Some Saucon Valley officials’ Valentine’s Day celebrations might have gotten off to a late start at its Feb. 14 school board meeting, as separate presentations regarding campus safety and a heavily-revised high school schedule and program of studies for the 2023-23 academic year ensured the evening’s session clocked in at nearly two hours.

The first report on the agenda was from Superintendent Jaime Vlasaty, who emphasized the interconnectedness of climate, safety and learning, highlighting the district’s six pillars of safety.

While discussing the first pillar of mental and behavioral health, Vlasaty shared that district counselors recently screened all eighth and 10th graders for signs of suicidal ideation, with over 75 percent of students participating. “I think it really did its job because it [identified] students that could be in need of support or assessments… that was a positive thing for us,” said Vlasaty.

The district’s second pillar focused on health and wellness, with an emphasis on trauma-informed training, Vlasaty said, expressing her gratitude to the school nurses for participating in such through Northampton County. “We have Narcan currently now in our buildings thanks to our wonderful school,” she noted.

Vlasaty also discussed the district’s third pillar of physical safety, which she said includes receiving daily reports from private security and local police departments. However, she expressed concerns about the campus’ deployment as an Election Day voting site. “We have taken the position that there is a security issue… but are willing to work with [the county],” Vlasaty explained.

The fourth pillar addressed the district’s climate, culture and community, emphasizing professional development, crisis prevention, and social and emotional learning. Vlasaty stated that Saucon Valley is doing everything possible to create a safe and supportive environment. “We put in place as much as we possibly can,” she said.

Vlasaty’s fifth pillar centered on operations and emergency management, noting monthly emergency preparedness meetings and a log of students who have had previous assessments. She also demonstrated an outline of drills planned throughout the year.

Finally, the district’s sixth pillar of law, policy and finance involves reviewing and revising policies as a district-level team. Notably, Saucon Valley has applied for a Pa. Commission on Crime & Delinquency grant of approximately $262,000, which will be deployed to improve transportation communication, visitor management, and emergency signage, Vlasaty said.

Next, recently hired high school Principal Walter Pawlowski proposed his first program of studies and 2023-24 schedule, outlining several upcoming changes his team formulated in line with established strategic goals. He emphasized that his philosophy is to “keep what is working in Saucon,” and to be very conscious of current sophomores and juniors regarding changes.

Under the current five-block schedule, students can take up to 40 courses over four years. With only 26 credits required for graduation, however, many students fulfill these before their senior year begins.

To eliminate this issue, Pawlowski proposed increasing the elective requirement, drastically shrinking scheduled “Open Block” time and requiring students to take more classes to promote academic rigor and accountability. He also proposed a shift to a schedule of six one-hour blocks, which he said would eliminate inefficient half-hour and broken block periods.

Additionally, seniors will now be required to have successfully accumulated 28 credits to graduate, Pawlowski said, with year-long courses now worth two credits each. By 2027, every graduate will have taken four ELA, Social Studies, Math and Science courses apiece, along with two in Health/P.E. and 15 electives.

Pawlowski also plans to require full-year Mathematics and English/Language Arts classes for all students at every grade level and increase elective offerings in science and social studies. Other new electives will include Musical Theater, Strength and Conditioning, and separate Honors Band and Honors Chorus courses.

The principal said his vision is to create a personalized schedule for each student, allowing them to choose from a wide range of elective courses that meet their unique interests and goals. “We do not want to be a cookie-cutter district,” with hopes to increase student engagement and foster healthy competition among departments resulting from these changes, he said.

Perhaps most controversially for students, Pawlowski also announced his objective to eliminate Senior Privileges - “I know not making me the most popular brand-new principal,” he noted. As a result, he said he hopes that enrollment in senior-specific courses such as AP Calculus - featuring a roster of only 11 students this year - will grow.

He also proposed the addition of a “jobs credit” if a student is working, acknowledging the hardships of 17/18-year-olds who have been financially helping their families during their off-campus privilege blocks.

Board Vice President Dr. Shamim Pakzad expressed his concern about the plan’s termination of slower-paced “Conceptuals” courses. Pawlowski assured Pakzad that there would be Learning Support Classes available in Math and ELA for all grade levels and that he’s working closely with the Special Education supervisor to ensure a least-restrictive environment for all students.

The principal also proposed eliminating specific prerequisites for AP courses, to be replaced by teacher recommendations. “We do not want to force a student to take a course that they’ve demonstrated mastery in already,” Pawlowski said, adding, “our teachers know our students, our teachers know if they’re ready.”

Concerned about the scope of the changes, Director Michael Karabin suggested that the Academic & Personnel Committee should have another chance to discuss the potential changes before voting on the proposal at the next meeting. Board President Susan Baxter pushed back, noting that Karabin supported the proposal during the committee’s previous meeting.

Director Shawn Welch praised the increased Math requirements, noting that some military-contracted laboratories have had difficulty recruiting capable talent. His colleague John Conte agreed, saying, “Mathematics and ELA are required in any field.”

During the public comment portion at the end of the meeting, multiple district parents spoke with varying opinions. The prevailing concern was over the impact that increasing graduation requirements might have on current juniors. Pawlowski said he would be willing to “grandfather in” some students, depending on their individual circumstances.

Notably, however, almost everyone agreed that Senior Privileges were “a waste of time” and will be glad to see them go.

In other news, Director Cedric Dettmar reported that Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School released its budget proposal for the 2023-2024 school year. The proposal calls for an increase of $140,000 in Saucon Valley’s annual contribution, which is currently around $875,000.

The Vo-Tech’s overall budget is only due for a modest increase of 3.5 percent. However, other participating districts are reducing the number of students they send, which has increased Saucon Valley’s share, Dettmar said. Director Bryan Eichfeld, who also serves as liaison with Dettmar, said that Northampton and Saucon are sending more students to the Vo-Tech school, in particular.