Perkiomen Valley survey finds high overall safety perceptions but flags bullying, curriculum representation and staff training as growth areas

Perkiomen Valley School District officials told the school board that a winter climate survey found widespread perceptions of safety across stakeholder groups but identified several areas needing attention.

Dr. Champagne Lee, who presented the results, said about 1,500 parents, roughly 1,000 middle‑ and high‑school students each, about 638 elementary respondents (grades 4–5) and roughly 300 staff members participated in the two‑week survey window. "When we looked at the survey data for each of our groups ... there was a high percentage of people in each of those groups who feel a sense of safety," she said, summarizing the executive findings.

Yet the survey also flagged consistent growth areas. Among secondary students, Dr. Lee reported that roughly 20% said they had been bullied and 55% said they had observed bullying; parents reported worry about violence (48% of participating parents) and 33% said their child had been bullied. The presentation also showed fewer than 70% of students and staff agreed that instructional resources reflect the cultures and identities of the district’s students.

Board member Joe Sailor pressed the team on apparent contradictions in the data — for example, high overall safety percentages alongside sizable shares of parents who said they worry about violence. Dr. Lee responded that some questions came from different validated instruments and that the district planned to disaggregate the data and couple survey results with other information to better understand contextual drivers. "I feel that my daughter is safe at school, but I often worry about violence because I turn on the news," she said, explaining why respondents might answer apparently conflicting items that way.

The presentation included preliminary recommendations: form a committee to unpack the data and produce concrete steps for each growth area, investigate morale and workplace culture, expand professional learning focused on supports for students with IEPs and English‑learner needs, continue or expand PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) and restorative practices, and diversify curriculum and instructional resources to better reflect student identities.

Board members asked for more disaggregation by respondent type (for example, building‑level staff versus district office employees) and for participation‑rate context; the administration agreed to provide response‑rate denominators and further breakdowns to the soon‑to‑be‑formed committee. The Board did not take formal action at the meeting but invited members to join the committee and directed administration to return with more detailed analyses.