbury’s Board Docs to reveal the true numbers by downloading past Annual Achievement Report presentations. We accessed public record data going back to 2017 to evaluate Pennsbury students’ performance on standardized testing, specifically the PSSA test scores. When we examine these baselines across a longer date range, a very different narrative emerges.

PSSA English Test Scores

PSSA scores in English have significantly dropped since COVID-19 and have yet to recover. Previously, proficiency scores typically averaged in the mid-to-upper 70% range, but they have now fallen to the mid-to-upper 60% range. Even more concerning is that 2024 test scores declined in 5 out of 6 grade levels compared to 2023. In two grade levels, 6th and 8th grade, Pennsbury students recorded their lowest scores since 2017. Remarkably, Pennsbury students performed better in English during asynchronous virtual learning than they did in the classroom last school year.

PSSA Mathematics Test Scores

PSSA Math test scores have been one of the few bright spots at Pennsbury, though the District has historically lagged in Math compared to other subjects. Consequently, improving these scores was somewhat easier since the initial metrics were already low. While proficiency levels in English hover closer to 70%, Pennsbury middle school students have typically been below 50% proficiency annually in Math. During COVID, proficiency levels declined to the mid-20% range but have since rebounded to pre-pandemic norms. For 8th grade, students raised their proficiency score to 38%, but this still classifies Pennsbury at a “Below Basic” designation by the Department of Education.

PSSA Science Test Scores

PSSA Science test scores present a slightly different picture compared to the metrics for English and Math. The state only tests Science proficiency at the 4th and 8th grade levels. For 4th graders, proficiency scores remained steady during COVID and consistently exceeded 90%, earning Pennsbury an “Advanced” designation. The concerning aspect is the significant decline in scores from 4th to 8th grade. During COVID, 8th grade scores plummeted to the lower-50% range but have since rebounded to the lower-60% range in 2024. Pre-COVID, proficiency scores typically hovered in the upper-60% range. While these Science metrics are solid compared to state averages, the data reveals that Pennsbury students drop from an “Advanced” designation in 4th grade to a “Proficient” designation by 8th grade.

What Is The District Doing About The Poor Scores?

If you watched the January 16th Action Board Meeting, you’ll see that very little is being done. Instead of focusing on improving the learning environment for students, Board Members Jeannine Delwiche and Donna Petrecco defended their political attacks on fellow Board Member Donna Ahrens. Delwiche, with the support of her spouse, even tried to portray herself as the victim. After the presentation of standardized test scores and disciplinary data, the Board remained relatively quiet, not asking many questions or challenging the data. When elected representatives don’t show much concern about declining test scores, it sends a message to Pennsbury administrators that education doesn’t matter. It doesn’t seem that the Gay Pride Flags that Delwiche and Petrecco aggressively support in every classroom are doing much to improve educational testing scores.

Below is the YouTube stream from the meeting, click to play and it will take you directly to the Annual Achievement Report presentation at the meeting and how the Board questioned the Pennsbury administrators.

The post Pennsbury’s Standardized Testing Scores Continue Its Struggle To Rebound first appeared on Pennsbury411.

On December 21, 2024, this blog website was the first to report a planned political attack by Pennsbury Board Members Jeannine Delwiche, Donna Petrecco, and Linda Palsky against their colleague Donna Ahrens. The progressive “Mean Girls” confronted Ahrens with aggressive bullying after she suggested moving political symbols out of classrooms and into a highly visible display case, so classrooms could focus on education rather than activism. Despite polling showing that the majority of Americans support removing political symbols, Ahrens was targeted for proposing a sensible, centrist solution. The original story included video-recorded comments that showed the vitriol directed at Ahrens. RTKs revealed that intimidation efforts began before the staged events to publicly attack Ahrens in front of the cameras.

