By Christen Smith (the Center Square) (The Center Square) – Republicans in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives pressed the Department of Education on Monday over the governor’s proposed cuts to charter school funding, even as the public districts meant to benefit sit on millions in reserves and federal disaster aid, they said. The questions came
After hearing concerns about COVID cases and costs of hiring needed staff members, Fairfield Area School District board members voted twice against reopening the elementary school for five-day per week instruction. The school is currently operating on a hybrid A/B schedule in which children only come to school two days per week. “I think what
Speaking at an online meeting of the @Home in Adams County Initiative yesterday, Center for Rural Pennsylvania Director Kyle Kopko said Adams County has only about 197 people per square mile, and that like other rural counties, it ranks below the state average for internet download speeds. Kopko said households without adequate broadband are poorer
In his legislative report to the Upper Adams School District board on Monday, board member Christopher Fee noted the many burdens charter schools place on school district finances. Fee said 350 school districts across the commonwealth are “calling for charter school reform. There are good charter schools, there are less good charter schools, but the
The Upper Adams School District (UASD) School Board said it was united in its condemnation of any discrimination and racism in the district and committed to ensuring alleged issues recently brought up on social media platforms are addressed going forward. “We must all do our part to eradicate racism, inclusive of all forms of discrimination,”
The Upper Adams School District today announced the appointment of Fox Rothschild Attorneys at Law of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the third-party investigator to conduct an independent, unbiased assessment of the District’s policies, procedures and response to alleged acts of racism and/or ethnic discrimination recently shared by students and alumni of Biglerville High School on social
Following a report by Superintendent Christopher Rudisill saying supposedly “free” charter and cyber schools cost the district $4.2 million, Conewago Valley School District (CVSD) approved a resolution calling for changes to charter school funding. “While you may hear that these schools claim they are free; they really are not free at all,” said Rudisill. Rudisill
Bermudian Springs Superintendent Shane Hotchkiss expressed frustration with state pandemic-related regulations and guidance for schools during the school board’s meeting on Monday evening. “Two weeks ago– so there’s an anonymous line that somebody can call and complain about any school district not meeting and following the attestation,” Hotchkiss said. “I received a complaint. I got
In a letter to the school board, Upper Adams School District (UASD) Superintendent Wesley Doll summarized actions the district is taking in response to incidents of alleged racism at Biglerville High School. The alleged incidents have been made public on a Facebook page. The following is the complete text of Doll’s statement: “I know that
Responding to social media posts alleging racism and an online petition signed by over 2,200 people accusing Biglerville High School of being “complicit in the abuse and harassment of students of color,” PA state officials and the Upper Adams School District (UASD) administration said today they were taking allegations of racism and sexism raised on
During its meeting Monday evening, the Fairfield Area School District discussed early preparations for returning kids to school on a more normal schedule, but cautioned that it may be awhile before that’s possible. Superintendent Michael Adamek said that he hopes cases of COVID-19 decline to the point that schools can fully reopen. “I think at
Upper Adams School District (UASD) Business Administrator Shelley Hobbs began the school board’s discussion on the 2021-22 budget by focusing on its salary and benefits aspects, saying “these are the parts of the budget we can control.” Hobbs noted benefits paid to employees through the Pennsylvania Public Schools Employee Retirement System (PSERS) system had increased
Upper Adams School District (UASD) is dealing this week with controversy surrounding a Facebook page alleging a history of incidents of racism at Biglerville High School. District Superintendent Wesley Doll said in a letter posted to the district’s website on Sunday that high school principal Beth Graham and assistant principal Nathan Becker would be available
Noting that January is School Director Recognition Month, Gettysburg Area School District (GASD) Superintendent Jason Perrin recognized board members for their service. “This is a time for us to celebrate and recognize the challenging and vital work boards do on behalf of our students, schools, and families,” said Perrin. Perrin said the impact of the
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After hearing District Nurse Kristi Ebaugh report that the district had sent home 69 students with “symptoms mimicking COVID” since the start of school, the Fairfield Area School District (FASD) Board of Directors voted to maintain for this semester the current A/B hybrid model in which children at all grade levels come to school only
