Prospr Now

09/27/2022

PROSPR Now presents (attached), to obtain feedback from the community, a brief 2-page draft proposal for PRSD Student and Staff Anti-Harassment Training regarding Tolerance, Diversity, and Respect for Others.
The goal is for a proposal that will be acceptable to ALL in the community. This proposal, adapted from national sources, is intended to be basic and focused. It provides for annual staff and student anti-harassment/bullying training, with an emphasis on tolerance, diversity, and respect for others. This includes age-appropriate education about the prohibition of harassment and discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, and religion.
PROSPR Now seeks feedback and comments from all in the community, to produce a proposal to be submitted to the District that will reflect our many different voices. Please email comments to [email protected] by Friday Oct 7.

09/16/2022

September is Su***de Prevention Month. 19% of teens say they have seriously considered it, and 9% have attempted it.

Engage your child, help them build resiliency, look for warning signs (below), and encourage them to speak up and use the PA Safe2Say line (1-844-SAF2SAY) or the PR 724-449-TIPS line for a friend.

Two informative links with tip sheets and info:
https://jedfoundation.org/su***de-prevention-awareness-month-2021/

https://youth.gov/youth-topics/youth-su***de-prevention/preventing-youth-su***de

From the latter: “Warning signs for those at risk of su***de include: talking about wanting to die, feeling hopeless, having no reason to live, feeling trapped or in unbearable pain, seeking revenge, and being a burden on others; looking for methods and making plans such as searching online or buying a gun; increasing use of alcohol or drugs; acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly; sleeping too little or too much; withdrawal or isolation; and displaying rage and extreme mood swings.”

Su***de is a serious public health problem that can have lasting, significant effects on youth, families, peers, and communities. The causes of su***de among youth are complex and involve many factors. Reducing risk factors and increasing protective factors and resilience is critical.1

08/25/2022

The 2022 stakeholder survey reveals that PR students give failing grades to many aspects of the culture at the MS and HS. This will not change unless we call for action.
Most measurands re: the MS/HS students’ opinions of the school environment are not only very poor; they are the worst ever recorded in the four years of data provided.
For key indicators such as agreement that there is a positive school environment, students feeling valued, being treated fairly, feeling connected, and people respecting differences, the MS/HS student satisfaction/engagement survey responses are alarmingly low, and for ALL of these are the worst ever reported.
See the attached one-page summary of these data.
The district often presents and considers only the summed student results from all grades which are inflated upward by the elementary school students’ responses, which are often close to 100%. Using this method, the district has labeled some of these same environmental attributes as “strengths” for the district overall.
The strategic planning process is underway. Make your voice heard and call for the district to form a task force to specifically address school culture in the MS + HS. We need more insights from the students and a targeted plan to reverse this problem.
Speak at board meetings, attend the upcoming town halls, and correspond with the board.
Here is a link to the complete tables breaking out respondent data (parents, students, and staff) by school, gender, and race: https://www.pinerichland.org/cms/lib/PA01001138/Centricity/Domain/1447/2021-2022%20%20Stakeholder%20Survey%20Results%20with%20Comparisons%20-%208.12.22.pdf
The students have spoken. Now we need to speak for them if we wish to improve the school culture to make this a truly outstanding school district.

04/11/2022

UPDATE: Thanks to all who signed the petition and/or spoke up about this important issue! The 2022-23 Pine-Richland Discipline Code has removed bullying from Level 1: https://www.pinerichland.org/cms/lib/PA01001138/Centricity/Domain/858/discipline%20code%205192022.pdf

Families of the Pine-Richland School District, please join us in urging the board and administration to improve the district's response to complaints of bullying by signing this online petition using the link below.

This petition is specifically a call to change the Pine-Richland Discipline Code to move "bullying/cyberbullying" from a Level 1 offense (the lowest level of offenses, for example: tardiness, hygiene issues, littering, and being unprepared for class) to a Level 2 or higher offense.

The objective is not to impose harsher penalties, but rather to ensure that all reports of bullying are referred to administrators and are documented in (confidential) school records. This will improve students' confidence that reports will be equitably handled.

Presently, the Pine-Richland Discipline Code has 4 levels of offenses. "Bullying/cyberbullying" are Level 1 offenses, described as "minor misbehaviors" typically handled by teaching staff. PROSPR Now has been made aware of staff bringing bullying reports to administrators but being told to handle it themselves.

Level 2, 3, and 4 offenses are incrementally more serious and require the intervention of an administrator who would investigate and document the incident.

Bullying is a serious form of misconduct which clearly aligns with Level 3’s description of “acts directed against persons or properties that could endanger the health or safety of those in the school.” According to the CDC, students who are bullied are more likely to experience low self-esteem and isolation, perform poorly in school, have few friends in school, and to experience mental health issues such as depression, suicidal thoughts and anxiety.

