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Dramatic changes for Central Bucks School District as Democrats sweep school board election

By
Published  November 8, 2023 5:19pm EST
Bucks County
FOX 29 Philadelphia

Changes for Central Bucks school board as Democrats sweep election

Five open seats in a hotly contested Central Bucks school board election and Democrats swept all five seats, ousting the incumbent Republican school board president, single-handedly changing the makeup of the school board.

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. - Big changes for a Bucks County school district not foreign to controversy, as the Central Bucks School District elected a new school board.

Five open seats in a hotly contested election and Democrats swept all five seats, ousting the incumbent Republican school board president, single-handedly changing the makeup of the school board.

"I think what our community has said, by this vote, is that they really want to see common sense," Susan Gibson, elected to the Region 8 seat, explained. "They wanna see us focus on the children, focus on the real issues. They want to see us support teachers."

Region 2 seat winner, Heather Reynolds, echoed the same sentiment, "One thing I’m determined to do is work with each other and to heal this community. Every single student in this district should feel valued and supported."

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The Central Bucks School District has been at the center of controversy in recent years with polarizing policies surrounding book bans and LGBTQ+ issues that took center stage at many school board meetings. The Republican-led board even passing policies that banned Pride flags in classrooms.

CJ Weintreub is a recent alum of Central Bucks High School West who says this election meant a lot to them and many of their classmates who struggled under the restrictive LGBTQ+ policies put into place by the current school board.

"We spent so much of our high school careers fighting for this," CJ said. "It’s so hard to focus academically when you don’t feel like you’re able to be your full self at school."

One parent told FOX 29 she now breathes a sigh of relief to know, after four years, the district will have new leadership. Mandy Freeman explained, "We’ve been a divided community for too long. The message is we’re focusing on the wrong things and we need to focus on what’s important for all kids. For the teachers."

"What would your message to students and even teachers?" asked FOX 29’s Shaynah Ferreira.

"We see you, we value you and we will be there to support all of you," Freeman replied.