Tensions escalated Thursday morning when Gillingham Charter School was denied entry to the annual College Fair hosted by the Pottsville Area School District for member schools of Intermediate Unit 29 (IU 29).
The event, held at Martz Hall, brought together students from IU 29-affiliated schools to interact with college representatives. However, the incident turned controversial when Gillingham Charter School—initially invited but later uninvited—arrived unannounced and was refused access to the event.
Gillingham Denied Entry
Gillingham Charter School, located in Pottsville but not a member of IU 29, was originally included in the invitation sent to all public schools in Schuylkill County. According to Gillingham officials, the school promptly signed up, only to be informed later that the invite was a mistake, as the event was limited to IU 29 schools.
Despite acknowledging the disinvitation, Gillingham staff and students, backed by legal advice, decided to attend the event, citing their rights as public school students in Schuylkill County. Upon arrival, they were blocked from entering the fair. According to Gillingham’s statement, Superintendent Dr. Sarah Yoder of the Pottsville Area School District attempted to physically remove a Gillingham staff member, which the school claims is evidence of discrimination against their students.
Parent and Student Accounts
According to a statement from a Gillingham parent, police were called to de-escalate the situation. An agreement was reached allowing Gillingham students to attend, but only under strict conditions—they had to leave their phones behind, and when they entered, they were prevented from engaging with college representatives. The parent alleges that Dr. Yoder instructed vendors and other students to sit in the bleachers, isolating Gillingham students from the event.
One Gillingham student allegedly attempted to ask a vendor a question, only to be stopped by Dr. Yoder, further fueling accusations of discriminatory treatment. Gillingham’s supporters have expressed outrage over the exclusion, stating that their students were denied the same opportunities provided to other county students.
Pottsville School District’s Response
In a detailed statement, the Pottsville Area School District defended its decision to deny Gillingham access, stating that the College Fair is an annual event reserved for IU 29 member districts. The district described Gillingham’s actions as “premeditated” and accused the school of disrupting the event by recording videos and blocking other schools from entering.
“Despite numerous attempts by school officials and school police to encourage Gillingham officials to responsibly discuss the situation, Gillingham staff became hostile,” the district’s statement reads. “At no time did physical contact occur between any parties.” The district justified calling the police due to what it described as disorderly conduct and trespassing, emphasizing that they later allowed Gillingham students access as an exception.
Gillingham’s Legal Standpoint
Gillingham Charter School sees the situation differently, raising legal concerns over their exclusion. In a statement issued by Executive Director Nicolle Hutchinson, the school emphasized that as a public school, their students had a right to attend the event, held on public property and funded by public resources. Hutchinson described the incident as “outrageous” and hinted at potential legal action, claiming violations of constitutional rights, including equal protection and free speech.
“Our attorneys advised us that Gillingham Charter School students have every right to attend the Schuylkill County Regional College Fair,” Hutchinson said. “Excluding them from this event is patently illegal and discriminatory.”
Hutchinson also pointed to what she sees as a broader issue of local school district leadership discouraging families from enrolling in Gillingham Charter, a school that prides itself on offering alternative educational opportunities.
Moving Forward
Both sides appear to be standing firm in their positions. Meanwhile, the students of Gillingham Charter School continue to advocate for equal treatment and access to educational opportunities, as questions of fairness and inclusion linger over the event.
Full Statement provided by the Pottsville Area School District:
Pottsville Area High School has hosted a College Fair on an annual basis since 1993. This event has been held during the school day for IU 29 school districts in Martz Hall.School districts are scheduled a time block for this limited forum. This is one of many events our schools host throughout the year during the school day that are not open to the general public. There were multiple communications between school officials to confirm that this event was not open to the public, which Gillingham Charter School officials acknowledged verbally and in writing. It is distressing that Gillingham officials did not further communicate with the District when making the decision to cause a disturbance at the Pottsville Area School District.
