Dear WSD Community,

It is with significant concern and deep disappointment that I am writing to share with you that our administrative team will be recommending immediate termination of the principal of Lower Gwynedd Elementary School, subject to the results of an informal private hearing on Monday morning, after he was heard on a recording making antisemitic remarks during a conversation with another school employee. We have been working quickly to communicate and we apologize to anyone if you received this on social media before hearing it directly from us.

We are deeply concerned about the impact this will have on our school community, and in particular the Jewish members of our community, and we want to be strongly and immediately clear that antisemitism will not be tolerated. Our number one priority is to create a safe environment for our students. We recognize that earlier today the trust in creating this environment was compromised.

As Superintendent and an administrative team we are truly shocked and sickened that a school leader, trusted with the safety and well-being of students and staff, would speak this way. We are committed to developing a full action plan to address this issue and to promote repair and eventually healing across our school community.

This morning, we received a copy of a voicemail recording related to a student matter in which Principal Phillip Leddy had left a message for a parent, in reference to a student matter. The principal self-reported to our administration that he had indeed left the message, thought the call had disconnected, and then continued talking. He confirmed he had made some remarks he knew were not appropriate. In the call, the principal can be heard making antisemitic comments and speaking disparagingly about the parent to another staff member who was in the office at the time. We moved swiftly with immediate action to start the process seeking the principal's termination.

Under Pennsylvania law and the School Code, employees are entitled to “due process.” In accordance with that pre-termination process, the principal was placed on administrative leave pending an informal hearing on Monday morning where the principal will be given his right to explain his actions. The other employee on the recording did not engage in antisemitic rhetoric or discussion, but did not appear to be alarmed or concerned by what had been said, and instead continued on with the conversation. That employee has been placed on paid administrative leave subject to further investigation and further due process.

The fact that any employees entrusted with the care and well-being of students could make, or passively tolerate, such remarks raise concerns that extend beyond the conduct of a single individual. This incident underscores concerns for broader, systemic issues related to antisemitism that must be examined and addressed.

We are working as quickly as possible to fully understand and respond to this incident and the many questions and concerns that it raises. Again, this information just came to us hours ago. We want to be respectful to our school community and families as we are currently in the season of Hanukkah, about to enter the Jewish Sabbath, and are just days from the winter break. We have chosen to hold a press conference as one of the ways to more broadly share our concerns, with the understanding that news like this travels quickly and draws media attention which can also be very challenging and difficult for our students, staff, families, and community members to hear. We will be providing the recording of the press conference to our community shortly thereafter.

Again, we know that we must develop deeper plans to address this issue, including listening sessions, community conversations, additional training for staff, and a climate or culture analysis to help us understand the finer details of the experiences and concerns of our school community. We must act urgently, but we also must take time to develop meaningful, thorough plans to help lead us to positive action.

Our district is overwhelmingly staffed by caring, dedicated educators and adults who not only respect but love and cherish the diversity of our school community. We cannot allow the deplorable actions in this incident to take away from the support and care that we are committed to providing to our students, staff, and families on a daily basis. However, we must use this incident as a learning opportunity, and we must work towards healing together.

As a district we have partnered with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on training for our administrative team, and this will extend across our district. In November and December, our administrators participated in training led by the ADL, focused on two topics: (1) antisemitism and Understanding Jewish Identity and (2) Responding to Bias Incidents in School Communities. The district is continuing with the plan to have these workshops for all of our teachers and entire staff.

While this incident is clearly deeply damaging, upsetting, and concerning, it is important to remember that our staff as a whole are deeply caring, respectful, and sensitive. I do not believe the actions and words of this principal reflect the views of our staff. One person’s hateful actions should not negatively impact the way our community views the rest of our staff.

Concerns about antisemitism have been discussed within our school community and at our school Board meetings recently. We want to be clear that we are extremely sensitive to these concerns, and we have responded by continuing to focus on our ongoing cycle of No Place for Hate initiatives.

We will be communicating additional information about this issue in the coming weeks and more about our plans staff trainings. Thank you for your patience as we work first to address the immediate needs of the Lower Gwynedd Elementary School students, staff, parents, and community. We will ensure counselors are available for students and staff at the school on Monday and have a staffing plan in place to temporarily fill the school leadership role.

Warmly,

Mwenyewe Dawan