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Schuylkill Valley board approves elementary BrainPOP subscription after month-long review request
Summary
After public comment and extended discussion about content and classroom access, the Schuylkill Valley School District board approved an elementary-school subscription to BrainPOP through the intermediate unit by a 5-3 vote, and directed staff to provide more usage detail at the next committee meeting.
The Schuylkill Valley School District Board approved an elementary-school subscription to the BrainPOP digital resource through the intermediate unit on a 5-3 roll-call vote Tuesday after public comments raised concerns about content and how students access the platform.
The move comes after parents and community members urged the board to review BrainPOP’s content and access controls before committing to a longer-term purchase. Parent Derek Vogel urged the board to “consider restricted access” and recommended that the district identify an action owner and report back to the board, while board members pressed staff for specifics on how teachers and students currently use the service.
Board members said they were balancing two concerns: not disrupting teachers with a sudden removal of a classroom resource, and the board’s responsibility to review content used in classrooms. During discussion, the board learned the district already maintains its own BrainPOP subscription and that joining the intermediate unit (IU) subscription was presented as a cost-saving measure. District staff told the board the local subscription would remain active while the board examined whether to join the IU offering.
Superintendent Kat Tashner said BrainPOP has been used primarily as a teacher-led, whole-group instructional tool. Curriculum coordinator Kathy Rivas told the board she had seen BrainPOP used to start lessons—“community meeting” examples included units such as recycling—and said she would collect more detailed information about frequency, which teachers use it, and whether students have individual logins.
Board members voted down a motion to table consideration and instead moved to approve joining the IU subscription. The final roll-call vote approving the subscription was: Yes — Linda Lash, David Moll, Brian O’Donnell, Joseph Rossi and Mr. Wheaton; No — Mr. Emeril, Paul Bendigo and Kelly Steinke. The board president recorded the motion as approving the subscription for the elementary school; board members said the board can later restrict or discontinue classroom use if substantive concerns about content arise.
The board directed staff to bring more detailed usage data and a demonstration to the curriculum committee and to the next voting meeting so trustees can review how teachers are using BrainPOP and whether students access it independently.
Board members and staff repeatedly emphasized that approval for the IU subscription does not lock the district into permanent use of specific content: concerns about particular materials can be raised to curriculum and returned to the board for further action.
Ending — The district will continue the current local BrainPOP subscription while staff gathers and presents usage data and a demonstration to the board; the new IU-based subscription was approved but remains subject to future review and potential removal if the board or curriculum committee finds material it deems inappropriate.