There was an incident this morning when Gillingham staff and students arrived to disrupt the event. Their efforts were orchestrated and premeditated. They were recording with their personal devices despite school officials notifying that they were in violation of school district policy. Gillingham students and staff blocked other school districts from entering the event while they recorded interactions and read prepared statements. Despite numerous attempts by school officials and school police, to encourage Gillingham officials to responsibly discuss the situation in a productive fashion, Gillingham staff elected not to have a conversation but rather to continue to exhibit disruptive behaviors. One Gillingham school staff member was yelling at school officials and school police. None of the staff complied with any request to step outside of the PASD facility to talk. All attempts to de-escalate the situation were unsuccessful as the Gillingham staff members became hostile. Despite allegations to the contrary, at no time did physical contact occur between any parties. The District contacted the Pottsville Bureau of Police due to the trespassing, disorderly contact, and erratic behavior of Gillingham staff members.
Once Gillingham staff and students complied with requests, the District determined to provide access to the College Fair as an exception for a longer amount of time than Gillingham requested.
It is regrettable that our guests, including educational representatives and students from IU 29 school districts, were significantly interrupted during the College Fair.
Full Statement provided by the Gillingham Charter:
Gillingham Students, Families, Employees & Supporters,This morning a disturbing incident took place during the Schuylkill County Regional College Fair hosted by the Pottsville Area School District in Martz Hall. Our students and teachers from Gillingham Charter School, a public school, were deeply affected and the incident raises several legal concerns.
The School County College Fair has been hosted by the Pottsville Area School district for 13 years. We were pleasantly surprised to receive a notification about the event, since we’ve never received one before. We immediately signed up! Last week, we were told that we were uninvited. Apparently, the invitation was accidentally sent to us when it was emailed to all the public school districts in the county.
Our attorneys advised us that, as public school students attending a public school in Schuylkill County, Gillingham Charter School students have every right to attend the Schuylkill County Regional College Fair, which is being held on public property and is being funded with public monies. Any attempts to exclude or prevent them from attending the event would be blatantly discriminatory, patently illegal, and would subject any interfering adults and Pottsville Area School District to liability for clear violations of state and federal equal protection laws.
Twenty-two junior and seniors volunteered to go, as did three teachers, to exercise their rights, despite knowing that they might be denied access. This morning, they were denied access at the registration table, and when the students and teachers claimed their civil rights to attend, the district called the police, claiming trespassing. Nonetheless, our students chose to peacefully and respectfully visit the college booths anyway. The district then directed the college reps to leave their booths and to sit in the bleachers. The students from the various school districts were also directed to sit in the bleachers. Thus, Gillingham's students were excluded and denied. They were watched by others as they had to walk around booths to gather college brochures. When the police arrived, Gillingham’s students were not arrested, obviously, because they were not breaking any laws nor trespassing. Eventually, the students were allowed to visit the booths for a limited amount of time if they promised not to video.
Some students and staff have posted comments and videos from this morning on their social media. Some are included below.
This is outrageous. These are public school students who have every right to attend. There’s no reason they shouldn’t. The district thinks differently. The district educators should want all public school students in Schuylkill County to get higher education.
We’ve been informed that individuals involved are contemplating a Section 1983 Civil Rights class action lawsuit for a number of constitutional violations including First Amendment violations, Fourth Amendment violations, and Equal Protection violations.
Gillingham is committed to creating a secure and supportive learning environment where every student feels respected and valued. We are obviously disappointed by the exclusion of our students from a valuable opportunity like the college fair. All students, regardless of the school they attend, deserve equal access to educational resources and opportunities.
We are cooperating fully with local authorities to address the situation and ensure that appropriate measures are taken in line with the law.
Our school is dedicated to fostering positive relationships with the community, including local district leadership, while ensuring that our students' rights are protected.
While we respect the role of the district superintendent, we are deeply concerned about the ongoing efforts to discourage families from enrolling their children at our charter school. We are committed to offering families a choice in education and will continue to serve our community with integrity and excellence.
Our charter school provides a unique and high-quality educational experience for students, and we are proud of the accomplishments of our students and faculty. We believe in the power of choice in education, and our focus remains on providing a safe and nurturing environment where all students can thrive.
We are sure that our parents and guardians would like to learn more. A Gillingham parent has called for a parent meeting. All parents, guardians, and employees are invited to join Nikki Jack at 1pm at the picnic tables tomorrow, Friday, Oct 4. Children can be released to their parents at dismissal and are welcome to join in the meeting.
Nicolle Hutchinson, M.S. Ed.
Executive Director