Ahrens Targeted By Colleagues Prior To Her Public Statement

In early December, RTKs were submitted to investigate the activities leading to the installation of metal detectors at Board Meetings. Often, RTKs reveal unexpected incidents. The District delayed their response for 35 days, a common tactic when unflattering misconduct is involved. The response revealed that Ms. Ahrens received five emails critical of her conduct: two from Board colleagues, one from a Board Member’s spouse, and two from external community members. To respect the privacy of the external community members, their emails will not be released.

The first communication shows that the targeting of Ahrens began prior to her making the political symbolism comments at the November 21st meeting:

This email suggests that Ahrens is being targeted by fellow members for engaging with the community and being respectful to all constituents. It appears to be an attempt to intimidate her from upholding her governance role and meeting with her constituents. It is worth noting that her husband, Dave Ahrens, is a military combat veteran and a decorated police officer in Falls Township. The accusation of “confidential leaks” occurred shortly after Pennsbury implemented metal detectors for school board meetings due to a perceived threat of violence reported to Falls Township, which has not resulted in any criminal arrests.

The Former Eagles Cheerleader Shows Her True Feathers

When Donna Petrecco, an unelected political activist from Fallsington with close ties to Senator Steve Santarsiero, was appointed by Democratic leadership to replace James Prokopiak, she took an oath to serve the community, including those with differing views. However, like many political activists, her focus seemed to shift towards imposing her ideologies with her newfound power. Petrecco’s tenure on the Board has been tumultuous, with multiple public commenters accusing her of bullying a Pennsbury employee for engaging with public meeting attendees who held opposing views, even instructing the staffer to leave.

In the email, Petrecco confronted Ahrens about her comments that evening out of public view, initially apologizing for her behavior after the meeting adjourned. Petrecco attempted to portray Ahrens as out of touch with children, despite Ahrens’ 30 years of service as a Pennsbury employee and her close engagement with children of all ages. Petrecco then revealed her true motivations, stating that her daughter is gay and that her experience as a parent of a gay student makes her an expert on matters Ahrens couldn’t possibly understand. However, Petrecco seems to overlook that, when acting in her official capacity, her personal experiences and challenges in raising her gay daughter have no relevance in decision-making on behalf of the community at large and the votes she is to cast in their interests.

Delwiche Casts The Next Stone At Ahrens

A few hours after Petrecco sent her attack email about her views on gay rights, an email followed from Michael Celec, the husband of Board Member Jeannine Delwiche. Celec regularly attends meetings and speaks, but he doesn’t publicly disclose that he is Delwiche’s spouse. In contrast, when Dave Ahrens spoke at a public comment session, he made it clear before speaking that he was the spouse of Donna Ahrens.

In this email, Celec personally attacks Ahrens for exercising her rights as a Board Member to share her views on how certain school policies might be counterproductive. Celec asserts that she had no right to do so because it was not up for a vote and not on the agenda. However, under PA Public Meeting law and adopted Pennsbury policy, Board Members have the right to address “New Business” matters at the proper section of the Agenda, rules for which Ahrens followed. It’s important to note that Jeannine Delwiche is the chair of the Policy Committee, and Celec regularly attends every meeting where Delwiche is present. Obviously, they are keenly aware that there is no restriction on what Ahrens would desire to discuss that may come before the Board at a future date. And given the pending Trump EO’s and the Dismantle DEI Act that will be up for vote in Congress. Ahrens was doing just that to protect the School District from potential future litigation should policies not be updated that could be in contradiction to new laws that will be going in place at the Federal level. You can listen to Mr. Celec present comments on the First Amendment while choosing not disclose he is the spouse of Ms. Delwiche.

Celec’s remarks then turn to his disdain for other public meeting attendees exercising their free speech rights, disagreeing with their viewpoints. He expresses disgust that these people applauded Ahrens’ patriotic remarks about the American flag being the only political symbol that should be present in a classroom, a viewpoint held by the majority of Americans. Celec then calls for the censure of Ahrens because she will not comply with the LGBTQ+ directives of the Democratic Party leaders who have controlled the Board’s actions for the last decade. Celec’s stance seems clear: he believes the rights of children he prefers should supersede the rights of children he doesn’t prefer.

