All Central Bucks kids deserve a high-quality inclusive education that empowers them to realize their highest potential.
We are deeply concerned about organized national movements that use fear to divide us on important issues in education while dismissing and delegitimizing the very people we count on to carry out the task of educating our kids—professional teachers and librarians and research supported best practices in education.
The Central Bucks community is better than this. We call on our leadership to remove the barriers to our children’s success and happiness and get back to the important work of educating them.
AFIE Position Papers
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Books in School and Classroom Libraries
All students must be able to find books in the library that contain characters to which they can relate: characters that look like them, talk like them, and face issues they have faced.
Trained, certified school librarians connect students with the right book at the right time. These librarians carefully select age-appropriate resources for the school library collection that meet the academic and literacy needs of all their students.
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Freedom to Learn
Teaching must allow for the discussion and study of age-appropriate political, social, and cultural issues as they arise without fear of retribution. Policies aimed at “neutrality” and “balance” with strict adherence to curriculum on certain topics chill teachers’ ability to foster deeper learning opportunities.
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Public Education and Democracy
Public community schools are cornerstones of democracy. We want to see our schools become the best they can be to serve every single solitary child, mentoring each to their highest potential. We resist anti-democratic censorship movements. We defend intellectual freedom, free expression, and cultural representation.
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Inclusive Schools
Every student comes to school to learn. Research shows that academic learning is only possible when the student feels a sense of safety, belonging, and intrinsic worth.
We must restore safe learning environments by allowing employees to post in their classrooms, offices, or halls a rainbow flag or other sign of support for LGBTQ students or staff.
We must uphold students’ right to use their requested names and pronouns. Establish a comprehensive school policy that carefully balances both the protection of a student's right to privacy in instances where they express concern for their safety and encourages parental input when the student consents.
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Dignity & Worth of ALL Students
We want to see all kids feel sufficiently safe in their classrooms that they can learn. We want all children, from all backgrounds, of all identities, to know that their teacher welcomes them and wants to see them flourish academically.
This conveys neither approval nor encouragement—merely acceptance and adherence to best practices.
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Civics & Social Studies Education
There is emerging evidence suggesting a correlation between high quality civic learning programs and increased civic engagement from students. As the 2011 Guardian of Democracy: The Civic Mission of Schools report highlights, students who receive high quality civic education are more likely to “understand public issues, view political engagement as a means of addressing communal challenges, and participate in civic activities.”
