Brownsville Area School Board approves new truancy policy
Brownsville Area School District officials say they are already seeing positive results from the implementation of a new truancy policy and procedure.
“Students who are at age 17 can now be cited for truancy,” said Superintendent Dr. Philip Savini. “In the past we have not been able to do that under law. We just adopted what our magistrate has developed based on new court opinions.”
The board approved the new policy and procedure from Magisterial District Judge Mike Defino Jr. Thursday night, which School Director Andy Dorsey said has “a lot more teeth.”
Savini said the district has experienced issues with student attendance in the past.
“This has helped us I think already,” he said. “We had some hearings already, and we’ve seen our magistrate fine them accordingly. I think we’re going to see an improvement in attendance.”
The district’s new one call alert system, which will be activated on Monday, will also make automated phone calls to a student’s house if he or she was absent from school.
Savini announced Thursday that parents who want to receive training on a variety of topics, including how to work with their children on homework and other educational and social needs, can attend free classes at the Intermediate Unit 1. Information is available on the district’s website.
“We’re trying to provide as much information to the parents in terms of training, to help them help their children become better students and get better grades,” Savini said.
Savini also reported that tutoring for the Keystone Exams and the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment will be made available to students in grades 3-12.
According to Rachel McCloy, curriculum coordinator, the district was able to do this because it restructured its federal funds money.
Instead of using the money for supplies, the district is allocating the funds to after-school tutoring, she said.
Also Thursday, the board made additional steps forward in regard to the construction of a new elementary school building.
School directors authorized L. R. Kimball to proceed with the construction documents phase and to prepare the Act 34 hearing booklet for review by the board at its October meeting.
The board also authorized L.R. Kimball, Massaro and Janney Montgomery Scott to work with Savini and the district’s business manager to develop the Act 34 project costs and corresponding financing options that would be reported at the Act 34 hearing.
The Act 34 hearing is required under state law.
“We develop a forum with all of the information pertaining to the building project, and we post it for 20 days,” Savini said. “We then have a hearing. We’re proceeding on schedule.”
In an unrelated matter, Savini announced that the district’s entrepreneurship program received a $10,000 grant from the Benedum Center for curriculum development.
In other business, the board:
n Approved the request from Tricia Rohlf, musical director, to have the 2014-15 musical, A Christmas Carol, in December with the budget not to exceed $5,000.
n Approved to set the speed limit at 15 mph on all school grounds.
n Purchased a piece of property from Brownsville Borough at the fair market value of $3,600, pending approval from Kimball and Associates, for usage as a water runoff for the elementary complex.
n Added Laura Wagner to the professional substitute list.