Columbia Borough School Board adopts resolution on racism

From the Columbia Borough School District Board of Directors:

SCHOOL BOARD RESOLUTION ON RACISM

SCHOOL BOARD COMMITMENT TO EQUITY AND ANTI-RACISM

The recent incidents of violence against Black Americans highlight the systemic bias and institutional racism in our society that has senselessly and atrociously devastated so many Black lives throughout our country’s history. As school board members we are committed to actively interrupting systemic racism and eliminating inequities in our education system and therefore are compelled to speak out.

Our community’s and nation’s future requires that this systemic bias and institutional racism be dismantled, to promote equity, and ensure ALL children and families are able to thrive;

OUR DISTRICT IS COMMITTED TO PROMOTING EQUITY WITHIN AND ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS;

Education is a key lever for creating this more equitable and anti-racist community, nation, and world. This will be a collaborative partnership with students, families, staff, and community stakeholders;

In moving from planning to action, our district is committed to drawing on the perspective and feedback from the collection of diverse voices in our community. As a school board and district, we value each and every student, family, and staff member and are committed to creating an equitable and an anti-racist system that honors and elevates all.

The Columbia Borough School District Board of School Directors stands in solidarity with the Black community in our schools, district, and nation to condemn this violence. We see it, we hear it, and we are committed to changing the system.

The Columbia Borough School District Board of School Directors commits to its own work as individuals and our collective work overseeing the district in continuing to become equitable and anti-racist in behaviors, actions, and policies; and commits to working with our local government agencies to strengthen the collective work of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our community.

The Columbia Borough School District Board of School Directors commits to holding diversity, equity, and inclusion at the center of this work.

Fresh Express is back this Friday, June 26, 3:30-5:30 pm at Columbia High School and Park Elementary

It’s Fresh Express Week!!

Fresh Express is back this Friday, June 26 from 3:30-5:30pm at Columbia High School for those with transportation and at the Park Elementary School lobby for those on foot.

Both locations are while supplies last.

Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health has partnered with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Columbia Borough School District, Columbia Life Network, Community Action Partnership and Hunger-Free Lancaster County to bring Fresh Express, a mobile food pantry filled with fresh produce and healthy food options, to Columbia, Pennsylvania.

Nearly $150,000 Missing From Police Safe Shows Why Civil Forfeiture Is Fundamentally Flawed

Who took $150,000 in cash out of a Lancaster County Drug Task Force safe? That is a question that the Attorney General of Pennsylvania will now consider after Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams recently revealed that the money was missing.

MORE:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/instituteforjustice/2020/06/04/nearly-150000-missing-from-police-safe-shows-why-civil-forfeiture-is-fundamentally-flawed/ 

About Town 6/21/2020

This week’s photos of Columbia

On the road to East Prospect
And reiterated in Columbia
Biden for president
Stoltzfus for delegate
(Not an endorsement)
West Hempfield officers emerging from Fine Wine & Good Spirits

 Many departments gathered at Columbia Crossing on Wednesday.

Stover’s was hit again on Sunday morning, June 21.

 Closed for the season

 Wire spools being removed from atop Park Elementary Friday morning.

 Here’s a closer look.

 Work continues at the Market House.

 New street signs?

 This flag is hanging at a house on the 200 block of South 8th street. It’s accompanied by the Mission 22 flag shown below.

According to the Mission 22 website the organization is “dedicated to healing America’s veterans when they need it most — right now. We offer treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury, substance abuse and all of the issues veterans are facing today.”

 It’s that time.

Ivied wall at Lloyd Mifflin’s house

 Master of the alleyway

 Free!

HARB approved signs/brackets for Columbia Life Network and Cooper’s Comics (shown below). Both are in Columbia’s historic district. Some business owners in the historic district skate around HARB with impunity.

Pink flamingo at Geltz Gotz Goodeze

Outside seating at Coffee & Cream

There’s never a shortage of customers (shown here and below).

Garden guides Blue and Petunia at Park School

Blue and Petunia went indoors, but below are several photos of the garden:
Here are some flowers at a grave in Mount Bethel.

Sign for a defunct business

 At the former Shawnee Fire Company

 Ready for some serious sweeping –
Some things in Columbia Borough get swept under the rug.

Always use your head in whatever fashion you see fit . . .

Just be careful when doing so.

Killdeer keeping an eye on things

Under the Veterans Memorial Bridge

A crew of four from Pickering, Corts & Summerson (PCS) inspected the bridge.

A diver appeared to be doing underwater inspections of the bridge piers.

According to their website: “Pickering, Corts & Summerson (PCS) delivers award winning multi-discipline civil engineering services from our four office locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.”
 Smith’s deck is open.
 The weeds are gone. Now if only the litter could go, too.
Mailbox of Bret Greenberg DVM and Associates, Companion Animal Clinic on South 16th Street
An easy chair on Locust for sittin’ out 
Floyd Landis passed a car carrier at the turn at 2nd & Bridge to take the lead.

And last but not least, a comment to Columbia Spy from a reader in Ephrata:

I went to Columbia today and took a friend to support the small businesses who have been so hard hit for the last 3 months and ran into your “meter freaks”…. I have heard how these meter people literally jump on a car the minute the time expires…. well – I just received your $10 “Welcome to Columbia” for the sake of 3 minutes. Not like I was gone for an hour and a half on my quarter…… I guess you don’t want people coming to shop in your town and to help it flourish….. I won’t be back.

Columbia school board selects IU13 to conduct superintendent search despite backlash

The Columbia Borough school board chose the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 to conduct the search for a new superintendent, despite continued calls from the community to retain current Superintendent Tom Strickler.

The intermediate unit, one of three options the board considered during Thursday night’s four-hour virtual school board meeting, will search for Strickler’s replacement at no cost. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association would have cost $5,000, and Templeton Advantage would have cost $9,800.

MORE:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-selects-iu13-to-conduct-superintendent-search-despite-continued-community-backlash/article_ee12ad10-b1cb-11ea-a968-ab17ad59c828.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share