Abington School District

The Board shares the community’s shock and anguish over the news that a 25-year-old man gained entry twice to ASHS and is now charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old ASHS student—a daughter, a friend, a child of our community. Those shared feelings, however, are not enough to meet this moment. As school board directors, we occupy these seats to articulate policy and conduct oversight. At the 6/23 meeting Dr. Fecher announced that at his instruction, the District has initiated a third-party investigation of ASHS’s security measures and protocols. That investigation is a critical first step. However, because that investigation focuses on particular incidents, it may not necessarily reveal underlying attitudes and concerns about student safety among administrators, staff, and students. In recognition of our oversight responsibility, therefore, the Board will work with Dr. Fecher to augment the safety investigation with a third-party audit of ASHS culture around questions of student safety. The Board will be monitoring the progress of both the investigation and the audit over the course of the summer and hope to have further information to share with the community at a Board meeting early in the school year.