At the July 25 Whitehall-Coplay School Board meeting, school directors heard an update on the pandemic recovery plan for year two.

Whitehall-Coplay School District Superintendent Dr. Robert Steckel discussed summer learning and enrichment activities that were offered to students - including the Summer Bridge program, held in July for kindergarten through eighth-grade students - who benefited from additional reading, math and science support. According to Steckel, WCSD also offered multiple STEM camps for kindergarten to eighth-grade students in June and July and collaborated with Da Vinci Science Center and Lehigh Valley Zoo.

The elementary schools will continue using embedded academic screenings and interventions, including diagnostic screenings and reading and math IST. They will also have in-school interventions, after-school support and extra assistance for English language learners and special education students. STEM enrichment activities will be offered as well.

Steckel said the secondary schools will offer diagnostic screening and benchmarking, math and reading support, in-school interventions, after-school support, special education support, enrichment opportunities and after-school programs and tutoring.

Steckel said social-emotional learning will be addressed by providing support and interventions for all grades, using mindfulness activities such as Touchstone Theater’s program, reviving the peer mentoring program and adding an ambassador program to help new students adjust to school.

Mental health supports are broken into tiers, with tier one including a student assistance program, child study teams and building-based programs. Tier two offers Bounce Back programming for kindergarten through fourth grades and CBITS through Valley Youth House for grades 5-8.

Tier three includes Lehigh Valley Health Network school-based outpatient counseling and one-to-one counseling through Valley Youth House. Steckel said there is a waitlist in all schools for these services.

To help teachers and staff, a revised professional development schedule was created. There are now more opportunities for support staff to participate. Trauma-informed care professional development and school safety refreshers and exercises are also being offered.

Another part of the plan includes facility upgrades, and Steckel said older furniture has been replaced, including student and teacher desks, chairs and library furniture.

WCSD is working with Jim Hanna, of D’Huy Engineering Inc., to review a feasibility study from 2017 in order to determine what has been done so far and what still needs to be done.

According to Steckel, ongoing and upcoming facility upgrade projects include the IP phone conversion at Steckel Elementary School; replacing ceiling tiles in the kitchen and cafeteria and makeup air handler units at Zephyr Elementary School, Whitehall-Coplay Middle School and Whitehall High School; the final phase of the security camera project; and pipe replacements in the WHS kitchen. Steckel said this is part of a 10-year plan.

Steckel announced the first day of school for teachers is Aug. 22, with students set to return Aug. 29. The 2022-23 school year instructional models will continue in person, five days a week. Steckel said they are continuing the option of the Whitehall-Coplay Virtual Learning program.

Also at the meeting, Whitehall-Coplay PTO PLUS President Toni Fillman announced successful fundraisers have provided enough money for special activities or presentations at Gockley, Steckel and Zephyr elementary schools and WCMS. Fillman is also planning a movie night at the Zephyr football stadium Aug. 12, with free admission for all who attend and refreshments available for purchase. She announced Gockley will host a book fair Aug. 24, followed by Steckel Aug. 25.

In other business, the board approved the 2022-23 school year health and safety plan. A draft was sent to families and staff July 20.

The board approved the 2022-23 security compensation plan, food service fund employees compensation plan and the confidential employees compensation plan.

The board approved the resolution of the WCSD board of directors in preparation for declaring the possibility of an emergency pursuant to Section 520.1 of the school, including the emergency instructional time template and sample schedules for WCSD as attachments to the Section 520.1 resolution.

The board approved the transfer of $1,000,000 in unspent 2021-22 general fund appropriations to the special fund, created in accordance with 53 PS 1432, that will be utilized for capital expenditures.

Also approved was the 2022-25 WCSD comprehensive plan.

The board approved a request for WCSD students to travel to the Cavalcade of Bands Championships, held at Hershey Park Stadium Nov. 12 or 13, with the use of two WSCD buses and at no cost to students.

The board approved the FastBridge Software program, at the cost of $18,900.

The board approved a contract with Cetronia Ambulance Corps for standby emergency medical services.

Also approved was the independent contractor agreement with Meghan Lloyd, in conjunction with MTSS processes and procedures for WCSD.

The board approved a kindergarten through first grade multiple disabilities support classroom at Gockley.

The board adopted a resolution to award the contract for the high school kitchen sanitary pipe replacement to K.C. Mechanical Services Inc., Mount Bethel, paid for using the capital reserve fund, and a resolution to award the contract for the maintenance building roof replacement to Alan Kunsman Roofing and Siding Inc., Freemansburg, paid for using the capital reserve fund.

Approved resignations include Rebecca Reed, math teacher at WCMS, effective June 22; Claire Surovi, ES teacher at Steckel, effective July 29; Megan Schoenauer, first-grade teacher at Gockley, effective July 15; Ashley Hadeed, ES paraprofessional at Steckel, effective July 12; Raphina Morton, paraprofessional at WCMS, effective July 7; William Krzemien, security personnel at WHS, effective July 14; Nicole Capuano and Vanessa Blose, Students Against Dangerous Decisions (SADD) club advisers, effective for the 2022-23 school year; Michael Lynn, art club adviser at WHS, effective for the 2022-23 school year; and Monica Pangaio, science teacher at WHS, effective Aug. 15.

A special school board meeting to approve personnel will be 4 p.m. Aug. 8, immediately followed by committee meetings on education/student activities, operations/transportation and finance personnel.

The next regular school board meeting will be 7 p.m. Aug. 22.