Under Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), a person’s right to freedom of speech does not end at the school building doors. However, SCOTUS ruled that free speech is not absolute within a school, particularly when it interferes with educational operations and infringes upon another’s civil rights—the exact point Donna Ahrens was trying to make. In America, one person’s civil rights can supersede another’s. Political symbolism that becomes activism can disrupt educational operations; therefore, Policy 321 should address this issue. It is worth noting that Jeannine Delwiche, Celec’s spouse, chairs the Policy Committee, which has the power to prioritize policy updates. Despite the landmark Marshall v. Amuso injunction placed on Pennsbury for past free speech violations under Policy 903, Delwiche attempted in early 2024 to make Policy 903 changes that would restrict free speech, despite Pennsbury’s past misconduct.

Did Delwiche Write The Email Or Did Her Spouse?

For those unfamiliar with Jeannine Delwiche, she is a proud and extremely active Progressive political activist. The publicly visible social media accounts of Delwiche detail her efforts for social justice and other Progressive objectives. Additionally, Delwiche holds a PhD in Psychology from Cornell and has had a long-standing career as a professional content writer. Given the prose within the email sent from Michael Celec’s account, it is easy to infer that it was written by someone with strong communication skills and a good grasp of English vocabulary. We gave Ms. Delwiche an opportunity to respond to our concerns that she wrote the email to Donna Ahrens and sent it through her husband’s email account. The following is her response made on Pennsbury taxpayer-owned servers:

No matter how Ms. Delwiche frames it, her prepared statements against Ms. Ahrens’ position to abide by Tinker v. Des Moines and remove political symbols were a personal attack. Ms. Delwiche has shirked her duties in protecting all students in Pennsbury and has made it clear on multiple occasions that she either doesn’t understand Federal law or simply doesn’t care if she breaks it when it comes to the reverse discrimination of students caused by the harmful policies she oversees and protects.

So, was it Delwiche who sent the email to intimidate Ahrens from engaging with her constituents or was it her spouse? That’s for you to decide.

The post “Mean Girls” Attacks On Pennsbury Board Member Donna Ahrens Preceded The Staged Event first appeared on Pennsbury411.

The Save Gretzula Meeting

As public comments began, there were repeated attacks against the five School Board members who did not support Gretzula’s contract extension, leading to Gretzula hinting at his resignation. The majority of the vitriol was directed at Jacqui Redner. Redner’s personal character was attacked, along with her close relationship with Sherri Morrett, who eventually filed one of the EEOC complaints and received a $250,000 settlement. Perhaps the harshest public comment came from current Pennsbury Field Hockey Coach Traci Curtis, who accused Redner of using the recent suicide of two of her sons for personal gain, suggesting Redner had done so repeatedly and that it was not the appropriate time or place. The video of Curtis’ comments can be viewed below:

Public Comment Gone Wild

As public comments began, there were repeated attacks against the five School Board members who did not support Gretzula’s contract extension, leading to Gretzula hinting at his resignation. The majority of the vitriol was directed at Jacqui Redner. Redner’s personal character was attacked, along with her close relationship with Sherri Morrett, who eventually filed one of the EEOC complaints and received a $250,000 settlement. Perhaps the harshest public comment came from current Pennsbury Field Hockey Coach Traci Curtis, who accused Redner of using the recent suicide of two of her sons for personal gain, suggesting Redner had done so repeatedly and that it was not the appropriate time or place. The video of Curtis’ comments can be viewed below:

Deposition Reveals Another Side To The Story

After TR Kannan changed his vote to extend Gretzula’s contract, chaos erupted within the administration, leading to a series of EEOC lawsuits that Pennsbury eventually settled. Due to legal misconduct by Pennsbury lawyers, who illegally redacted Redner’s deposition from the Morrett case in the Shaffer case, the deposition became publicly available. It revealed disturbing details about that night and the blatant insensitivity of Board Members towards one of their own. Additionally, Redner described her conflict with Curtis, which involved her attempts to prevent Curtis from becoming the Field Hockey coach. A full copy of Redner’s deposition is provided below, where you can learn about her belief that this was a targeted and staged event aimed at her personally due to her firm stance against extending Gretzula’s contract.

