Anger unleashed at the Quakertown School Board meeting – Bucks Round-Up – February 27, 2026
Anger unleashed at the Quakertown School Board meeting
The temperature ran high Thursday night at the Quakertown Community School District as parents and residents packed a board meeting following last week’s anti-ICE student walkout that ended in arrests and criminal charges. Parents with children in district schools asked how this situation could unfold. A mother of four called on the school board to look around the county and learn from other districts. “Pennsbury High School and Neshaminy High School were able to allow their students to safely protest indoors after threats were being investigated,” she said. A man with two children in the district advised the school board on the situation moving forward. “Police officers and the rule of law deserve much more respect, and to let these students walk around without any supervision on a protest is an outrage,” he said. While more parents and community members supported students’ rights to protest, all agreed that safety must take the forefront in any form of protest involving ICE. Roughly 35 Quakertown Community High School students defied administrative warnings and left campus Friday to protest federal immigration enforcement. The demonstration escalated into a confrontation with Quakertown Borough Police Department officers, resulting in five teens being arrested. Attorneys say some now face aggravated assault charges. As of late Tuesday, one student remained detained. Video circulating online shows Police Chief Scott McElree, out of uniform, grappling with students and appearing to place a fifteen-year-old in a chokehold. Calls for his resignation have intensified. Police initially said some students engaged in disruptive behavior, including blocking traffic and striking vehicles. Students have countered that tensions rose after alleged harassment by passing drivers. Because of anticipated turnout, public comment was moved to the start of the meeting and stretched for hours. District officials said they attempted to cancel the walkout after receiving a “new and concerning threat of violence” at 9 p.m. the night before. The district declined to provide details. One speaker claimed the threat involved a gun, though board members did not address that assertion directly. Several speakers noted that none of the student protesters attended the meeting, citing safety concerns.
Lower Makefield sets stormwater utility fees for spring delivery
Lower Makefield Township will begin mailing bills around April 1 for its new stormwater utility fee which was enacted in December. All properties with more than 299 square feet of impervious surface — taxable and tax-exempt alike — will be assessed. Township officials explained that a recurring fee is necessary to meet state and federal pollution mandates and maintain drainage infrastructure, even after securing millions in outside funding. Tier 1 property owners with 300 to 4,900 square feet of impervious surface will pay $8.50 a month. Tier 2 owners, with bigger impervious areas, will pay $2.90 a month for each 1,000 square feet of impervious surface. The township will provide credits for efforts to reduce runoff from impervious surfaces which are listed in a manual that also has information on ways to appeal the fee. Township Manager David Kratzer said that a lawsuit is now in front of the state Supreme Court which may impact whether nonprofit organizations will have to pay the fee, but the township is sending out the bills to all property owners with impervious surface above the 299 square feet, including the Pennsbury School District, which has several schools in the township.
Contract in place for St. Mary nurses
The roughly 630 nurses at St. Mary Medical Center overwhelmingly approved a new three-year contract with hospital management, according to the St. Mary United Nurses Union (SMUNU). The agreement came after eighteen hours of negotiation on Monday. Central contract terms concern patient safety and nurse retention. Coronary care unit nurse and union co-president Julia Smith reacted by saying, “We’re incredibly proud that we were able to secure a strong contract for ourselves and our patients without the need for a public action.”
Plumstead Police Department offers safety for prescription drugs
The Plumstead Township Police Department is offering free Safer Lock boxes to help residents securely store prescription medications. Safer Lock boxes provide a secure way to store potentially dangerous medications, keeping them out of the wrong hands. By using a Safer Lock box, according to Plumstead Police, residents can help protect their loved ones and community from the risks connected to prescription drug misuse. Residents can visit the lobby of the police station to pick up a free Safer Lock box and take the first step in securing medications. This spring, the Plumstead Township Police Department, like many other police departments across Bucks County, will take part in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., where residents can safely dispose of old and unused prescription drugs at police stations and other sites including the Bucks County Administration Building in Doylestown.
Joe LeCompte hosts LeCompte in the Morning on WBCB 1490. Bradley Vasoli is the senior editor of The Independence.
