Citing concerns about the use of “equity, diversity and inclusion” on its website, Kutztown School Board voted 5 – 3 against approving an agreement with Communities in Schools to provide integrated student supports at Kutztown Area Middle School for the 2024-25 school year.
The cost to the district would not have exceeded $7,500 as a result of grants secured by Communities In Schools and a donation from Kutztown Strong.
Prior to the vote, board member Jeremiah Light raised concerns.
“They greatly speak of educational equity, diversity and inclusion throughout their website. One, we, as a board rescinded the educational equity policy here this past December so that’s part of what they’re pushing is what was in that policy,” said Light.
For example, the website www.ciseasternpa.org/dei states: “We leverage a diverse, inclusive, and anti-racist support network to break down systemic barriers in schools and beyond. We prioritize and celebrate the experiences of our diverse employees, board members, volunteers, and community providers in fostering an empowered and engaged community.”
Light said several brochures, also available on the CIS website, single out Black, Brown and Indigenous students.
“In my mind, that’s not anti-racism; that’s actually reverse racism because now you’re singling out three groups of people and not including everybody,” he said.
For example, “COVID-19, Race and Schools: Addressing Equitable Learning Conditions for Our Students,” linked to the website, states: “Black, Brown, and Indigenous students and students living in poverty are experiencing a differentiated set of impacts of national crises.”
Light told the board, “We’ve been down this road before.”
He argued that the website also states how to combat white supremacy.
“We had that issue here in one of our schools with some of the documents that were made available or some teachings that were made available to elementary students, which parents were not very happy about,” said Light.
Communities In Schools
Communities In Schools of Eastern PA, with 35 years of experience, provides custom-designed integrated student supports at Allentown, Bethlehem, Brandywine Heights, East Penn, Easton, Fleetwood, Reading, Whitehall-Coplay and Wilson (Berks) school districts, as well as Kutztown the past three years.
“ISS integrates social, emotional, and academic development and addresses the out-of-school factors that keep kids from coming to the classroom ready to learn:” states the website, https://www.ciseasternpa.org/school-districts.
A school-support plan — approved by principals and reflects data and feedback from teachers, parents and guidance counselors — identifies school-wide goals, such as increasing attendance or improving family engagement. The site coordinator collaborates with principals, teachers and guidance counselors to deliver three tiers of support: school-wide supports, targeted student supports and case management, according to the website.
The integrated student services model includes building positive relationships, teaching social-emotional and conflict resolution skills, and using a student self-report survey that measures emotion regulation, academic motivation, self-control, and empathy, according to the website.
Board Debate
“A lot of the stuff that’s on here is stuff that we’re providing as a school district,” said Light. “If we’re not, we could look at providing some of these additional supports.”
Light questioned if the district still works with Kutztown University psychology interns.
“That program was designed a little bit in conjunction with Communities in Schools to help provide some support to the interns,” said Superintendent Christian Temchatin, confirming that a KU student interned with the district for a period of time last year.
Light questioned the need to pay an outside group that the district can do internally.
“And also without a lot of controversy around what they have on their website,” he added.
Board member Reba Hoffman questioned the difference between what CIS provides and the district’s school counselors.
School counselors primarily work with teachers and students. A social worker works more with students and connects students and their families with agencies to provide another layer of support, said Temchatin.
“When I went to school, the guidance counselor to me was that person that you went to when you were struggling,” said Hoffman.
“The goal of Communities in Schools is to be fully integrated into the school setting where that smaller group of students that they are working with, they have a very close relationship with the students and then with the families as well,” said Temchatin.
He noted that while school counselors have some background in psychology, they’re not a psychologist or a social worker.
Hoffman felt this level of support should be provided inhouse.
“We have no control over their policies, whatever their core beliefs are,” she said.
Temchatin said one of the advantages of the agreement with CIS is the financial. Without the grant funding, he said they would be looking at a salary ten times the CIS cost plus benefits.
Board member Daniel Wismer shared concerns about statements on the CIS website on renewing it’s focus on racial justice.
“The actual helping kids becomes secondary to a narrative or a view point or a particular lens. That’s what I have a problem with,” he said.
Wismer said there are multiple organizations that do similar services that don’t prescribe to anything specific. He questioned if CIS is the only one getting grant funding.
“I would have to explore their ability to secure grants,” said Temchatin.
In favor of the agreement, board member Laurel Ziegler wanted it clarified that the social worker has zero influence over curriculum and are in no way teaching.
Temchatin confirmed that she was correct. He also confirmed that the district has not received any complaints from parents in the past.
