New Superintendent Steven Yanni sent his first official email to Central Bucks School District parents on Thursday.
Yanni took over his new role July 1, just six weeks after the board unanimously approved his five-year contract to replace Abram Lucabaugh, who left in November. Yanni’s email to parents addressed many of the issues Lucabaugh and interim Superintendent James Scanlon had faced over the past year.
What the Central Bucks Superintendent’s Email Says
Yanni wrote that he was aware of “current issues affecting education,” including social media and “world affairs.”
Social media and international affairs have become hot topics at school board meetings since last spring, after parents accused a student group of posting an anti-Semitic and politically inappropriate message on its Instagram page, and the group’s advisor, a Spanish teacher, was accused of encouraging students to follow his company’s Instagram account, which contained posts that some parents considered anti-Semitic. The administration investigated and found that the teacher did not violate existing policies.
The school board is currently reviewing at least four policies related to the controversy, according to notes from the May policy committee meeting, including two related to social media.
More: Hurtful social media posts and actions within CBSD student clubs lead to policy changes
Yanni said in his email that “media and public attention” can “exacerbate emotions and discord.”
Central Bucks has made national news in recent years due to contentious school board meetings over policies affecting COVID measures, library books and queer students.
The district is currently the subject of eight Title IX investigations by the Office for Civil Rights. Most school districts in Bucks County are not subject to any investigations by the Office for Civil Rights.
In his email, the superintendent described himself as a “unifier,” a term he also used at a community forum in May. “Central Bucks’ journey — the challenges it has faced and the challenges it will face — offers us an opportunity to come together stronger than ever,” he wrote.
Yanni also highlighted recently approved changes in the district he will now oversee, including grade realignment and full-day kindergarten, both slated to launch in 2026.
More: Central Bucks are set to hire a new superintendent. Here’s a look at the proposed contract
This article was originally published on Bucks County Courier Times: New Central Bucks superintendent emails parents
