Over 800 Central Bucks alumni sign letter condemning recent board actions, policies

More than 800 Central Bucks School District alumni members have publicly condemned the actions of the school board and its administration as "discriminatory and dangerous" in an “open letter.”

The March 8 letter was signed by members from the classes of 1959 to 2022.

It included hundreds of comments from former students expressing anger over what they see as escalating attacks on civil and human rights in the school district, especially against students who are LGBTQ+ and their allies.

Two CBSD graduates, Christina Maida (Class of 2010) and  Rotimi Adeoye (Class of 2014) drafted and collected signatures which universally opposed “the discriminatory and dangerous policies that you and some school administrators have implemented or allowed to happen in the district over the past year.”

CBSD removed targeted library booksCentral Bucks committee removed challenged books from school libraries for review

What is the controversy in Central Bucks School District?

Over the last year Central Bucks and its board, who include members with ties to the conservative parental rights group "Moms for Liberty" have made national news after adopting what are widely viewed as anti- LGBTQ+ policies and actions.

They include directing district teachers to “dead name” students who identify as transgender or nonbinary, meaning identifying them by the name and gender listed in the school database instead of their chosen name and gender, unless parents approve, and canceling sex education classes after a student who identifies as nonbinary asked to attend a class that didn’t conform to their birth gender.

More recently the district made headlines after a high school principal directed a school librarian to remove a quote from Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel days before National Holocaust Remembrance Day.  The removal, which was reversed a day later after a social media storm, was ordered in response to a newly adopted policy that forbids classroom displays or teacher discussions advocating partisan political or social policy if unrelated to a lesson.

The district has also faced harsh criticism over board policy 109.2, which allows anyone in the community to challenge library resource material as containing inappropriate sexual content and nudity and seek to have it reviewed for removal.

At least 60 books are currently under review after being challenged by community memebrs; another five books - four containing LGBTQ+ themes or characters - have been targeted for an “internal” review  by administrators.

The ACLU of Pennsylvania last year requested an investigation into the district for policies and practices that perpetuate a “toxic educational environment” and exacerbated hostilities toward staff and students who support LGBTQ+ and transgender students.

The 72-page complaint was filed on behalf of seven district students and followed a five-month investigation by the ACLU.

Supporters of the Republican-controlled school board, its direction and the policy decisions contended that its politically motivated opponents and defiant district educators who are responsible for inflaming students and others, and spreading misinformation, hate, and exaggerations about the board's motivations. They said their actions are not discriminatory and create a "neutral" classrooms where the focus is on education not advocacy.

What does the Central Bucks alumni letter say?

The letter contends the district’s recent actions have undermined the ability for students to grow and flourish intellectually and created a “persistent hostile environment for LGBQ&T and other vulnerable students.”

“Students, particularly trans students, complained of regular bullying by fellow students. Instead of resolving these conflicts or disciplining those responsible for the bullying, targeted students were often told by the adults charged with protecting them that they simply needed to figure out how to cope with the bullying on their own.”

It described the library policy as targeting books involving LGBTQ+ themes or characters for review and attempting to limit materials of authors and themes that “open students to a wide array of views – some that have historically been marginalized in our country – and benefit their education.”

“As CBSD alumni, we are shocked and saddened by these developments in Central Bucks. A few board members should not be imposing their political views on thousands of students and teachers by telling them what they can and can’t read or talk about in class,” the letter said. “This goes against the very spirit of what a meaningful education can and should be.”

Central Bucks School District spokeswoman Angela Linch did not immediately respond Friday to an email seeking district comment on the alumni letter.

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: CBSD alumni call out board's "discriminatory and dangerous" policies.