Parents urge Delaware Valley board to address bullying and special-education staffing

During the second public-comment period, several parents urged the board to address ongoing bullying and special-education staffing shortages.

Renee Peterson (Shohola) described multiple incidents she said involved staff not informing parents about student-on-student violence and alleged staff bullying at Chahola. She asked the board to move the special-education committee forward and to act with urgency.

Other commenters, including Jenna Ercolano, asked the board to prioritize staffing for special education and to provide a public agenda item examining full-time instructional assistants and costs. One commenter recounted an ongoing bullying case they said had not been resolved, warning they would pursue legal remedies if the district failed to act.

Board members acknowledged the concerns, said they heard parents, and proposed follow-up steps: forming a special-education committee or roundtable, scheduling informational sessions with administration and state program representatives, and providing administrative follow-up on individual complaints. The board noted the need for confidentiality when discussing sensitive special-education matters and proposed a mix of public and private meetings or roundtables to allow more substantive discussion among parents, staff and administrators.

The board asked parents to submit specifics in writing and directed staff to provide follow-up contact; some directors volunteered to participate in a parent-staff liaison process. The board also signaled it will schedule special-education-focused sessions to gather facts and report back.

No formal policy was enacted at the meeting; the board committed to continued engagement and to bring recommendations to a future work session.