It is inappropriate to sign a pledge of any kind as a school board candidate or member.
The Pennsylvania Sunshine Act, 65 Pa.C.S. §§ 701-716, requires agencies, including school boards, to deliberate and take official action on agency business in an open and public meeting. Deliberation, as defined as the "discussion of agency business held for the purpose of making a decision" is not to occur behind the scenes, but rather in a public meeting. Thus, pledging to repeal or change a policy goes against this act by asking a candidate to make a decision on a policy change without open dialogue in a public forum.
The Berks County Republican Committee Kutztown Area School District Subcommittee sent school board candidate Charles Brown (Region 3) a letter asking him to sign the 2023 Pledge for School Director Candidates in the Kutztown Area School District. This pledge asks Chuck to agree or disagree with pledging to achieve the repeal of policy 809, discriminate against a small minority of students, and remove books from school libraries. Naturally, Chuck did not respond positively to this pledge.
We encourage you to read this pledge for yourself and to review policy 809. All stakeholders worked tirelessly to enact a thoughtful equity policy that satisfies the needs of ALL of our students.
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