Bullying in K-12 schools is a pervasive problem nationwide. Studies show 20% of students are bullied every year, which equates to nearly 1,000 Pine-Richland students.

The placement of bullying as a Level 1 offense is unique to Pine-Richland. The discipline codes in both our neighboring Hampton and North Allegheny school districts classify bullying as a Level 2, 3, and 4 offense.

We can make no progress on addressing the pervasive bullying in our school district without correcting this glaring deficiency in the discipline code. Soon, the board and administration will consider revisions to the discipline code for the next school year. Now is the time to speak up.

We are asking you, our community, to stand up for students in Pine-Richland schools by adding your name to the petition and helping to spread the word. Please continue to report any issues regarding student safety at Pine-Richland to [email protected] or at www.prosprnow.org. Your confidentiality will be respected.

PROSPR Now (PRotect Our Students in Pine and Richland Now) is a volunteer family alliance focused on improving the safety of students in the district. The 501(c)(3) organization seeks to provide concerned parents with knowledge and support and work constructively with the district on issues of student safety.

https://www.change.org/p/improve-pine-richland-s-response-to-students-reports-of-bullying

Improve Pine-Richland's Response to Students' Reports of Bullying

10/05/2021

Information presented by PROSPR Now at the PR school board meeting tonight: Pine-Richland appears to be falsifying mandated student safety reporting to the state. See table posted below.
Under the Safe Schools Act, every school district must report to the Commonwealth, annually, the number of complaints received from students of over 50 different types of offenses including bullying, racial and ethnic harassment, sexual harassment, cyber bullying, and more.
Please take a moment to review the impossible numbers submitted by Pine-Richland over each of the last five years (summarized in the table posted below).
According to the information submitted by the school to the state, in the entire Pine-Richland school district, the total number of complaints filed by students alleging racial or ethnic harassment or intimidation over the last five years is: ONE.
The total number of complaints supposedly filed by all students in the last five years alleging sexual harassment or any form of sexual violence is: ZERO.
With over 4,500 students in six buildings, Pine-Richland claims the total number of bullying complaints received over five years is: ELEVEN. Four of the past five years show either zero or one complaint of bullying among all six buildings, all year.
Many years, my own family’s reports are more than these total district numbers. Numerous families have told PROSPR Now about incidents they reported to the school that went unaddressed, and those numbers are simply not in these mandated reports.
We are left to assume that the district reports only the complaints that they act upon, and that they cover up the rest.
It begs the question: whose reports are serious enough to make the cut to put in the official reporting to the state, the feds, and the local tax-paying community? Students targeted by racial and ethnic harassment apparently don’t count. Students hurt by r**e, sexual assault, and sexual harassment apparently don’t count. Whose voices are they listening to, whose are ignored, and why are they covering up complaints?
At the meeting tonight, PROSPR Now urged every one of our school directors to demand that every single complaint made to the district of an act affecting student safety in the last five years, be divulged to the board immediately and that the board conduct its own investigation into the district’s failure to respond to or report these complaints. School board directors are our elected representatives and they need to stop trusting what the administration is telling them and get to the bottom of this. I urge each of you to reach out (politely) to the school board directors through their PR emails and let them know that you expect and deserve answers.
Please continue to report any issues regarding student safety to [email protected] or at www.prosprnow.org, your confidentiality will be respected.

08/11/2021

We encourage all community members to send an email to the board directors. Please communicate to them only through their Pine-Richland email addresses and in a civil tone; do not contact them personally or harass them in any way. We recommend that you express your opinion of the allegations presented and what occurred Monday and what you would like to see done. If you agree with our position, we recommend that you call for convening a hearing for Superintendent Miller and Assistant Superintendent Pasquinelli and ask all board directors --except for Ms. Hayden who was only recently appointed -- to submit their resignations.

The Pine-Richland email addresses of the nine board directors, also available on the Pine-Richland website, are:

[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

08/11/2021

As observed at the Monday August 2 board meeting and the news coverage in the links below, PROSPSR Now is in contact with numerous families -- beyond those who spoke at the board meeting -- who have informed us of experiences that indicate a pattern of district behavior that trivializes sexual assault, intimidates victims from coming forward, and retaliates against them if they do. The district’s disgraceful treatment of Ana Baxter during her statement at Monday’s board meeting succinctly and publicly validated these claims.

Our prior personal attempts over the last two and a half years to effect change under this district’s leadership to improve the safety and protection of the students in general, and specifically related to allegations of sexual misconduct, were repeatedly met with ignorance and defiance.

Therefore, the position of PROSPR Now is that the only way to guarantee the safety of the children is through complete, immediate change of the district’s leadership. PROSPR Now has called for the board directors to immediately convene a hearing and take a majority vote to remove Superintendent Miller and Assistant Superintendent Pasquinelli, as per Pennsylvania Act 14, section 514, for “incompetency” and “neglect of duty.” We are also calling for all board directors -- except for Ms. Hayden who was only recently appointed -- to submit their resignations, as these events occurred under their watch.

