North Penn policy committee recommends three student-related policies for first read

The North Penn School District Policy Committee voted to recommend three revised policies for a first reading: Policy 2-34 (pregnant, parenting and married students), Policy 2-47 (hazing) and Policy 2-52 (dating violence).

Mister Summers, a staff member, told the committee the changes were revisions to existing policies and were recommended by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA). "For Policy 2-34 ... the change to the policy is just adding in, that the board directs district staff to make reasonable modifications to policies, rules, other expectations so that, individuals who are pregnant or or recently gave birth, can continue to have an access, to an education in the district," Summers said. He listed examples the administration viewed as reasonable accommodations: class breaks, more-frequent restroom use, absences to attend necessary medical appointments, flexibility for physical-education participation, access to lactation facilities, counseling and potential extensions of time when warranted.

Summers said Policy 2-34 had seen the most substantive edits and was last revised in 2020. The committee was told the other two policies — 2-47 and 2-52 — were last reviewed in 2021 and received mostly language clarifications meant to align nondiscrimination and harassment references across the policy manual.

On the hazing policy, Summers said PSBA recommended renaming a section currently titled Title IX harassment and other discrimination to "discrimination/harassment" to make clear the section covers both Title IX issues and other forms of harassment or discrimination. He said the hazing and dating-violence policy language were adjusted so that any incident involving discriminatory mistreatment would be coordinated with the district's Title IX officer and nondiscrimination procedures in addition to the specific hazing or dating-violence process.

The committee also approved language swaps replacing references to "police" with "law enforcement" and removing anachronistic citations to the "Safe Schools Act," instead referring generally to school safety and security reporting under the school code, reflecting recent statutory changes, Summers said.

A motion to recommend the three policies for first reading was made, seconded and approved by voice vote; the clerk recorded an "aye" when the chair called for the vote. No roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

Why it matters: The drafted changes put a districtwide expectation into policy that staff identify and provide reasonable modifications so pregnant and parenting students can continue accessing a regular education, and they clarify how reports of hazing or dating violence that include alleged discrimination should be handled in coordination with Title IX procedures. The committee recommended the policies for a first reading; further committee or board actions will follow the district's adoption schedule.

Next steps: The policies were recommended for first reading and will proceed through the district's review and adoption process; the committee did not adopt the policies as final at this meeting.