Crawford Central and PENNCREST Schools added to Moms for Liberty list
All of the schools in Crawford Central and PENNCREST school districts were included in the latest list of schools exempt from updated federal Title IX regulations that went into effect last month.
As a result, a planned Crawford Central School Board vote on revised discrimination and sexual harassment policies is on hold and PENNCREST School Board won’t be considering similar changes.
After the Biden administration finalized its new Title IX interpretation in April, numerous lawsuits, including from nearly all state attorneys general in Republican-led states, were filed to prevent the Aug. 1 implementation of the rules.
Jenn Galdon, superintendent of Crawford Central, learned of the development Thursday and updated the district’s eight principals.
“Basically, our Title IX regulations that will have to be followed are the 2020 regulations and grievance procedures until further notice,” Galdon said Friday.
Last week, Crawford Central board members considered the first reading of revised versions of policies on discrimination and harassment affecting both students and teachers. Typically, the board would vote on a second reading of the policy revisions this month. Galdon said the agenda for the board’s September meeting has not yet been set.
Had PENNCREST schools not been added to the exempt list, the district “absolutely would have looked at” revising the policies soon, according to Superintendent Shawn Ford. PENNCREST board members will consider first readings of 19 other policies when they meet today at the central office in Saegertown for the monthly work session.
Like Crawford Central, PENNCREST will keep current policies on discrimination and harassment in place.
“The injunction allows us basically to continue to operate under our policies that have already been developed from input from the local community — they reflect district values and our needs,” Ford said. “We’re still committed to providing a safe, inclusive learning environment for all students. We are still not going to allow discrimination and harassment, and that’s already in the current policy, so we are just going to continue to operate as this plays out legally.”
A suit filed with the U.S District Court for the Kansas District by several states, a student and three organizations — Moms for Liberty, Young America’s Foundation and Female Athletes United — led to a July injunction that prevented the new rules from taking effect in schools attended by children of Moms for Liberty members across the country.