Keystone Central gears up for new school year

BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP, PA – The Keystone Central School District is moving ahead towards the start of the new school year, based on multiple reports and information at Thursday night’s school board work session.

These include an emergency operation plan to be voted on by the school board at next week’s voting session.

As presented by Superintendent Jacquelyn Martin, the 51-page plan is designed thusly:

Promulgation and Policy Statement The District is committed to the safety and security of students, faculty, staff, and visitors on its campuses. To support that commitment, the School Board has asked for a thorough review of Keystone Central School District’s emergency protection, mitigation, prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery procedures relevant to natural, technological and human-caused disasters. The Emergency Operations Plan that follows is the official policy of Keystone Central School District. It is a result of a comprehensive review and update of school policies in the context of its location, setting and in the current world situation. We support its recommendations and commit the Keystone Central School District’s resources to ongoing training, exercises, and maintenance required to keep it current. The plan is a blueprint that relies on the commitment and expertise of individuals within and outside of the Keystone Central School District community. Furthermore, clear communications with emergency management officials and ongoing monitoring of emergency management practices and advisories are essential.

The board also learned more about a new position, a behavior interventionist, to help address safety issues; it would be funded through Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency money. The person hired will focus on de-escalation tactics to avoid potential safety concerns.

Board member Butch Knauff brought up the matter of student cellphone use within district schools, expressing concern that the current district policy is not being strictly enforced. According to the student handbook, cellphones are to be used only in school cafeterias and hallways.

There was a brief discussion about a further crackdown on student phone use, but several school principals present said the plan for the new school year is to enforce the present policy more stringently. Central Mountain Principal Nick Verrelli said there can be future talk about a revision in the current policy, but expressed concern about “big changes,” noting questions about enforcement of such a policy and if the resources would be in place to do so. Instead, he emphasized stronger enforcement for the current policy.

The work session also saw board member Knauff recognized for his 12 years as a board member.