HASB votes down change in policy | News, Sports, Jobs – Altoona Mirror
HOLLIDAYSBURG — The first reading of proposed amendments to a policy on maintaining professional adult/student boundaries was shot down 5-4 by the Hollidaysburg Area School Board on Wednesday night.
President Nicole Hartman, Scott Brenneman, Lonna Frye, Ronald Sommer and Doug Stephens voted against the amendment, while vice president Emanuel Nichols, Carmen Bilek, Jennifer Costanza and Kenneth Snyder all voted in favor.
Code 824 dealing with maintaining adult/student boundaries has been the subject of raucous debate the past several weeks, following the revelation that a Hollidaysburg English teacher had the controversial graphic novel memoir “Gender Queer” in her classroom.
More than 300 people attended a Nov. 7 meeting — during which further discussion and voting was pushed to Wednesday’s meeting — and roughly 200 showed up to the junior high auditorium again to hear the vote on the policy.
Several high school students voiced their displeasure with the proposed language changes. Article Seven of the proposal was the most contested piece, as it would ban “prominently displaying political, religious or sexual oriented materials in the classroom that are unconnected to an approved curriculum.”
That would prohibit the display of a pride flag, which has also been the target of debate in the district.
“Taking down flags that are in support of members of the LGBTQ community will not solve anything, but only make it worse,” senior Michelle Dale said.
“Students should have the feeling of comfort from the classroom with the use of a pride flag if the teacher chooses to display one,” Dale said. “Students should be able to know that they have teachers who will understand what they are saying rather than going to guidance or the nurse.”
Mason Kelly, a senior who identifies as gay, said it was thanks to his teachers, along with family and friends, that he was able to be confident in who he is.
“If this policy is enacted, where will Hollidaysburg’s queer youth be recognized?” Kelly asked. “Most notably, who will the children who aren’t supported at home be able to turn to when their school is stripped of the pride flags that represent them?”
On the other hand, parents argued that teachers should be told to stick to the curriculum taught in school and to not stray into domains in which they are not trained experts, like sexuality and gender identity.
“Decor related to political, socio-political, sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom should be prohibited,” Diane Krueger said. “It is not the role of teachers, administration or support staff to engage minors to discuss these topics with them when one is not professionally trained or licensed on these matters.”
Hollidaysburg resident Patricia Haight said the controversies in the district are just the latest in a “planned effort, not to educate our children, but to indoctrinate them.”
“We’re here because our children are truly precious to us,” Haight said. “Where does this stop? It stops right here, right now.”
Hollidaysburg Watchdog President Richard Latker said the board needed to take action to prevent similar situations from happening again.
“This is your community in front of you — the ones who elected you — and we are offended by this,” Latker said.
Amber Lewis, parent of three Hollidaysburg students, congratulated the students who spoke at the meeting, saying they were brave to share their perspectives and speak about how important their teachers are to them.
“However, you guys are minors,” Lewis said. “And we are your parents.”
Lewis said she did not approve of the policy and thought teachers should be allowed to have a flag or other items in the classroom, but she said parents “have a right to know what’s going on in these classrooms with our children.”
Some parents who spoke at the Nov. 7 meeting said that the pride flag made their children “uncomfortable.” Kelly said that reaction in itself is a warning sign.
“If you’re raising your children to be made uncomfortable by the existence of gay people, your mindset is the problem,” Kelly said.
Preferred pronouns were also a hot topic, as some parents said that was part of the “grooming” process.
Dale said that notion was not the reality.
“Pronouns are part of the English language and people are not using them to influence impressionable children,” Dale said. “Pronouns were in your child’s first-grade curriculum. Objects and people have always had pronouns. This is not breaking news and it should not be an argument.”
Junior Nina Meadows, who identifies as nonbinary, said the district is not excessively “progressive” and that it is not “common practice” throughout the district to be asked for preferred pronouns.
“The option to share your pronouns or a pride flag in a teacher’s room does not negatively affect learning in any way,” Meadows said. “Personally, I always feel a sense of security in the classroom of a teacher with a ‘You Belong Here’ sticker on the door. This sticker is not hurting anyone and most likely does not hold significance for the boys and girls who fit the norm in life.”
Emotions boiled over at one point during public comment, as senior Madeline Shanafelt was ridiculed and heckled by some in the crowd after saying the adoption of the changes to Policy 824 was a “concerning possibility” for her and her classmates.
“The pride flag in the classroom is a sign of inclusion,” Shanafelt said. “As a straight woman, the pride flag does not offend me and does not make me feel any less straight.”
Shanafelt said there was no reason a teacher shouldn’t be allowed to ask students for their preferred pronouns in an effort to make students who felt uncomfortable sharing their preference unprompted more comfortable.
“This question is not going to ruin your child’s innocence,” Shanafelt said.
Someone in the crowd responded with “Yes it is” and more murmuring and disgruntled voices rose from around the auditorium.
Shanafelt then broke down in tears and was unable to continue her comments.
Hartman scolded the audience, saying Shanafelt deserved to share her opinion as much as anyone else in attendance.
“Are you proud of yourselves?” Hartman asked. “You’ve made a young lady cry who’s trying to express the same right the rest of you had.”
Shanafelt’s mother came to the podium to help her daughter finish, saying the adoption of the policy would be a “disgrace” to the district.
After the motion to approve the first reading of the proposed changes to the policy was denied, there was an eerie silence around the auditorium, only eventually prompting some whispering scattered throughout the room.
The board will reconvene for its next scheduled meeting on Dec. 7.
Mirror Staff Writer Nate Powles is at 814-946-7466.