The BASD held its monthly committee meetings Sept. 12 and 19 at the Bethlehem Education Center on Sycamore Road.

The Curriculum Committee discussed the formation of a girls’ wrestling club, and a girls and boys indoor track club. Several high school girls attended this meeting advocating for a gender-specific club. They said wrestling helped build their individual and team confidence, coordination and a healthy desire to compete. Currently, girls and boys practice together but compete separately.

Girls wrestling has become very popular in the last three years, with over 32,000 girls participating nationwide. Clubs are a way to increase interest and guarantee growth in a sport before it becomes sanctioned. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association needs to recognize 100 clubs/teams statewide before it would gain status as a sanctioned sport. The board supports the formation of both the girls wrestling club and the girls and boys indoor track club.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jack Silva presented statical information showing the effect of the pandemic on student achievement, saying, “Academic indicators show a decline across the board nationally. On the positive side, BASD showed less of a decline than many other school districts nationally, but like all others, still showed a negative effect.” Students with high needs suffered more loss and BASD seemed less severely affected than urban schools.

The committee heard a brief presentation by Chief Facilities and Operations Officer Mark Stein drawing attention to how many people drive past school buses as they are picking up or discharging students – even though the flashing lights and stop sign are apparent. Nationwide, 95,000 cars per day illegally pass school buses. BASD did its own study over a 16-day period, counting the number of times vehicles’ illegally pass school buses within the district. This is verified by cameras mounted on each school bus. The total count of violators within the 16-day period? 267 violations.

This is 267 times children have been put at risk by reckless and careless drivers. Since license plates are photographed, no one will get away with breaking this law. A $300 fine will be sent, by mail, to the owner of the car. So, remember you must stop for red flashing lights and the extended stop arm on all school buses.

The Finance Committee was pleased to introduce Harry Aristakesian as the new CFO for the BASD. Supt. Dr. Joseph Roy said, ”Mr. Aristakesian will be a welcome addition to the senior management of BASD – he has vast business experience in both the private and public sectors.”