The Montoursville Area School Board this week accepted a properly being and safety plan for this school 12 months that retains in place elective masking of students and staff.
The plan moreover requires the district to take into accounts the state Division of Effectively being’s contact tracing requirements and elective exceptions as deemed by the Amenities for Sickness Administration and/or the Division of Effectively being.
Verbiage for contact tracing was altered from earlier language that known as for the district to “proceed to watch the Division of Effectively being contact tracing requirements.”
The vote was 8-1 in favor of the plan.
Vote positive have been Dale Ulmer, Ron Snell, Susan Beery, David Youthful, Dave Shimmel, Todd Badger, Daniel Albert, and Joseph LeCrone.
Dottie Mathers voted no.
In discussing the plan, Mathers acknowledged she felt it was important to actually observe the CDC and state recommendations.
“There are neighborhood risks,” she acknowledged.
She acknowledged she felt uncomfortable not following recommendations from the specialists.
To which board member Ron Snell acknowledged, “How did recommendations of specialists work out for you remaining time?”
Mathers acknowledged she was concerned every from a properly being and licensed perspective.
“I really feel ethically, morally, it’s good to watch the recommendations of the specialists,” she acknowledged. “I don’t want to practice our school college students that we fight the federal authorities frequently.”
Shimmel questioned who the specialists are.
“That is what has been maddening about this for two years,” he acknowledged.
Albert acknowledged the correct selections shall be made as circumstances come up.
“As a district, we’re going to do what we have got to do,” he acknowledged.
Shimmel well-known that the district’s nursing staff observe protocols for COVID-19.
In 2021, mom and father of better than a dozen Montoursville Area School District school college students filed a lawsuit over a COVID-19 state masking mandate.
Nonetheless, the litigation was eradicated when the district went to a masks elective protection.
Dan Taormina, district assistant superintendent, thanked the board for sustaining the plan simply in regards to the equivalent.
He acknowledged it will help current consistency for everyone going into the model new school 12 months.
In several points, the board accepted an settlement with BLaST IU 17 for website online web internet hosting and with the Lycoming-Clinton Joinder Board for pupil assistant corporations for this school 12 months.
The board accepted on first learning insurance coverage insurance policies defending participation in extracurricular actions and school-sponsored events along with ineligibility primarily based totally on use of managed substances and felony train.
In personnel points, the board accepted the resignations of Brenda Lewis, cafeteria worker, and Lauren Guinter, properly being care assist.
The board accepted the hiring of Angelina Santalucia as a part-time paraprofessional at $12.75 per hour.
Mikayla Arnold was accepted as head coach for girls softball at a stipend of $3,000. Arnold replaces Michael Tate.