The Need For Real Conversation

In her deposition, Redner described the staged actions as vicious attacks aimed at silencing and diminishing certain individuals. Due to FERPA laws, crucial information was withheld from our community, leading to significant misinformation by our school district leaders, seemingly driven by political motivations rather than the best interests of our children. Ms. Redner emphasized her efforts to protect the community from undisclosed information, suggesting that some were aware of Gretzula’s conduct and still encouraged attendance despite the allegations. President Joanne Steere has consistently voiced her support for the LGBTQ+ community, raising questions about her presence at the event to support Gretzula and her apparent joy in the video stream.

The post Pennsbury Board Meetings And The History Of Staged Public Comments by Democrats first appeared on Pennsbury411.

What Is All The Fuss Over The Contract?

While both Ricci’s and Gibson’s contracts were up for Board approval, community dissent focused solely on the Gibson contract due to its promotion to Assistant Superintendent—a title not held by any other Human Resource leader in Bucks County. This contract would make her the highest-paid Human Resource leader in the county, despite lacking comparable experience. In comparison, Council Rock pays Ronnie Spring a base salary of $170,000, Central Bucks’ newly hired Robert Freiling receives $160,000, and Neshaminy’s Kelly Kozik earns $147,000. Each of these individuals has more work experience and equivalent educational achievements, as confirmed by their LinkedIn profiles.

The Gibson contract will increase her annual base pay plus a guaranteed doctoral stipend to $173,938, with annual increases significantly exceeding the cost of living adjustment (COLA). By the end of the contract, her base pay will exceed $200,000. The contract includes retroactive pay for the newly created, unbudgeted position, dating back to July 1, 2024. Additionally, the agreement guarantees an annual $500 contribution to a Section 125 plan and a $10,000 annual contribution to her 403(b) Retirement Plan. In total, Gibson’s annual direct compensation, retroactive to July 1, 2024, is now $184,438 to oversee Human Resources.

Public concerns around Gibson’s contract extension and promotion centered around her past involvement in violating the civil rights of Pennsbury resident Doug Marshall which led to a First Amendment lawsuit filed by the Institute For Free Speech, a subsequent federal injunction against Pennsbury to block further civil rights violations during public comment and a massive settlement of the case for $300,000. Additionally, residents expressed that the new contract will be in direct contradiction to new federal laws and Executive Orders that will go in place on January 20, 2025. Below is a segment of public comment featuring Robert Abrams’ statement about the contract:

What Legal Risks Did The Board Expose The Community To?

The contention lies in the fact that while the term “equity” was removed from the job title, the underlying contract language still details the role of overseeing the DEI program, which was approved in May 2021 and led to the Marshall v. Amuso lawsuit. Much of the controversy surrounding the DEI program stems from Dr. Cherrissa Gibson’s doctoral dissertation, which utilized Pennsbury student disciplinary and school lunch data but excluded records for Asian American, Native American, and Mixed Race students because they weren’t deemed “historically marginalized.”

Currently, in Congress, the Dismantle DEI Act moved out of the House Committee on November 20, 2024, for a vote. Additionally, Trump has declared that on his first day, he will put an end to DEI programs within America’s schools. The bills state that any school found to be deploying DEI in the classroom or within professional development of staff will forfeit all federal funds received. For Pennsbury, this would amount to $3.4 million in annual revenues, which the District would need to cover through local taxpayers, given they would still be subject to federal compliance for Special Education students even if not financially funded.

