Published Wednesday, January 8, 2003
is critical
of WhEAT
is being questioned
Herald Staff Writer
Some Farrell council members have offered their support of Farrell Area School District in the wake of a group of Wheatland residents trying to leave the school district.
Wheatland's Educational Alternatives Taskforce has filed a petition in Mercer County Common Pleas Court seeking to have the borough become part of West Middlesex Area School District.
Councilman Louis Falconi, who teaches American government and U.S. history at Farrell High School, said he was upset at WhEAT's contention that students in West Middlesex "are not exposed to teenage pregnancy and parenting, drug use, gang activity, and other social problems to the extent students" in Farrell are.
Falconi said that while no school is immune to such problems, "There is no gang activity at that school and little drug activity," he said at Monday's council meeting.
Falconi said the assertion about social problems is "embarrassing" to Wheatland students. He said some of the Wheatland students he has talked to do not agree with WhEAT.
Falconi said Wheatland officials, particularly Southwest Mercer County Regional Police Commission members Mayor Thomas Stanton and Councilman George Keryan, should respond to WhEAT's comments on criminal activity.
Stanton and Keryan could not be reached for comment.
WhEAT also argued that West Middlesex provides a quality education that better motivates students and makes them goal-oriented, is more responsive to the needs and concerns of parents, and has better discipline and behavioral standards.
Farrell Mayor William Morocco said he believes the reasons listed in WhEAT's petition are a smoke screen.
"I think it's a case of trying to play some other issues in order not to say the real one," he said.
Morocco, a retired Farrell teacher, said he agreed with school board member Michael Wright's statement in a recent letter to the editor of The Herald that WhEAT's motivation was "a choice of colors," implying that the white members of WhEAT do not want Wheatland children attending Farrell, where a majority of students are black.
Accusations of racism have dogged WhEAT since the beginning, and members have consistently denied that race was ever a motivation for wanting to leave Farrell.
At its town meetings, WhEAT would read a policy stating it does not want to discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, age, sex, religion, political affiliation, national origin or disability.
Joann Jofery, the attorney hired by WhEAT, said Tuesday she would not comment without talking to her clients.
Stephanie Pacora, who worked with WhEAT but is having second thoughts about the secession movement, said race was never a consideration in her effort. She said she has a black family member and her daughter plays with black children.
"I've never really heard it discussed" by WhEAT members, she said of race.