We will file a petition with the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, per Pennsylvania Act 14 Section 318, for the removal of any board member who does not voluntarily resign, for “neglect of duty.” Any board member may contest the petition against them before a judge, to be followed later by a public hearing.

We will pursue every action authorized by law to effect a complete transition, so that our community can begin to heal and the district can chart a new path forward that prioritizes the safety of the students.

See the links below and PROSPR Now’s closing statement from the last board meeting to clarify the many paths we are taking to put an end to this – immediately.

The links below summarize what happened at last Monday's board meeting:

The 3-minute video of the district attempting to intimidate and prevent Ana Baxter from speaking of how she was sexually assaulted in the high school building and the district refused to investigate, with captions because the district intentionally muted the microphones during that exchange:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HWI5tq0DkA

Some of the many news stories:

https://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/group-says-pine-richland-not-taking-claims-sex-assault-seriously-board-meeting/GNGQCVX4GNHLJBRGBWJF5IN6UI/
https://triblive.com/local/group-organized-to-urge-victims-of-sexual-harassment-assault-at-pine-richland-to-come-forward/
https://www.wesa.fm/education/2021-08-03/parents-form-alliance-to-challenge-pine-richland-over-handling-of-sexual-assault-allegations

Watch the entire public comment period prior to the board meeting, to see all of the speakers relating how the district has on many occasions improperly managed allegations of sexual assault (approximately 30 minutes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXfDtg7FB1s

PROSPR Now’s closing statement from the August 2 board meeting:

Tonight we’ve heard of failures responding to allegations of sexual assault, and of unlawful delay in reporting to law enforcement suspicion that the girls basketball coach at that time was in an improper relationship with a student.

Numerous other families have informed PROSPR Now of similar experiences, suggesting to us a pattern of district behavior that trivializes sexual assault, intimidates victims from coming forward, and retaliates against them if they do. We now ask the community to email [email protected] or go to prosprnow.org to report if you were not satisfied with the district’s response to a complaint of any form of student safety. Or if a child intentionally did not report an incident, please tell us why.

We intend to gather these reports to submit what we find to the proper authorities for investigation, including:

First: To the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Office of Chief Counsel, empowered with investigating and prosecuting misconduct complaints that may violate its Code for Professional Conduct for Educators, including Administrators. Sanctions may include suspension or revocation of one’s certification.

Second: To the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, we will invoke Pennsylvania Act 14, Section 318: allowing for ten residents of a school district to file a petition for the removal of any School Board Director for “neglect of duty.” Except for Ms. Hayden, we intend to petition for the removal of every Pine-Richland board director because of what has occurred under their watch. Each board director may contest their removal at a hearing, open to the public and the media.

Third: To law enforcement: to investigate possible violations of at least five Pennsylvania criminal statutes:
- First, The Child Protective Services Law, for which it is a criminal offense to violate mandatory reporting laws
- Also under the Child Protective Services Law: Child Abuse and Neglect
- Also, Criminal Code Section 4304: Child Endangerment
Section 2705: Reckless Endangerment of Another Person
- And Section 4952: Intimidation of Witnesses or Victims
- Finally, to the FBI: for possible violation of the Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act

To move the District forward with a clean slate, we ask for:
Doctors Miller and Pasquinelli: submit their resignations by August 16th.

If they do not, we ask the board to immediately conduct a hearing and take a majority vote to remove them, as per PA Act 14, section 514, for “incompetency” or “neglect of duty,” for what has happened under their watch.

Finally, we call on all board members except Ms. Hayden to submit their resignations by August 31st. PA Act 14, Section 316 outlines filling the vacancies of a majority of school board directors.

Pine-Richland School Board planning meeting from August 2, 2021.PRTV Production Group

08/04/2021

Pine-Richland tried to silence Ana Baxter at the school board meeting by intimidating her, and muting the microphones so those listening from home could not hear the district try to shut her down. See the 3 minute video of this interaction with full audio here:

Recent graduate refuses to be intimidated or silenced at school board meeting from reporting that Pine-Richland School District responded inadequately to rap...

08/03/2021

PROSPR Now presented several speakers at the school board meeting tonight addressing student safety issues, particularly the district’s inadequate responses to allegations of sexual assault. We now ask the community to email [email protected] or go to www.prosprnow.org to tell us if your family reported to PRSD any complaint of student safety: sexual or racial harassment, sexual misconduct, bullying, hazing, violence, or intimidation AND you were not satisfied with the district’s response.
Or if you/your child intentionally did not report an incident, please tell us why.
We intend to gather these reports and submit evidence to authorities that investigate allegations of misconduct and determine sanctions for PA educators, school board directors, and lawyers. We also intend to submit to law enforcement to investigate potential violations of multiple criminal statutes by district personnel.
Or you can send an anonymous letter to PROSPR Now, PO Box 206, Gibsonia, PA 15044.

What We Are Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.