In his district report, Superintendent Dr. Michael Schilder reviewed the timeline of events surrounding Emmaus High School’s recent lockdown and remarked on improvements that could and have been made in communications and emergency situation management.

Noting the specifics of the event and those involved are still part of an active police investigation and therefore not open to public discourse, Schilder acknowledged there were some problems in communication. Namely eBlasts, or mass directed emails from the superintendent, were not sent quickly enough and through technological error were not being posted on the district’s website as they were sent.

In addition, while security cameras in the building were working, the recording devices were not due to some flaw or failure in the system. Schilder confirmed the equipment is relatively new and the problem was fixed Oct. 29, the day of the lockdown, but administration did not have the video they might normally have relied on.

Finally, Schilder said administration had come to realize the role of the superintendent and principal during emergent situations is to manage the situation, and that means delegating the task of email and online communication to another party – namely the community liaison.

Recently appointed Laura Groh was put in charge of sending eBlasts and communicating with the media. Also board secretary Janine Allen has been cross-trained in sending eBlasts to widen the pool of available administrators handling this task.

Regarding the camera equipment, Schilder said the district has updated firmware and the director of facilities will now receive notifications when any equipment malfunctions.

On a positive note, Schilder said the district worked well with the Emmaus Police Department and spoke affirmatively of the building-wide search during the lockdown, in which every room and locker was scrutinized.

Schilder also noted all parents and concerned parties who contacted the district were responded to personally. Attendance when school reopened was high, showing, Schilder said, trust from the students in the administration’s affirmation it was safe to return to class and there was no imminent threat.

In other news, Schilder reported the school district foundation planning committee is meeting Dec. 2 and will presumably be nominating members of its directing board. The bylaws are in their final draft and a board of directors will be comprised of 10 members of the community, the superintendent, two teachers, one administrator, one school board director and the community liaison.

The board received a curriculum presentation from Danielle Walsh of the social studies department regarding AP psychology for high school seniors. Walsh is proposing the AP course after receiving training this past summer in Delaware, an experience she related to the board exuberantly.

The full-year course is based on standards set by the American Psychological Association covering 14 topics in a “fairly rigorous” fashion, from history and systems of psychology to case studies and specialty branches. Prerequisites include proficiency on the algebra and writing Keystone exams.

Walsh responded to queries from the board of directors regarding cost and time management for the course. It is expected that in offering the course, at least two of Walsh’s current half-year courses will see lower interest from students seeking a more challenging, and college-credit level class. Walsh estimated the costs to implement the new course would be about $9,000 to cover new textbooks.

In addition the board also reviewed newly written curriculum for Introduction to Engineering and Principles of Engineering under the auspices of Project Lead the Way, introduced by instructors Eric Smith and Steve Braglio last month. The exact curriculum for these courses is not public as it is proprietary to Project Lead the Way, but, as Laura Witman, supervisor of secondary level curriculum described, information in a “narrative” format can be found on Project Lead the Way’s website.

Students and faculty will have access to the curriculum through a password-protected portal online. Braglio and Smith wrote the curriculum based on Project Lead the Way and integrated it with math and science courses, collaborating with those instructors, they said, to give practical application to the principles being taught in other disciplines.

Finally, Brent Ohl, chair of the physics department, introduced the curriculum for a ninth grade STEM physics honors course aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and paired with the principles of engineering course led by Braglio. The course appears at zero cost to the district, and will be scheduled to align with other courses allowing more lab time and extended learning, according to Ohl.

Schilder commended the instructors and presenters for their work, saying it is “wonderful to see such an active curriculum office.”

The board approved recent emendations to the first series of district policies, Series 000, after the customary three readings. The next batch of policies will come up for review beginning with the board’s second meeting in December.

In closing the meeting, board president Alan Earnshaw recognized those three board members whose terms have ended: Lynn Donches, elected in 2011; Sandy Rhodes, who served 2000-2005, was appointed in 2009, and elected again in 2011; and Wally Vinovskis, who joined the board in 2013. Rhodes was awarded a certificate of appreciation from the district for 12 years of service, along with Charles Ballard, the latter for 20 years of service.

The board’s next meeting Dec. 7 is an organization meeting, wherein officers are elected and the new board established for its first official meeting of business Dec. 14.