Emmaus students press for more AP/honors access and a fencing team; parent seeks answers after alleged security breach

Three public‑comment speakers at the June 9 East Penn School District board meeting urged changes ranging from course access to extracurricular offerings, and a parent asked the district to explain an alleged security breach at Emmaus High School.

Abigail Jeter and Madison Peters, juniors at Emmaus High School, presented research from an AP Language and Composition project advocating expanded access to advanced coursework for freshmen and sophomores. The pair told the board Emmaus currently offers only a small number of AP courses to underclassmen and called for more AP and honors options so motivated students can “spread out difficult coursework over four years.” Abigail Jeter said, “Readiness is not a number or a grade,” and argued that offering earlier access to AP and intermediate honors classes would convey trust and help students save time and money on college credit.

Emmaus junior Ethan Amie urged the board to support a fencing team or club, calling the sport “physical chess” and saying it offers both mental and physical benefits and access for students who might not make traditional sport teams: “Anyone can do it, and anyone can get good at it,” he said. Board members responded positively to the suggestion and encouraged the high school administration to consider starting a club as a first step.

Thomas Beaky II, a parent, described an incident he said occurred on May 28 in which a former student entered Emmaus High School, spent roughly an hour in the building and interacted with staff, and that his daughter was subsequently suspended three days for a code‑of‑conduct violation related to the episode. Beaky said he had asked Superintendent Dr. Campbell to preserve video from the bus and school and requested information about any charges filed against the individual. “It was swept under the rug,” Beaky said, and he asked the district to provide footage so parents could understand what happened and how the district is responding.

Superintendent Dr. Campbell said district and building administrators had “had lengthy conversations with the parent regarding the allegations” and that he had responded to the parent’s email on June 2 with an invitation to meet. Dr. Campbell said administration would extend that invitation again to discuss the allegations and next steps.

Why this matters: Student requests for expanded AP, honors and extracurricular offerings flag potential program equity and access issues that affect course sequencing, staffing and scheduling. The parent’s security concerns prompted requests for documentation (bus and building footage) and a clearer account of administrative follow‑up; the superintendent reported ongoing administrative contact with the parent and offered to continue discussions.

Ending: Board members thanked the student speakers for their advocacy; the administration said it would follow up with the parent about the alleged incident and invited further dialogue on course offerings and extracurricular start‑up steps.