Pennridge School District responds to federal civil rights violation complaint, non-profit founder speaks out
Pennridge School District responds to civil rights violation complaint, The PairUP Society founder speaks out
Adrienne King, the founder and president of PairUp Society, a non-profit listed in the complaint as one of the persons the school has been accused of discriminating against, speaks out after Pennridge District responded to the complaint.
PERKASIE, Pa - A Bucks County School District is responding after a federal civil rights complaint against the district was filed on Wednesday.
Pennridge School District is in the hot seat after a complaint was filed accusing the school district of chronically failing "to take reasonable and necessary measures to address persistent and severe bullying and harassment of LGBTQ+ students and students of color."
In the official complaint, the district is also accused of exacerbating "the hostile environment by using discriminatory discipline policies against Black students, adopting policies that limit expression, eliminating access to diverse and culturally responsive learning materials and adopting discriminatory bathroom and sports policies."
The district broke its silence on Thursday and responded to the complaint with the following statement:
"The Pennridge School District has received the complaint filed with the Department of Education and Department of Justice. The District intends to review the complaint thoroughly and seek meaningful engagement with both the Department of Education and the Department of Justice. As it is a matter of litigation involving students, the District is constrained from providing any additional comment."
FOX 29’s Shawnette Wilson spoke to Adrienne King, the founder and president of PairUp Society, an organization listed in the complaint as one of the persons the school has been accused of discriminating against.
"We have failed to see any real tangible action to try to mitigate and make the school environment better for these students," said King.
The Education Law Center and the University of Pennsylvania's Advocacy for Racial and Civil Justice Clinic filed the complaint on behalf of the NAACP of Bucks County and the non-profit PairUP Society.
"Years of families and students really being impacted by the school environment that they are in. Whether they be students of color who are being subjected to being called racial slurs or referred to as derogatory names or terms because of their skin color or LGBTQ students who are being threatened or mis-gendered," said King.
Bucks County middle school counselor charged with sexually assaulting student placed on administrative leave
A Pennridge South Middle School counselor is facing several charges after allegedly committing sexual-related crimes toward a student in Bucks County, officials say.
The district is accused of allowing it to fester.
"What we've seen in Pennridge is that the district has not only not addressed the harassment but adopted policies that actually exacerbate the environment," said Cara McClellan, director of the Advocacy for Racial and Civil Justice Clinic Penn Carey Law.
The complaint also details alleged race-based harassment of Asian students. It seeks district guidelines and policies that would handle issues effectively and not just spot treat them.
"This complaint will aid the district in taking these issues seriously and require the mandated training that is needed," said King.