Lehighton eye test controversy resolved
The controversy over an eyesight screening service offered by the local district of Lions Club International looks to be over in Lehighton Area School District.
Lehighton’s board of directors on Monday night approved sending a letter to the Lions allowing them to use their hand-held Welch Allyn Spot auto-refraction device for screenings at kindergarten and Pre-K registrations, and for noncommunicative students.
In July, the district approved allowing the Lions to offer its screening to all district students, K-12. Last month, however, the district’s nurses voiced their opposition to the Lions’ exam taking the place of their own screenings.
“When the board gave approval for the Lions to offer supplemental vision screenings K-12, it was done with no consultation or input from the school nurses,” high school nurse Abbie Guardiani said. “The vote was taken without our knowledge. Collaboration does not begin with an attempt to bulldoze a time-tested program of health and wellness.”
The nurses said the Titmus machine they use is approved by the state for mandated annual eye exams, while the Lions’ machine is not.
Dave Leon, coordinator of the Lions District 14-U Kid Sight program, said it focuses on kids ages 6 months through 6 years old, but anyone could be screened.
“The reason for that is because that age group is one nobody is paying attention to,” Leon said. “The younger you catch problems in children, the faster it is for them to get that corrected or go through therapies. At no time did we say, however, that we wouldn’t look at larger age groups.”
The Lions Club did screen students, after receiving parent permission, at Lehighton Area Elementary Center earlier this school year.
“The nurses chose not to be present during those screenings,” Leon said. “Everywhere else we went, the nurses worked with us the whole time.”
School nurse Colleen Harleman said she and other nurses did a lot of work in the lead-up to the Lions Club screenings. That included getting the permission slips out, sorted by classroom after they were returned, as well as making sure all the clearances were in place for those doing the screenings.
“The way the board members who presented the Lions Club screenings went about it, It flies in the face of having the intent of working with the district nurses,” Guardiani said. “Collaboration has been torpedoed.”
The school nurses also presented at March’s board meeting, but Leon was not there. Board members David Bradley and Gail Maholick said they were told Leon was informed by someone not to attend.
“That wasn’t the case,” Leon said Monday, “I just didn’t know it was going to be a topic of discussion.”
Leon said the Lions are more than interested in using their equipment at kindergarten and Pre-K registrations, an idea Lehighton’s administration backed as well.
“We would love to do that,” Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said. “It’s a great way to catch children before they get into the public school system, and the Lions officials can talk to parents directly about a referral if one is necessary. Then parents have the whole summer to do something about it if they choose.”
Guardiani said the nurses also support the Lions using the equipment at those registration events.
“We do value what the Lions do,” she said. “But their screenings belong with children 6 months to 6 years old.”
Comments
Good morning. The unanimous board and the community supported the free screen. In many ways it is superior technology. Get with the times, technology that benefits the children is good. The illogical fear that school nurses will be replaced by an eye screen is a bit of a conspiracy theory. School nurses are critical to the safety of our children, they will never be replace by machines.
In my educated opinion, the Admin played on the nurses fear, using them as a distraction. Let me transparently show you some of your government's actions from the perspective of listening to.the public. The true purpose of the open school board meetings. The Sunshine Act, where the government is actually a public servant.
When it is discovered just how beneficial, and free, wanted the screening was, after 800+ were screened in the Elementary Center, it was played to be a job killer. Therefore, the nurses and administration ignored the direct orders from the board, unambiguous, unanimous direct orders and they stalled implementation. The rest of the students were blocked from access to the free screening technology that so many other communities embrace. A technology capable of so much more then just a prescription, or visual assessment.
This discussion was about a year old. So ask yourself, why did Larry Stern and Superintendent Cleaver that comprise the agenda need a diversion?
The rubber stamper board was about to be exposed to more actions of Favoritism to students, selective enforcement, and a mismanagement surrounding a classroom test. Our curriculum provider that we spend big bucks with was found to have serious flaws in their security, and our ingenious students exploited the weakness, taking advantage of the flaw. Creative, wrong, ironic, but what does the law say? What will the judge and jury of that law, the school board say? Will they hear all the witnesses? Or just the ones Superintendent Cleaver chooses to hear? Will the process be fair? Will parents need to hire attorneys just so fairness and due process are enforced?
And only when the "cheating scandal" was about to hit the board room, did a nurse's presentation against a nearly year old eye exam took center stage. A basic diversion.
Students. Parents, teachers and staff that were unfairly treated wanted to have the board hear the transparent facts, without the need for hiring legal counsel. They were blocked when the agenda, controlled by Larry Stern and Superintendent Cleaver ADDED several presentations to the agenda. The nurses and the CCTI budget. The CCTI grilling was a filler, it was repeat of the CCTI meeting just days before.
The community was played. The meeting presentations went to nearly 9 pm and full meeting to past 11 pm.
The parents were silenced by the defined tactics we discovered when we used RTK requests of emails between past President Bowman, and Superintendent Cleaver. Review of minutes and conversation revealed that past President Krause and now Larry Stern use similar tactics to divert truth, and hide expenses. Ask David Krause how much the stadium lights cost? Will he give you the proce of the physical light bulb or the fixtures, installation, subcontractors, permitting etc.
Once the people have a voice, and the teachers comtrol their fear, all these games goes away.
Fear, and intimidation prevent people from making complaints to this government entitlement program. Once fewer and intimidation are removed, and people can speak openly and freely without fear, we all win. The system will be improved at an accelerated rate.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.
Statements and opinions are that of my informed consent and diligent research on government activities. They are made in my individual capacity as a citizen, base don my personal belief and critical to the actions of my government. Few have such character that they have little fear of retaliation. Once identified, we become the repository of the data and information. If you have data to share and fear reprisal, find a way to anonymously share it. Or use the Safe2Say system then state has organized.
Cleaning up corruption is not a one man job.
All governments, like all people, make mistakes. The method in fixing them are similar, complain. In government these complaints need to be written, the idea of talking to government to resolve an issue only resolves your individual issue. If you care about your community, file a written complaint, this way the system is fixed.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.