The March 9 Saucon Valley school board meeting was a quietly historic one, as it was the last fully-virtual edition before the district resumes in-person meetings beginning March 23. It will have been over a full year since COVID-19 forced board meetings from the Saucon Valley Audion to its current online format.

A statement on the district’s website read (in part): “Board meetings will be held in the Saucon Valley High School Auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. Community members attending in person should enter the high school via the Polk Valley Road flag pole entrance (Door 21).” Meetings will be live-streamed via the district’s YouTube channel and will remain posted for subsequent viewings.

The website also indicated that physical distancing measures and face coverings will be required at the meetings in accordance with Pa. COVID-mitigation mandates. Community members unable to attend in person may submit comments through a Public Comment Request Form, also found on the district’s website, until noon on the day of the meeting.

Otherwise, the meeting itself saw two major topics of discussion: an update on the district’s new After School Remediation program and an update to the remainder of the 2020-21 school year’s calendar.

The remediation program update was provided by assistant high school principal Amy Braxmeier and middle school principal James Deegan. The program, which was proposed and subsequently implemented in early February, is currently offered to students in grades 7-10 who have been identified as in danger of failing one or more core subjects.

Slides shared by Deegan indicated that approximately 67 students have enrolled thus far across the four grades, and data provided showed a modest increase in student achievement, albeit over a small sample size of only seven sessions through March 9.

The sessions, which run from 2:30-4 p.m. each day, have been offered to students participating in both in-person and remote learning. The board voted to extend the program through at least the March 23 meeting, with intentions of re-evaluating the program’s effectiveness at that time.

Superintendent Dr. Craig Butler also recommended two make-up days for students to be added to the calendar for the remainder of the year, necessitated by the number of snow days used thus far by the district this winter.

With board approval, April 5 and June 4 will now be instructional days for students, with June 4 also serving as Graduation Day for the Class of 2021. Butler said there has not been a decision made on the venue for the ceremony, other than its likelihood of being held outdoors for the second consecutive year.

Councilperson Edward Andres raised the issue concerning graduation, as he noted that some local universities, whose graduations typically occur in mid-May, have scheduled in-person, outdoor ceremonies. With COVID-related attendance restrictions having been somewhat loosened recently by Governor Tom Wolf, the football stadium is being heavily considered for the ceremony, Butler said.

The board also approved a contract with Mobil Technologies Graphics, who provided the big screen and other technological features during last year’s edition, which was held in a parking lot on campus.