Superintendent Jason Perrin announced on Monday that students at the three elementary schools in the Gettysburg Area School District (GASD) will be moving from their current four day per week schedule to five days per week as of November 9. Perrin said the hybrid model was initially put in place in part to help the
Conewago Valley School District (CVSD) reported a confirmed case of COVID-19 at Conewago Township Elementary on Friday. This brings the total number of cases at CVSD to six including one at the high school, three at New Oxford Middle School, one at Conewago Valley Intermediate School and one at New Oxford High School. CAVSD announced
Acknowledging the decision to send students in its sophomore, junior, and senior classes home had “created unwelcome tension on campus, among students, and with the college as a whole,” college president Bob Iuliano announced today that students who were not remaining on campus would receive a ten percent reduction in their tuition and that 80
Gettysburg College today gave up its hope of providing a residential learning experience for all of its students, announcing that only first-year students, transfer students, international students, and select other students who are unable to return home due to personal or academic reasons will be allowed to stay in on campus. This will be a
More COVID-19 Cases on Gettysburg College Campus Create Complete Lockdown After finding 33 cases on campus in the first two weeks of classes, the college reported in an email to the campus community that it has already found 25 more after testing only 348 students in the past two days. Officials said the majority of
Campus life, which was already out of the ordinary, changed even more this weekend at Gettysburg College as the number of positive COVID-19 cases jumped in the second round of testing since the arrival of about 2,500 students in August. Although only five students out of the entire student body were designated as “true positive”
[An update to this story is available here] Gettysburg College has reported on its website that at 33 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified among students as a result of the second round of testing completed Monday through Wednesday last week. Associate Director of Communications Mike Baker confirmed that some students who have tested
As the school buses begin to roll again at the Littlestown Area School District (LASD) this week, other students across the county will have to wait to discover what the fall semester has in store for them. All six county school districts as well as the VIDA Charter School are set to reopen with at
Gettysburg College has extensively detailed its comprehensive plans for reopening in a series of town hall meetings that are recorded on the college website. Julie Ramsey, Vice President for College Life and Dean of Students, said the campus had “tried to reimagine almost everything that goes on at Gettysburg College” to prepare for the pandemic.
As fall approaches, universities throughout the United States have been forced to decide whether or not to reopen during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Despite concerns about possible surges in cases, lack of access to testing, and the risk of exposure to the virus, many colleges have decided to push forward with a reopening plan. In
Despite concerns expressed by its health and safety experts, the Gettysburg Area School District (GASD) Board of Directors voted Wednesday night to open its three elementary schools under a plan in which the students will be in class four days per week sitting as close as three feet from each other and wearing face masks.
Alloway Creek Elementary School Kindergarten teacher Justine Garman has won the 2020 Teacher Impact Award presented by Rotary District 7390 and WITF. The award was for Garman’s “dedication to her students and her community.” Garman was the Adams County winner, selected out of almost 250 nominations and joining teachers from six other Pennsylvania counties. “I
Hundreds of teachers and administrators in the Gettysburg Area School District (GASD) are working together to tweak the ongoing remote learning technology, curriculum, and grading systems, while collaborating on plans for the fall semester. Speaking about the unexpected move to virtual learning that started over one weekend in March, GASD Instructional Technology Director Ann Baum
As the Gettysburg Area School District (GASD) students finish their school year using online learning, parents are playing an oversized role in the process. I talked with three parents over the past weeks to learn about their approaches, concerns, and successes with the home-based curriculum. All three parents praised GASD, saying it was doing the
The workday for Gettysburg Area School District (GASD) teachers and families has changed dramatically as the district has moved to online learning for the remainder of the school year. In this article I talk with Scott Jones, a GASD Middle School Science Teacher, about his experiences. This article is the first in a series of