East Penn board keeps federal McKinney-Vento wording amid concerns over 'trailer park' phrasing

At its Jan. 22 meeting the East Penn School District Board heard a second reading of several policy updates and debated whether to alter language drawn from federal and state law.

Administration reviewed proposed changes to policies including 216.1 (records/disciplinary record transfer), 251 (students experiencing educational instability) and 819 (conference of prevention/response language). The presenter said portions of the policy text mirror Pennsylvania code, State Board of Education regulations and federal law and recommended keeping exact language when it is statutory or regulatory.

Several board members pressed for clarity in Policy 251, which incorporates language from the federal McKinney-Vento Act about students experiencing educational instability. Dr. Whitney asked whether the professional-development language in the policy is already being delivered; administration and a home-school visitor confirmed that the district currently provides training and that the home-school visitor covers certain staff-related registration and outreach responsibilities.

Board member Ms. Klotz raised concern about use of the phrase "trailer park," saying it may feel outdated; Mr. Fisher (administration/counsel) replied that the wording is taken verbatim from the federal statute and recommended against changing it to avoid potential audit or compliance issues. A request to add a footnote was declined.

After discussion the board was told the policies will move forward to a third reading, with the administration keeping the statutory language intact for the upcoming reading.