Franklin schools rolling out positive initiatives: The Honorable Knights

Bullying is nothing new. "Kids will be kids" attitudes toward teasing can shape how young people learn to trust others and develop their personalities when it is by becoming the aggressor, the victim or even the turn and look the other way type. We take these lessons into adulthood too whether we realize it or not. Often these "little things"  are how we act as leaders and or members of society.

The stereotypes happen because they perpetuate themselves over time and learned experiences. In recent years bullying in the form of racism has been brought to the attention of the Franklin School Board and administration. Several parents have spoken up at school board meetings and several community members took note.

A program in Erie several years ago brought volunteers from the community into Erie schools to be proactive. The initiative called the "Blue Coats" placed individuals in the hallways of schools to be eyes and more importantly ears on what was going on.

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Franklin High School, who has parents of multiracial students that have experienced racism, is getting proactive with the Erie model as a guide.

​After the George Floyd murder in 2020, many local community leaders took higher note of the issues that still plague our community, said Denise Jones a long-time Franklin community leader.

She and many others began formulating a plan on how they can help this community get passed the decades and centuries of racism and intolerance. Her daughter Michelle Jones and friend Angela Wofford formed a group called Venango In Alliance with Black Lives Empowered and helped create school clubs in order to bring awareness and discussions of intolerance to the forefront with young people.

When Franklin Superintendent Eugene Thomas took over as the district's leader last year he said one of his priorities was dealing with the issues that parents brought to his attention.

In stepped Jones, who was recently named Venango Area Chamber of Commerce's Citizen of the year, and other community members with their work researching what the "Blue Coats" have been doing in Erie. Before the holidays it was announced the the "Honorable Knights" would be started in 2023 with a group of over a dozen and growing volunteers, community leaders with proven track records of service, who will take time out their lives each day to go into Franklin High School and hang out in the halls, walk around the campus, ride the school buses and be present.

​"This (program) will be a game changer," said school board vice-president Andy Boland. Thomas agrees and wanted to start the program the first of the year, but one of the two scheduled training sessions had to be postponed due to weather and the launch was pushed back to February.

Jones said the program hopes to establish a better inclusive environment by being a positive influence and perhaps being able to see or hear things that they can then discuss before anything escalates. Most important to lead by example.

Thomas said the volunteers are community role models including the former Venango County Clerk of Courts, former educators, members of law enforcement, spiritual leaders and even current school board members.

They will work on a schedule, but Thomas hopes that several members will be present each day wearing a specific shirt with Honorable Knights clearly shown on their chest.

​The volunteers won't have disciplinary authority, but they are being trained on positive behavioral intervention. "Let's focus on learning," Thomas said will be an almost mantra among the volunteers.

The school district is committed to this idea that will begin with the Junior/Senior High School,. Thomas said he hopes to eventually incorporate this idea into the elementary schools as well.

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