Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 159, No. 4
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
$1.50
Rizzo Saunders reports on KCSD entry plan By Chris Barber Contributing Writer Kennett Consolidated School District Superintendent Kimberly Rizzo Saunders reported to her board on the information she gathered from her entry plan findings. She conducted a widespread survey in the first two months following her arrival at Kennett, and she revealed the results at the board's Jan. 13 meeting.
INSIDE
Rizzo Saunders prefaced the report items with how the information was gathered and collated. Rizzo Saunders said that she listened to and conducted interviews with local leaders, four former superintendents, teachers, stakeholders (taxpayers), administrators and students. She also emphasized how important it was for her to find out what the expectations were from her new community.
“I made a promise to listen to all of the stakeholders. …Listening will remain an essential theme of my leadership,” she said. Rizzo Saunders called her results a “call to action.” Upon her arrival last summer, she shared that she chose to come to Kennett because it has a tradition of excellence, strong support from the community, resilience and fiscal responsibility. Building on those percep-
tions, she proceeded with her lengthy report at the board meeting. Rizzo Saunders separated her information into three categories: Strengths, Challenges and Opportunities. On the subject of strengths, she reiterated the cooperation and service of community organizations. Many interviewed said they were pleased with the extra-curricular activities, even beyond the sports. A
large number said they were especially pleased with Mary D. Lang Kindergarten School because it succeeded in presenting a critical first step in the children’s education and was a “model of best practices.” There was a general positive liking and trusting of the school faculty and administration. On the subject of challenges, Rizzo Saunders spent time talking about
File photo
Continued on Page 2A
Kimberly Rizzo Saunders
Oxford Area School Board hears from Lincoln University students Speakers respond to ‘silent majority of keyboard warriors’ critical of university’s temporary use of Oxford Area High School’s gymnasium By Gabbie Burton Contributing Writer
The Oxford Area School Board had a busy night on Inspirational MLK events in Jan. 14 with a work session the area...3A and three committee meetings that covered nearly all the hot-button issues facing the board. A highlight of the meeting included a segment when the Facilities and Safety Committee heard public comments from Lincoln University students regard-
ing the online backlash the university has received from the community about its basketball teams’ temporary use of the high school’s gymnasium. Their comments came on the heels of the Oxford School Board’s 6-3 vote on Nov. 26 to approve the HBCU’s basketball teams to use the high school Photo by Gabbie Burton gym while the university’s Several Lincoln University students attended the Jan. 14 Oxford Area School Board gymnasium undergoes meeting to address the community criticism about the university’s temporary use renovations. The decision of the high school’s gymnasium while the gymnasium at Lincoln University is Continued on Page 2A
being refurbished.
FROM OUR LENS
Enjoy winter wonders at Longwood Gardens...1B
In service of others
Kennett Township shares 2024 highlights at board meeting
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By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Three second-grade classmates created signage for Young Moms, Inc. as part of the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District’s Day of Service on Jan. 20, in commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The event drew nearly 200 students, parents, teachers and administrators from Chadds Ford, Hillendale, Pocopson and Unionville elementary schools. For a complete story and additional photos, see Page 1B.
Dobbins also listed the passage of key ordinances and resolutions the township made in 2024 that included the adoption of the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Plan in March; the adoption of resolutions that have streamlined the township’s committee structure; the establishment of the Medal of Merit; the financial Continued on Page 2A
Legal vs. Accessible: Pa. women facing barriers in reproductive healthcare By Gabbie Burton Contributing Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
As Dr. Richard Leff and Patricia Muller tucked into their first full meeting as board chairman and vice chairperson of the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors meeting on Jan. 15, they heard township Manager Alison Dobbins and department heads list a series of highlights from 2024 that ranged from new projects to a clean financial audit for 2023. In her administrative report, Dobbins listed the following accomplishments the township made in 2024: • An historic marker dedication was made at the Brandywine Battlefield • The completion and
dedication of the Kennett Greenway on Chandler Mill Road • Supporting the efforts of local organizations to obtain funding for interior renovations to the Fussell House and • The township’s Finance Department accomplished a clean 2023 compliant audit
For many in Chester County, going to the doctor is simple and easy. You have insurance, you make an appointment, and you go to the doctor. But wait. This time, your insurance can’t be accepted for your procedure. The only office isn’t anywhere nearby and when you do finally get there, you are sent home to wait a full day to receive
the care you asked for. You are counseled on information you didn’t want or ask for. This is the current reality for some women who seek to terminate their pregnancies in southern Chester County and across Pennsylvania. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in the summer of 2022, states across the nation have restricted or banned abortions entirely. While Pennsylvania is not one of them and access to
abortion remains legal in the state, there are restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period; parental, guardian or judicial consent if the pregnant person is a minor; a 24-week gestational limit; insurance limitations and mandatory counseling. Continued on Page 4A
Courtesy photo
LCH’s Women’s Health Center in Jennersville provides women with several reproductive services.