During Abrams’ public comment, he warned the Board of the consequences of moving forward with a contract that they know will likely be legally invalidated on January 20, 2025. Abrams also alerted the Board to a Pennsylvania law called “Surcharge,” which oversees the accountability of officials for misuse of public funds. If it is determined that Board Members displayed willful misconduct in administering their fiduciary duties to the Pennsbury community, any financial losses related to the approved contract could make the seven Board Members who voted in favor personally liable for the $3.4 million in lost federal revenues, any legal costs should their liability insurance provider refuse the claim, and any increases in liability insurance premiums due to another legal incident. Details about Surcharge are provided in the PDF below:

The post New Contract and Promotion For Cherrissa Gibson Faces Public Scrutiny first appeared on Pennsbury411.

How Did Pennsbury Get Themselves Into This Predicament?

For years, the Pennsbury School District has been embroiled in complaints and lawsuits related to discrimination based on sexual orientation and race, issues that existed before and have persisted despite the launch of the DEI program. These lawsuits have been documented by LevittownNow.com concerning EEOC complaints and by the Bucks County Courier Times concerning an Mixed Race LGBTQ student. You can read the detailed stories at the following links:

LGBTQ Lawsuit: https://www.phillyburbs.com/story/news/local/2023/05/11/pennsbury-school-district-target-of-discrimination-lawsuit-by-student/70205749007

Dorsey and Morrett EEOC Lawsuits: https://levittownnow.com/2020/02/18/two-former-admins-file-lawsuits-against-pennsbury-claim-discrimination/

Shaffer EEOC Lawsuit: https://levittownnow.com/2020/07/15/third-former-pennsbury-administrator-sues-district/

At the onset of the DEI program, the district had approximately 2.3% of its employees as people of color, despite the student demographic being 24% people of color. Additionally, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued Disproportionality warnings to Pennsbury due to the overrepresentation of African American students in Special Education programs. The district publicly expressed concerns about what it perceived as an unbalanced level of punishment for students of color, particularly regarding detentions and suspensions.

The Cherrissa Gibson Dissertation

Pennsbury administrator Dr. Cherrissa Gibson embarked on her doctoral studies after being hired as an Assistant Principal at Pennsbury in 2013. In July 2020, Gibson was promoted to the newly created role of Director of Equity, Diversity, and Education, shortly after earning her doctoral degree in K-12 school leadership from Gwynedd-Mercy University. Her dissertation, titled “Social Emotional Learning Through A Cultural Lens,” was approved and accepted. A copy of the dissertation can be reviewed below:

After a protracted Right-to-Know (RTK) battle, which included an appeal to the Open Records Office to compel Pennsbury to release the requested records, it was confirmed that the data set used in the dissertation originated from Pennsbury. The Open Records Office, in its final determination, ordered the district to recreate the dataset they claimed was destroyed. Keep in mind, the Pennsbury School District wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars in an aggressive but fail effort to not hand over anonymized data.

Referring back to the dissertation, readers should examine PDF page 75 (printed page 63) of the research study. It is noted that in the study’s construct, Dr. Gibson excluded 13% of Pennsbury’s student discipline and lunch program data. The reason for the deletion was that Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Mixed Race individuals were not considered “historically marginalized” minorities. This omission significantly altered the findings in her dissertation, which subsequently became the foundation of Pennsbury’s current Equity Policy.

Upon receiving the data, Pennsbury resident Tim Daly conducted a similar assessment, including all of the student data. His results significantly differed from Gibson’s dissertation. Daly’s analysis indicated that Pennsbury’s discipline issues were more related to socioeconomic status than race. Interestingly, the data revealed that a poor White student was more likely to receive a disciplinary referral than an affluent African American student. It also showed that Mixed Race students were punished significantly more than other Ethnicity groups. Based on US Census data from 2020, 88% of Mixed Race kids have one parent that is White Caucasian.

The post The Origins of Pennsbury’s DEI Program first appeared on Pennsbury411.