“We’re getting the parents’ approval in order for the student and family to engage with this individual. There’s no forcing. They could choose to not participate if they don’t like what’s being discussed,” said Ziegler. “Clearly, there is a need whether it’s food insecurity, a drug or alcohol issue, whatever that social concern is.”
Temchatin said the full-time social worker is in the building every day. Frequency of engagement depends on the student, for some it’s daily.
“So they are imbedded in the school and actually know the students extremely well and know the parents,” said Ziegler. “We’re talking about $7,500 to support children who are most in need. If parents want the support, we’ve had zero concerns, this is absolutely a no-brainer.”
Also in favor, board member Caecilia M. Holt argued that the district has had a three-year relationship with an organization that has benefited children.
“There have been no problems,” she said. “There’s been none of the things you’re concerned about. It sounds like you’re looking for a problem.”
“It feels like this is becoming a politicized talking point,” agreed Ziegler.
Board member Michael Hess, also in favor, said that for students who need this service, it’s really immeasurable the kind of difference that it can make.
“This is trying to make an impact before things become a bigger issue,” said Hess.
If the district can flag students having attendance issues or grade issues, they can get them some intervention, with parental involvement, he said.
“That goes a long way to helping that student overcome whatever those issues are,” said Hess.
From a cost-benefit analysis, Hess believes the benefit outweighs that little bit of cost for the students who truly need the services.
Kutztown Strong
While acknowledging concerns, Temchatin said the administration’s recommendation seeks support for students, not for what CIS states on its website.
“At an extremely district advantageous cost compared to what similar services would cost anywhere else,” he said.
The 2024-25 cost to the district was not to exceed $7,500 after grants secured by CIS and a donation from Kutztown Strong.
Temchatin said CIS was initially brought to the attention of the district by Kutztown Strong “because they believe in supporting students with mental health challenges.”
Kutztown Strong was formed in 2014 by a group of citizens following youth overdose deaths in 2014. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the grassroots coalition provides programs and activities to support the behavioral health and wellbeing of local children, youth and families.
Through a 2018 Community Needs Assessment conducted by Friend, Inc. Community Services, Kutztown Strong learned that many families struggled to find mental health services for their children and/or family members that were locally accessible.
“As the area’s prevention coalition, trained by the state of Pennsylvania in evidence-based strategies to reduce youth substance use, Kutztown Strong understood the connections between unaddressed mental health concerns, substance use, suicide, school violence, and school delinquency,” Sheryl McKlveen, community and school social work services coordinator, said in a statement on behalf of Kutztown Strong’s Board.
“Therefore, the coalition assumed the responsibility to organize local youth serving organizations to find a solution for this community concern.”
Sixteen local organizations — including Friend, Inc, the United Way, Kutztown University Departments of Counseling and Social Work, Berks Community Health Services and CONCERN Professional Services for Children, Youth, and Families — volunteered to participate.
From fall 2018 to spring 2020, members of this community development project met and discussed potential avenues to increase the availability of mental health services.
Ultimately, the group connected with Berks United Way and their regional partner Communities in Schools of Eastern PA.
“The services offered by CIS were of high quality, a good fit for the rural area as they are available to any student in need (with parental consent) during the school day, and parents could seek referrals for other family members with a phone call to the CIS worker,” said McKlveen.
With the goal of adding CIS services in the middle schools of Kutztown, Brandywine Heights and Fleetwood area school districts, Kutztown Strong organized fundraising events and grant writing initiatives to meet the financial needs of the project.
Grants totaling $165,000 were awarded to Kutztown Strong, and the coalition passed them on to the school districts for this purpose, said McKlveen.
Both Berks United Way and CIS also organize fundraising events, donor drives, and grant writing tasks to reduce the cost of CIS services for schools, she added.
“Their efforts benefit schools across Berks County every year,” said McKlveen. “The long-standing relationships between these two organizations, KASD, and Kutztown Strong helped to secure mental health services for KASD’s middle school estimated at approximately $90,000 for about $12,500 for the coming academic year.”
Knowing in advance the financial constraints within the KASD budget, the Kutztown Strong Board approved an expenditure to fund CIS using some of its savings from annual fundraising.
“We were, of course, saddened by the board’s decision to not extend the CIS contract for middle school students this year,” said McKlveen. “However, we are committed to our relationship with KASD, its board, administrators, teachers, and staff.”
“We hope to continue the conversation on what works best for our students and families according to the outcome data and the testimonials from both,” concluded McKlveen.
“With anxiety and depression skyrocketing in this age group, we either pay now or risk having something catastrophic happen to children,” Kutztown Strong President Susan Collier said in a statement. “There’s no comparison to the cost of $7,500 vs. a child’s life. Just ask a parent that’s lost a child through suicide due to anxiety. It’s a real thing.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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