Whitehall-Coplay School District’s curriculum committee presented a new plan to regulate and add consistency to student field trips during an Oct. 9 meeting. The new process will have specific and consistent trips preplanned for each grade level every year. This guarantees each class will have at least one field trip each year. Each grade will have a grade-level coordinator who will be the contact person for permission slips, planning, transportation and scheduling.

The cost for these field trips will be covered by the district and was approved as part of the 2023-24 budget. Additional field trips can be added, with board approval, and can be paid for through fundraisers and PTO-sponsored trips.

The field trips include kindergarten to Lehigh Valley Zoo, first grade to the Crayola Factory, second grade to Lost River Caverns, third grade to Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm, fourth grade to Da Vinci Science Center, fifth grade to Hugh Moore Park, sixth grade to Jacobsburg Park, seventh grade to Civic Theatre and eighth grade to Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum.

The operations/transportation committee presented plans for the repurposing of the current Gockley Elementary School. The building will be reconfigured to be an administration building and education center once the new elementary building is ready for students. It was noted the building had been well taken care of, making the transition to offices simpler. Some of the building enhancements, set to begin in the summer of 2024, will include more windows, a new roof, updated safety and security measures and HVAC upgrades.

Superintendent Dr. Robert Steckel said it will be nice to “have all administration offices under one roof, instead of being scattered throughout the district.”