New school principal Steven Yanni sent his first official email to parents in the Central Bucks School District on Thursday.
Yanni started his new job on 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 the acting superintendent, James Scanlon, had faced over the past year.
What the Central Bucks Superintendent's Email Said
Yanni wrote that he is aware of “current issues affecting education,” including social media and “global affairs.”
Social media and global affairs have been hot topics at school board meetings since last spring, after some parents accused a student group of posting an anti-Semitic and inappropriate political post on its Instagram page, and the group’s adviser, a Spanish teacher, was accused of encouraging students to follow his business’s Instagram account, which contained posts that some parents viewed as anti-Semitic. The administration investigated and found that the teacher had not violated any existing policies.
According to notes from the policy committee meeting in May, the school board is currently reviewing at least four policies related to the controversy, including two related to social media.
More: Offensive posts on social media and actions by CBSD student clubs lead to policy changes
Yanni wrote in his email that “the media and public interest” can “inflame emotions and division.”
Central Bucks has been in the national news in recent years for controversial school board meetings over policies regarding COVID-19, library books and gay 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 OCR investigations.
The superintendent called himself a “unifier” in the email, a term he also used at a community forum in May. “Central Bucks' journey — the challenges we face and the challenges that lie ahead — presents an opportunity for us to come together stronger than ever,” he wrote.
Yanni also highlighted recently approved changes in the district that he will now oversee, including grade level reconfiguration and full-day kindergarten, both of which will begin in 2026.
More: Central Bucks is about to hire a new superintendent. Here's a look at the proposed contract
This article originally appeared in the Bucks County Courier Times: New Central Bucks School Principal Sends Emails to Parents
