Speakers urge district to clarify Title I designations and propose employee-only safe-space signs for immigrant families
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Summary
Public commenters asked the board to clarify Title I school identifications, sought ways to include community members on Title I committees, and proposed signage to designate employee-only safe areas that would limit entry without a judicial warrant.
During the public-comment portion of the Coatesville Area School District board meeting two speakers raised concerns about Title I information, community participation in school committees, and the protection of immigrant families.
Laurie Shannon Bailey asked the district to publish the specific Title I school identifications so parents and community members can know which schools hold Title I status. Bailey said she wants to participate on a Title I committee at Scott Middle School and asked how community members are recruited for committee membership and whether there is an application process. Superintendent Dr. Rybarczyk replied that Title I school committees are generally composed of parents of students enrolled in the identified schools and that the district holds general Title I meetings in fall and spring to solicit broader community input; she said a Title I meeting scheduled for the next night was being rescheduled because signups were low and that the district had posted notices on Facebook and its web page and placed flyers downtown.
Public commenter Joan Waddell, a retired Coatesville area teacher, urged the board to consider posting small signs near each school’s main entrance that declare support for immigrants and described a second sign to designate an employee-only area where, she urged, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should not enter without a signed and dated judicial warrant. Waddell said the signs are intended to create private employee spaces that could be kept locked or closed; she presented sample signs to the board.
What the board said and next steps - The superintendent described outreach steps for Title I meetings and said the district will reschedule the poorly attended Title I meeting and continue to publicize meeting times and sign-up methods. - Board members did not take action on the signage proposal during the meeting; the comments were recorded during public comment for board consideration.
Ending: Speakers asked for clearer Title I identification and for the district to consider protections for immigrant families; the board noted the comments and said it values public input.
