Lehighton Area School District

The Lehighton Area School District’s board of directors took action on the following items during Monday night’s board meeting:

• Approved a payment on the elementary center project to Lobar Inc. for $25,000.

• Refunded occupational tax for 2019 in the amount of $137.50 to Joseph Lutsko, for 2018 in the amount of $137.50 to Joseph Lutsko, and for 2018 in the amount of $122.50 to Valerie Neal.

• Approved the agreement with Pediatric Therapeutic for school-based therapy services through June 30.

• Appointed Tina Champ as delegate to the Carbon County Tax Collection Committee and Melissa Wagner as alternate.

• Approved a contract with Dr. Patrick Hanley and Dr. Vanessa Rice for Feb. 1, 2020, to June 30, 2020, with a $6,000 stipend paid with signed contract and $7 fee per physical exam and $3 fee per scoliosis examination, as recommended by the school nurses.

• Approved the Lehighton Area High School to offer a winter credit recovery program for students at a cost not to exceed $150 per class using the ELearn 21 system. There will be no cost to the district.

• Approved the agreement with Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 for the Dyslexia Screening and Early Literacy Intervention Pilot program expansion.

• Accepted donations of $7,000 from the Bowmanstown Rod & Gun Club, $220 from Griff’s Ale Haus & Grille to be used for the Title I reading program at Lehighton Area Elementary Center, a $250 gift card from Target to be used at Lehighton Area Elementary Center, $250 from the Bo Tkach Under the Helmet Foundation to be used for the Lehighton Area High School Aevidum Club workshop, and $1,392 from the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley for Girls’ Group.

• Accepted the notice of termination of lease with Bethany Wesleyan for use of the Lehighton Area Middle School as of March 31.

• Approved the memorandum of understanding with Panther Valley School District for nonpublic student transportation.

• Approved a memorandum of understanding with Lehigh Carbon Community College for Teacher in the Workplace for the 2019-20 school year.

• Approved the elementary school after-school remediation support program in English Language Arts and Math. The program will be for students in grades 2-5 and it will start on March 2 and finish on April 2. It will be held Monday-Thursday and run from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. The cost will not exceed $9,500. Funding is through Title I and no transportation is provided.

• Approved the annual tax collector’s reports for East Penn Township, Franklin Township, Lehighton Borough, Parryville Borough, Mahoning Township, and Weissport Borough. These reports are on file at the administration office.

• Approved the following retirements at the end of the 2019-20 school year; Lisa Bart, elementary teacher, 18 years; James Blakeslee, guidance counselor, 36 years; Martha Cox, elementary teacher, 46 years; Beth Daubert, biology teacher, 20 years; Julie McHugh, family/consumer science teacher, 12 years; Jo Ann Schoenberger, elementary teacher, 11 years; Todd Serfass, elementary teacher, 39.27 years; Laura Welkey, music teacher, 17 years; and Patricia Lombardo, paraprofessional, 14 years.

• Approved the resignations of Richard Everett, part-time cleaner, and Tina Blocker, part-time paraprofessional.

• Approved the second reading and approval policies dealing with admission of students, withdrawal from school, and Title I parent complaints.

• Acknowledged Carly Rinda, Kutztown University, as a student teacher.

• Added Amanda Nieves to the professional substitute list.