CENTRAL BUCKS SCHOOL DISTRICT 1
Central Bucks School District Meeting: February 7, 2023
[Author Name(s), First M. Last, Omit Titles and Degrees]
[Institutional Affiliation(s)]
CENTRAL BUCKS SCHOOL DISTRICT 2
Central Bucks School District Meeting: February 7, 2023
Time/Date and Purpose of Event
The public policy forum that I attended was the Central Bucks School District meeting,
which was held at the Central Bucks Educational Services Center, 16 Welden Drive,
Doylestown, Pennsylvania, on February 7, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. The purpose of this meeting was to
discuss the previous month's agenda, specifically the passing of Policy 321, which calls for the
prohibition of numerous activities on school property by staff during work hours in addition to
barring advocacy activities. In addition to the previous business redress, the meeting also
attended to numerous purchase orders, UPS and wireless devices, mobile classroom partition
rentals, IEP waiver policies, as well as employee retirements, terminations, and resignations.
Participants
The directors of the district in attendance include President Dana Hunter, Vice President
Leigh Vlasblom, Members Debra Cannon, Sharon Collopy, Dr. Tabitha Dell’ Angelo, Dr.
Mariam Mahmud, James Pepper, Lisa Sciscio, Karen Smith, and Secretary Stephanie Radcliffe.
In addition to the district directors, there was a sizable turnout of parents and other members of
the public that filled the 100 available seats, leaving many to stand outside. ACLU members and
a contingent of other Pennsylvania School Board members also attended.
Proponent Arguments
The district has initiated policies that ban all displays, flags, materials, and other non-
academic materials from the school’s property under what is referred to as "Policy 321."
Furthermore, the policy extends to the prohibition of teachers from displaying flags or posters
advocating any political or sociopolitical activities and issues in the classroom as well as
participating in any advocacy activities during school hours (School Board/Agendas & Minutes,
CENTRAL BUCKS SCHOOL DISTRICT 3
2023; Shuler & Corrado, 2023). The district’s position, as well as that of supporting parental
groups, is that the initiative fosters "a balanced and neutral environment in the classrooms"
(Shuler & Corrado, 2023).
Opposition Arguments
The American Civil Liberties Union, a contingent of 52 school board directors from 25
Pennsylvania school districts, along with numerous LGBTQ and human rights supporters, argue
that the implementation of Policy 321 will catalyze a toxic environment and that the rights of
students and staff alike are being violated by the censorship methods. The key sentiments are that
the board is "fostering intolerance, discrimination, and targeting LGBTQ students for political
purposes" (Rizzo, 2023). Restricting Central Bucks County School District employees from
participating in political activities while on the clock, barring classroom displays, and the use of
pronouns have opponents calling 321 “a dangerously vague form of censorship” (Rizzo, 2023).
Culture
The sitting President and current majority maintained their positions on the controversial
Policy 321; however, Superintendent of the Central Bucks School District, Dr. Abe Lucabaugh,
announced sweeping changes that would include the repeal of Policy 321 (Reynolds, 2023).
Reflection
Human rights were dealt a disservice under this draconian policy that only led to derision
and divisiveness among staff and the public alike. The LGBTQ community as well as other
groups would be stifled under 321. The values of expression and freedom are at stake here, with
the question being: where does this stop? Public outcry and unity facilitated change that would
otherwise gone unchallenged. Attendance of public forums is a right that must be exercised if the
checks and balances of power are to be maintained.
CENTRAL BUCKS SCHOOL DISTRICT 4
References
Reynolds, H. (2023, April 6). The chaos in the central bucks school district must end | Opinion.
Yahoo Sports. https://sports.yahoo.com/chaos-central-bucks-school-district-
080214607
Rizzo, E. (2023, February 15). Pennsylvania school board directors condemn central bucks.
WHYY. https://whyy.org/articles/pa-school-board-directors-condemn-central-bucks-anti-
lgbt/
School board / Agendas & minutes. (2023, February 7). Central Bucks School District
https://www.cbsd.org/Page/31541
Shuler, A., & Corrado, K. (2023, January 11). Central bucks school board votes to pass
controversial policy. CBS News - Breaking news, 24/7 live streaming news & top
stories. https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/central-bucks-school-board-votes-
to-pass-controversial-policy-doylestown/
