The Salisbury Township School District Board of Directors held its monthly meeting March 17 via Zoom. Board President George J. Gatanis opened the meeting with a nod to Saint Patrick’s Day and then proceeded with new business.

The directors heard student reports from four students.

From Salisbury High School, Araceli Gonzalez gave a report on student activities. Gonzalez mentioned the spring musical for 2021 will be “Little Women” and will be performed outdoors in May. Gonzalez also said she has enjoyed going back to school and interacting in person with her friends, but that as part of the hybrid schedule, she also appreciates the laid-back atmosphere of doing school from home.

SHS student Emma Kichline reported the winter sports season ended successfully and from her perspective, hybrid learning is going well.

Julia Amill and Josh Knecht, students at Salisbury Elementary School, gave an update on school spirit days such as pajama day and wacky hair day, which the students enjoyed.

The board then introduced a video presentation of an ensemble of SHS students performing the national anthem. The ensemble included students Cameran Pester, on trumpet, Laura Walthier and Eliza Wiener and Mia Kezengwa on clarinet, Laurans Trinh, on tenor sax and Trent Renelli, on mallet percussion.

The board then voted on several motions, including cyber charter school reform, Salisbury Youth Association use of school district sports facilities and the Apple lease agreement, all of which were approved.

The board commended Chris Smith, coordinator of technology for the district, for arranging a buyback minimum price on Salisbury’s old technology of $691,000.

Director Mary Ziegler provided a report on the Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit. Ziegler’s update included news Gov. Tom Wolf announced the IU would be the vaccination hub for the area. Staff at the IU administered 3,000 doses of the single-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine from a Friday night through a Monday afternoon.

“I’ve heard nothing but great comments,” Zeigler said. “We should be very proud of our partnership with the IU.”

Other positive news for the district and partners included an award to Lehigh Carbon Community College of a $15 million grant to use for student scholarships through 2023 and donations by the Yurconic Agency and Fulton Bank to the Salisbury Education Fund.

Also, the district looks to an estimated $3.5 million allotment of special funding from the legislature as part of COVID-19 relief bills passed recently. The leadership team is in discussion about how best to allocate potential funds to provide the best opportunities and facilities for learners in the district.

Several personnel changes brought before the board received approval, including the retirement of Elizabeth Seaman as a part-time one-to-one instructional assistant at SES; the resignations of Amy Lorow, as a full-time long-term substitute learning support teacher at SES; Charles Young as a full-time custodian at Salisbury Middle School and Kaleigh Bobeck as a building substitute at SES.

The board voted to approve the reinstatement of Donita Marze, of Allentown, as a part-time one-to-one instructional assistant at SMS and also the employment of April Nimeh, of Allentown, for the building substitute position at SES.

Directors also approved a building transfer for Michelle Peters, of Whitehall, from a part-time nurse assistant at SHS and SMS to a part-time nurse assistant at SES.

Volunteer coaching assignments of Stephanie Kotrosits, of Bethlehem, as a volunteer middle school softball coach, Louis Bottitta, of Allentown, as a volunteer boys tennis coach and James Moore, of Bethlehem, as a volunteer assistant track and field coach also were approved.