The Conewago Valley school board delayed the approval of its regular health and safety plan update until the February study session, when it will take more time to review and discuss it.
During the board’s regular meeting on Monday evening, the agenda called for the board to approve its health and safety plan, which is required to be updated every six months.
When board president Jeffrey Kindschuh asked if the board required additional information before approving the health and safety plan, only members Lindsay Krug, Melanie Sauter and April Swope said yes; however, a vote removing the item from the action items succeeded 7-1.
The board will review the plan further during its February study session.
Superintendent Sharon Perry said nothing in the plan has changed and masks remain optional.
The board approved requests for a variety of field trips and professional development, with the exception of one planned high school trip in Dillsburg. That trip was also moved to next month’s agenda as certain board members requested additional information before approving it.
Safety and communications
Matthew Muller, the district’s director of safety and communication, apprised the board on the school security officer’s activities. The district hired a school security officer in late October, and since then, Muller has provided the board with a monthly summary of the officer’s work.
In December, the SSO responded to 26 incidents, according to Muller. But the officer’s job goes beyond responding to calls.
“That doesn’t count the campus security patrol, the interior hallway patrols, cafeteria duties, those kinds of things, meetings with students or connections with kids, or even a couple of classrooms… teachers invited him in to talk to students about a variety of things,” Muller said.
Muller also provided the board with a brief summary of his own work on the county’s new anti-threat team. Other counties in the area have teams to assist with threat assessment, but Adams County lagged behind in this regard, according to Muller. With the new team in place, Muller has spent time working with it.
Additionally, Muller said that the next step in his plan to improve district-wide communication will be adding a newsletter with information from the district office to go out to Conewago Valley employees.
Conewago Valley also launched a new website this week and a district Instagram account earlier this month.
Academics
Dr. Charlie Trovato, the district’s director of curriculum, said the passage of a Pennsylvania law in December mandating personal finance classes for high school students will not significantly affect Conewago Valley since the district already offers a personal finance course.
According to Trovato, Conewago Valley is among 20% of public school districts in Pennsylvania that already has personal finance classes available to high school students.
“That’s really exciting that there’s really nothing that we need to do other than keep on keeping on,” Trovato said.
Joshua Schaffer, principal of New Oxford Middle School, said the CHARGE program the district implemented this school year is going well at the middle school level.
Each letter of CHARGE stands for a character and behavioral attribute the district encourages in children.
In November and December, the middle school focused on H for ‘honesty’ and the second A for ‘adaptable.’ About 80 students received recognition for their embodiment of those characteristics, bringing the total to about 150 students who have been recognized through the program.
The program lets the children receive a certificate and tokens they can redeem for rewards.
Drew Little, principal of the New Oxford High School Career and Technology Center, said several of his students have also enjoyed recent accomplishments.
Multiple students in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) placed in multiple areas of a state competition in December.
Three FFA members were awarded the Keystone Degree, the highest available achievement through the program, during the Pennsylvania Farm Show. This was the most the district has had awarded in a single year in recent years, according to Little.
Several students also recently participated in a Skills USA competition, but the results from that event were unavailable during the meeting, according to Little. He promised to update the board during the next meeting.
During the time for recognition, the board also noted that Betsy Figueroa was chosen as the New Oxford High School Rotary Student of the Month for December.
The board was also told that Brennan Holmes, a wide receiver, was named to the Pennsylvania Writers’ Class 5A All-State Team.
The board also reviewed a list of students’ college acceptances and scholarships. To date, about $670,000 in scholarships has been offered to Conewago Valley students this school year.
Other business
Assistant Superintendent Brad Sterner said 10 students recently tested and earned the global biliteracy seal, with 5 of those also achieving the Pennsylvania Seal of Biliteracy (PASB.)
The seal can be awarded to students with qualifying proficiency in English and at least one other language. The award is valuable for students approaching potential employers and also gives them a head start for higher education, according to Sterner.
Sterner requested that one board member join the district’s comprehensive planning steering committee. The committee will guide the district’s formation of the 2025-28 comprehensive plan. It will begin meeting in February.
Perry recognized each of the board members for their service in honor of Pennsylvania’s School Director Recognition Month.
Perry took a photo with each member and presented them with a certificate. She also acknowledged the extra effort new board members take when acclimating to their new role.
“From the bottom of my heart, I’d like to thank each and every one of you: the time, the commitment, the learning, right, especially for our new board members,” Perry said. “I appreciate your partnership, so thank you.”
The board held an executive meeting before the open session in order to discuss confidential topics, according to Kindschuh.
The board will hold a meeting to discuss updates on building renovations at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29.
While only two members indicated a need to hold the informational meeting, Kindschuh elected to schedule it regardless to ensure the entire board had access to any information or answers they lack.
A study session will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5.
The board will hold a regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12.
Guests are welcome to attend open meetings in person or follow along using the YouTube livestream.
Imari Scarbrough is a freelance journalist. She was a staff newspaper reporter for five years before becoming a freelancer in 2017. She has written on crime, environmental issues, severe weather events, local and regional government and more.
You can visit her website at ImariJournal.com.