Superintendent Withdraws Graduation Credit Plan

Skeptical school board members and strong teacher opposition led superintendent Dr. Sandra Fellin to withdraw a proposed graduation credit plan during the Saucon Valley School Board meeting Nov. 13.

The majority of concerns among board members and teachers were related to the plan's decrease in mandatory credits for graduation in core subjects such as English, mathematics, social studies and the sciences.

Referring to the proposed decrease in the number of mandatory social studies courses, board member Bryan Eichfeld said "we need citizens coming out of here knowing what this country is about and what's going on."

The criticism of the plan was multi-faceted, however, even ranging to what board member Lanita Lum described as the possibility of "manipulated data" used to pitch the idea.

Board members Ralph Puerta and Edward Inghrim supported Fellin and the due process required to conceive such an idea.

"It's one thing to question the content," said Puerta, "but it is an entirely different matter to challenge the motivations of administrators. These are professionals."

"I don't feel qualified to dictate how the courses should be offered," added Inghrim. "I trust the people who have done the research and I'm not going to vote against them."

Following 45 minutes of discourse, Fellin passionately addressed the subject for the first time in the meeting.

"Never in all my years has a simple request gotten this distorted and emotional," said Fellin. "I withdraw this proposal."

It remains to be seen if this plan will be revisited in the future.