Despite the ongoing school closure, members of the Northwestern Lehigh School Board met April 15 via Zoom and by phone to discuss plans to continue new instruction and to address district business related to the ongoing coronavirus situation.

After the opening exercises, board President Willard Dellicker delivered a short message thanking community members for their dedicated work during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’d like to take a minute to thank our friends, neighbors and family members during this difficult time; from our health care workers to first responders, workers and stock persons in our grocery stores to custodians cleaning our surroundings, all risking exposure and disease by helping us to stay healthy, safe and fed, thank you for your dedication and your courage,” Dellicker said. “And to the entire staff at Northwestern Lehigh, thank you for your foresight and the exceptional effort that has positioned our community to continue with the education of our children during this unprecedented time.”

Turning to the agenda, the board conducted a preliminary review of textbooks to accompany new curriculum documents for the 2020-21 school year.

The books will be on display for 30 days, and individuals wanting to review the material should contact Director of Curriculum and Instruction LeAnn Stitzel to set up an appointment time.

The board is expected to approve the textbooks in May.

Superintendent Jennifer Holman then presented the district’s Continuity of Education plan, to be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Holman said the district’s administrative team, anticipating extended school closures due to COVID-19, had begun planning early to provide education and instruction to students online and via the districts “solid technology infrastructure base.”

Included in the education plan is information on recording attendance, student expectations, information regarding LCTI students, special education supports, teaching and learning guidelines, device and online platform details, and food and nutrition program information, among other topics.

Holman said the district’s plan was designed to set realistic expectations for students and families, highlighting how parents who are essential workers or working from home may not have the time to devote to education.

As a result, the plan is focused on being flexible but also rigorous enough to continue instruction.

She noted that students will be asked to log in every day for attendance, but that mandatory graded assignments were created so they can be completed outside of times when staff is available.

Holman also noted that instructional assistants have been assigned caseloads for students and will be reaching out to families to provide student support, just as they would be in a classroom.

Holman and Assistant Superintendent Troy Sosnovik were asked about attendance numbers.

They noted the percentage of absent students was similar to that of an average school day, adding that students who had not attended for three or more days would be contacted in case a technical issue was causing the absence.

Holman also said the district had reached out to local providers, several of which are offering 60-90 days of free Internet access, and had approved contracts for acquiring mobile hot spots to provide as much connectivity as possible and lower barriers to educational access.

She praised families and students for their work and patience, saying the attendance numbers looked great and the district was receiving good feedback.

“I think our district was certainly a leader in terms of having this up and ready, and our kids are certainly beneficiaries of that,” she said.

Information on the Continuity of Education plan and other instructional details can be found at nwlehighsd.org/DLE.

Under operations, the board approved a request for the Critical Track Project to begin April 20, which will take approximately three weeks to complete.

Board members noted the developer would need to follow all safety guidance related to the ongoing pandemic.

Additionally, board members also approved two grant applications for up to $3,000 in COVID-19 Emergency School Nutrition Funding and a $50,000 No Kid Hungry Emergency Relief Grant.

Business Administrator Leslie Frisbie said the approval motion would allow district administration to evaluate if Northwestern Lehigh was eligible for any funding. She also noted there was a chance the district may not apply for the grants.

Frisbie said the district is submitting expense reports through the Federal Emergency Management Agency for federal assistance.

The final motion concerned a request from Lehigh County Emergency Management which asked to borrow several of the district’s school buses for use as privacy barriers at a COVID-19 testing location.

Holman said the buses would be used solely as a barrier, with no interior use, and the location would have full-time security patrols.

She also noted that there would be some form of federal reimbursement for the use of the buses.

The board voted to approve the motion and send eight of the district’s spare buses to the testing site.

Under the 2021 budget update, Frisbie provided information on long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and extended school closure on the district’s budget.

She said several potential factors, from reduced sources of district revenue to a variety of expenditures, which could impact budgetary planning.

Frisbie said the current five-year budget model had been updated with revised assumptions and educated predictions, and she highlighted how a reduced percentage change to assessed value, lower Act 1 Index and lower tax collection rate brought on by economic uncertainties related to COVID-19 could result in less district funding.

She also noted the impact of the pandemic would not be for one-year, instead having a trickle-down effect which will compound yearly, and she said future budgetary predictions may be difficult to make until the economy and local revenues stabilize.

For the education foundation report, Stitzel reported the foundation’s annual 5K event would still be held May 23, as a virtual event, and information would be made available on the foundation’s website for people to register and participate.

Holman praised the foundation’s work in providing technology and devices to students and allowing the district to easily move its programs and instruction online.

Regarding a vacant trustee-at-large seat for the LCCC board of trustees, ballots were prepared for each board member to select a candidate for the position.

As a final order of business, Police Chief Jonathan Nederostek announced the district was awarded Part A of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency Meritorious Award.

The next school board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 6.