| The evening started with applause. It seemed the whole cafeteria at Hasson Heights Elementary school could agree on one thing - the Oiler boys swim team had one hell of a year. They were recognized for their undefeated season in front of the Oil City Area School Board. It was a night of a lot of praise and superlatives with each administrator's reports giving glowing accounts of accomplishments at each building from career day to a successful Arts Day program to a green Ogre who brought the house down to near record audiences. "We had to print more tickets for our Saturday performabce," Oil City High School principal Scott Stahl told the board. But the elephant in the room reared its head when it came down to agenda item number IX: Old Business, A. Remove from the table, Retroactive Approval of Curricula to April 18, 2022, 1. "We Care Elementary " (Grades 3-6) and 2. "Sexual Abuse Free Environment for Teens" (Grades 7 - 8). At this point the temperature in the room went up and confusion spiraled a bit among board members and those in attendance trying to explain and understand what was about to happen. Clarifications and a few points of order later, the board voted to remove the tabled agenda item in order to hear an entirely new motion by curriculum chair Mark Kerr. Kerr then motioned, and the board approved, to suspend the remaining two lessons planned to be taught in grades 3-8 this year and begin looking toward a curriculum for the 2023-24 school year. The board will send out a request for proposals for Anti-Bullying/Sexual Harassment programs. They set a deadline to receive the proposals of May 1, 2023. They will then plan to invite presentations at the curriculum meeting on June 10. The board then hopes to be able to have a vote on the curriculum committee's recommendation at the scheduled July 17 meeting. If approved it will then be posted the next day and remain open until August 28, the day before school starts. Kerr said that will give a good six weeks for parents or guardians to look over the materials and decide whether or not to opt their children out of the lessons or keep them in. Joe Klapec and Devin Aaron, two vocal parents at recent board meetings objecting to the gender and sexuality components of the current lessons, said this action by the board satisfies their concerns for now. "I'm happy where we're at right now," Klapec said after the meeting reiterating his disappointment with the way the administration handled this. Devin Aaron also expressed her disappointment in the administration but that this is a move in the right direction for her. "We are thankful for the efforts of many of the board members that continue to acknowledge us and our concerns as parents," she said adding, "The children of the district won tonight." Superintendent Lynda Weller said this has been a learning experience and has noted previously, and reiterated Monday night, that the administration will continue to refine their efforts moving forward to establish better clarity and consistency. Earlier in the day she clarified that there are four students opted out of the 5-8 grade lessons and three in the elementary program. That is seven students of five families of over 800 students in classes 3-8. School board president Joe McFadden also admitted the handling of the situation could've been handled better, but noted an exception to the attacks on Weller and other administrators calling them unwarranted and false. Kerr also accepted some blame in how this has gotten to this point of contention. "How we got here is as much my fault as anyone else's, but I don't believe our schools are laboratories of radicals." School board member Tyler Johnson also took exception with the attacks on Weller and the administration."I don't believe there is any administrators pushing an agenda or indoctrinating." He spoke straight to the parents in attendance stating he knows many of them and knows they are good people, but added so are the people on the board and the administrators and that comments made about them for grooming and indoctrinating children are jus inaccurate. Devin Aaron said she is disappointed that the administrators haven't publicly apologized or taken responsibility. McFadden noted again that the board was made fully aware of the "We Care Elementary" and "SAFE-T" programs being taught in the schools and that they are both Pennsylvania Department of Education approved. Board member Larry Sterner, attending the meeting via telephone, said, "we can do better."   | FYI Policy 105.2 Authority The Board adopts this policy to ensure that parents/guardians have the right to have their children excused from specific instruction that conflicts with their religious beliefs.[1][2] Guidelines The rights granted by this policy are granted to parents/guardians of students enrolled in this district when the students are under the age of eighteen (18) and to the students themselves when the student is eighteen (18) or over. The district shall excuse any student from specific instruction, subject to the following conditions:
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