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Emmaus and East Penn students press board on art funding, school realignment, earlier language exposure and field trips
Summary
Multiple students from Emmaus High School and Lower Macungie Middle School used the public comment period to present research projects and petitions asking the board to increase art funding, reconsider realignment plans, add earlier world language exposure and relax field trip restrictions.
Several East Penn students delivered prepared public comments urging the board to take specific steps on arts funding, school realignment planning, earlier second‑language exposure and field trip approvals.
Claire Isom and Abby Ports, both juniors at Emmaus High School, presented research from an AP Language and Composition inquiry project calling for increased staffing and budget for the high school art department. "If the district wants its students to thrive, it needs to make sure that students have beneficial courses accessible," Isom said. The students reported that popular courses are full, the digital art program had been shut down, and the art department is coping with constrained budgets that force lower‑quality materials; they asked the district to consider hiring an additional art teacher and increasing the department budget.
Chloe Hubbs, also an Emmaus junior, presented findings on the proposed elementary/middle school realignment. Hubbs argued the plan increases transitions for young students and could reduce mentorship opportunities between younger and older middle schoolers. She urged more guidance counselor support and cautioned that doubling sports and theater teams without proportional staffing could overburden teachers and advisers.
Reid Siminski (transcript: Reid/ ReId) advocated for earlier exposure to world languages, arguing that the district’s current start in eighth grade misses the early childhood sensitive window (ages 2–6) and recommended using a regular "no special" day in elementary schools to provide early, limited language exposure.
Lucy Gosnell and Asha (Ashton) Antonini presented a petition of roughly 100 student signatures arguing for greater approval of field trips. They said three administrative barriers—state nurse requirements, a May testing period policy that limits trips, and high substitute‑teacher demand for Mondays and Fridays—have reduced opportunities. They proposed increased parent volunteer use, schedule coordination around testing, and departmental cooperation on substitute coverage to make trips more accessible.
Board response: Trustees thanked the students for their presentations. Board directors said the students’ work was persuasive and useful; several members recommended the district follow up with the students and noted the administration had interviewed some students during their research. The superintendent acknowledged student contributions and said administration appreciated the input for district planning.
Ending: Trustees asked administration to review the points raised and the board recognized students’ efforts; no binding actions were taken during public comment.
