Wyoming Valley West board discuss safety protocols

A trio of safety protocols, one approved and two proposed, were the hot topics of discussion at Wyoming Valley West’s monthly school board meeting on Wednesday night.

Anthony Dicton, the district’s safety committee chairman, went in-depth on the district’s new clear backpack policy. Students from kindergarten through fifth grade will now be required to wear a transparent backpack, which will be provided by the district.

This elementary-level policy is a reflection of a similar policy that is already in place at the middle and high schools. Students from sixth through 12th grades are allowed to use non-transparent backpacks, but they cannot be carried around the hallways. Students who carry backpacks throughout the school day must use clear backpacks.

In the elementary schools, new students will be provided with clear backpacks upon their arrival in the district. Students may bring their own backpack to school, but the bag must be clear.

The backpacks that are provided by the school district will have a place for a tag that will list the student’s first name and last name initial, their bus arrangement, and a contact number, according to Dicton.

This approved clear backpack policy will go into effect on Wednesday, Sept. 5, the first day of the 2024-25 school year.

Dicton discussed a pair of proposed safety protocols at the meeting as well. The first was a required student identification card for sixth through 12th grade students. The ID card, which would be provided to the students by the district, would include a bar code for school lunches and the suicide hotline number.

The other proposal Dicton discussed was in regards to the district’s cell phone policy. Citing the negative mental health and concentration impacts of cell phone use in the classroom, Dicton outlined a plan for cell phone pouches to be used in the district’s middle and high schools. According to Dicton, the individual pouches would be distributed to students as the result of a grant of that has already been received by the district. In addition to the student’s cell phone, the pouch would also be able to hold the student’s ID card.

Dicton said that he would like to see both the ID card and cell phone pouch policies implemented by mid-November, around the time students would return from the Veterans Day holiday.

Among other actions, the board:

• Approved the positions of Head Physician, School Physician, School Dentist and established salaries, hours, and rates for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

• Approved a contract with Keystone Sports Construction through Co-Stars for replacement of the high school running track in the amount of $391,095.70.

• Approved Invoice #4182-06 for SitelogIQ in the amount of $2,727,245, as presented; Invoice #4182-07 for SitelogIQ in the amount of $2,047,151, as presented; and Invoice 7253-01 for SitelogIQ in the amount of $231,539, as presented.

• Approved Amendment #3 to the Guaranteed Energy Savings Agreement (GESA) with SitelogIQ, to include hazardous material abatement, water infiltration, and other associated work at the Third Avenue Elementary School and Wyoming Valley West Middle School, not to exceed $300,000. This was the lone measure not to receive the board’s unanimous approval. Board member Mark Kobusky suggested that the Third Avenue Elementary School element of the amendment be separated from the middle school element.

• Approved the high school, middle school and elementary student handbooks for the 2024-25 school year.

• Approved an agreement with 3B Services, Inc., to repair leaks at the high school, including pipes, fittings and valves in the amount of $15,933.

• Approved a proposal from Holy Redeemer High School to use Spartan Stadium for 2024 football games on Aug. 30, Sept. 14, Sept. 28, Oct. 12, Oct. 19, and Oct. 25.

• Approved OneSource Staffing Solutions, a “headhunter,” to assist in recruiting and selection services for the Operations Manager position.

• Appointed new hires and accepted resignations ahead of the 2024-25 school year.

The school board also announced that they will hold a special meeting on Friday, Aug. 23.