Most of the Oct. 26 Saucon Valley School Board meeting looked strikingly similar to the previous one Oct. 12, conducting all general basic district business in well under 10 minutes. With board President Susan Baxter absent, Vice President Dr. Shamim Pakzad presided over the meeting.

Newly-appointed Interim Superintendent Jaime Vlasaty declined for the second consecutive week to provide a superintendent’s report, as was custom during her predecessor, Dr. Craig Butler’s term as district chief.

Otherwise, business mostly consisted of standard personnel-related approvals, such as resignations, medical leaves and retirements. Board member Sandra Miller specifically took the time to thank retiring Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent Kimberly Kemmerer for her years of service to the district.

The public comments portion of the meeting was, while similarly brief, anything but standard, however. District parent Sarah Houck, whose voice trembled with emotion as she spoke at times, said she was representing a group of parents with “two serious allegations.” She noted before she began explaining the issues, which she acknowledged were likely brand-new to board members, that she’d started an online petition that as of the meeting had obtained a few dozen signatures.

She first claimed that the elementary-level social studies curriculum is “very vague and provides no direction to teachers, so it can be interpreted many different ways,” specifically referencing a segment which indicates teachers are required simply to teach about ‘Mexico’ with no other details offered. She said that while she didn’t necessarily share the same “racial education” concerns as other parents, she believed it to be insufficiently detailed.

Since the elementary school failed to “provide the mandated educational requirements and follow the curriculum which the school has built for our students,” her group would be filing a formal complaint with the Pa. Department of Education, she added.

Her other concern was technology-related, as Houck accused the district of not being in compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). District-provided iPads are often used to entertain children throughout the school day, she said, and among her concerns were that the devices could be sending children’s information to third-party websites via recording apps.

During an iPad review with administration the prior Friday, the first thing that popped up, “without typing anything, was an article in the New York Times about abortion – which is completely inappropriate for a six-year-old” she said, as she began audibly crying. Houck indicated that her group intended on filing a second formal complaint with the DoE on this matter, and asked the board for their support in addressing these issues.

Board member Michael Karabin suggested further discussion on the issue, and Pakzad asked Vlasaty to “provide a roadmap” on addressing these issues.

Vlasaty said she and elementary Principal Dr. Lensi Nikolov would be reviewing the curriculum and would provide a report “at the next A&P Committee meeting.” She also said the technology portion of Houck’s complaint has “a couple of layers to it,” and acknowledged that the district had “fallen short” in its efforts to communicate to parents which technology teachers would be using, and agreed to further address the privacy and safety concerns Houck had.