The East Penn Board of School Directors heard from four members of the public at the Sept. 26 regular meeting.

Sarah Taylor, of Emmaus, expressed concerns regarding last year’s Panorama contract. She worried client data from the Panorama SEL Survey for grades 3-12 may contain identifiable information “held in perpetuity” that could possibly be accessed by hackers. “Do you read the contracts that you approve or do you just rubber stamp them?” she asked.

Also from Emmaus, Rebecca Kahle praised the district for its policies regarding inclusion. She spoke about how her son was able to access books at his advanced reading level by the school librarians and the late Martha Vines who worked at the Emmaus Public Library. As “an honors college student,” he was open to a summer reading assignment of “Becoming Nicole: The Extraordinary Transformation of an Ordinary Family,” the true story of a trans person’s experience.

Kahle said the district helped her son be open-minded about the world as he moves on to higher education.

When it comes to selecting age-appropriate books for learning and school libraries, Kahle opined she trusted the district’s professionals. She explained, “I, as a parent, can make a decision about my child and what my child is reading, but I don’t think I should be making the decision about what is appropriate for another child.”

Two returning speakers had addressed the directors at the previous meeting.

Emmaus resident Mary Ellen Jackson returned to promote Parents for Equity in East Penn Schools (PEEPS). The newly-formed organization was created to unite parents to have a neutral place to discuss educational issues while welcoming new families, collaborate with the schools and offer themselves as a resource to serve on committees.

She expressed appreciation for the behind-the-scenes work the board does. Jackson cited the recent dedication of the district’s cross-country track at Camp Olympic Park in Lower Macungie Township the directors helped bring about.

Macungie resident Frank Dumbleton followed up on his concerns regarding dropping rates of math proficiency scores within the district to 45 percent. He conceded testing standards had changed during the past decade. Dumbleton questioned why Parkland and Southern Lehigh districts scored 20 points higher than East Penn in the most recent statistics cited by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

School Superintendent Kristen Campbell addressed some of the topics brought up during public comment. In response to concerns about Panorama, she said, “Any contract or agreement is reviewed by council and our administrative team.” She explained, “Panorama uses non-identifiable district data to create a national data set.”

In regard to transparency concerns, Campbell added the administration regularly contacts families ahead of conducting surveys, review the questions and allows them the option of having their child opt out.

Campbell expanded on the district’s cross-country track at Camp Olympic Park dedication. She described it as a collaborative effort between the school district, community members and Lower Macungie Township.

She congratulated the Emmaus High School students, National Honor Society members and cross-country team for volunteering with the Healthy Kids Running Series at Grange Park during her district update.

“Time is running out to register for the Second Annual East Penn Education Foundation Golf Outing,” Campbell announced.

She asked local businesses and organizations to contact Kelly Duffy to offer opportunities for high school students to participate in the new field study program.

Lehigh Career & Technical Institute has scheduled its annual fall open house 6-8 p.m. Oct. 27.

Campbell announced all students are eligible for a free breakfast through the district’s school breakfast program, regardless of their family’s financial situation, as part of a statewide program for the current school year.

In personnel matters, the board accepted the resignations of EHS Family-Consumer Science Teacher Alyssa Soupik, effective Nov. 11; as well as Lincoln Elementary School Special Education Teacher Peter Jenkins and Lower Macungie Middle School Technology Education Teacher Stephen Toth as of Aug. 26.

They approved the retirement of Shoemaker Elementary School Certified School Nurse Barbara Freiwald, effective Oct. 14.

Karen Christ was approved as a new hire as a school psychologist for Jefferson Elementary School and Lincoln Elementary School effective, Nov. 29.

Assistant Superintendent Douglas Povilaitis provided a first reading of a new policy on threat assessment, as well as updates to existing policies. These include school security personnel, trauma-informed approach, weapons, terroristic threats, hazing, bullying and cyberbullying.

Paul Champagne suggested a few text changes to maintain consistency.

Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit Board Member William Whitney reported Judy Mayer was awarded the unit’s annual Annie Sullivan Award for her work in occupational therapy with special needs children.

He also described how the CLIU staff and the Special Needs Children’s Foundation, partnered with Variety – the Children’s Charity in Pittsburgh to provide 30 adaptive bikes and strollers to local families during the past four years. These are manufactured by Pittsburgh-based Blackburn’s.

Board President Joshua Levinson announced the executive session scheduled for before the public forum was canceled.

The next regular school board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 10. The public can access documents through BoardDocs via a link on the district website. Livestreaming of meetings is available on the district’s YouTube channel.