[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6372566,"mediaKeyId","2147528-c085b60752d2920c038e581ddfdea322","parentId",2147528,"title","Parents criticize Pleasant Valley after buses failed in extreme cold; superintendent defends remote-instruction decision","audioSeconds",573,"startMs",4716000,"endMs",5289000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2147528-c085b60752d2920c038e581ddfdea322&start=4716&end=5289","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2147528-c085b60752d2920c038e581ddfdea322/thumbnail_4716000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6372566/Pennsylvania/Parents-criticize-Pleasant-Valley-after-buses-failed-in-extreme-cold-superintendent-defends-remote-instruction-decision","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6372566-0c69615b0fc0ad13326aa1a31238c08d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158009&Signature=DddEUXRNwy~4xFXaSuQIsHByfidkZ0wDXaeL7LI7fee8Ly3LsRm837rv0CZsEWBn8yRNXyuY2VOpo-vi2Pcu6BtAsRjZayqkqc8xJ20wMorjvf-6SRTFo~Uh-4X7OblNikQqa2pkDK2YU0TRvmHFcEUtIgVB1UeFDPd0Ih2Pp3jCyVgAmKpPutuawHzj-mkae93g9ywxK8kDsc7m-Ft6Z8rrGOBdNj9nu--yLo3gsQSpUFxHHkqPJHGKw2zZwNy~WKAjvH6y8SO1e0uilw56OBluN9lLg4OVi2zMnMVrS5xpScQEmh5FvG3wl8VJb~KFYN5ZODupaMVwq3GwXhmXUQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Pleasant Valley School District","date","2025-01-23T17:33:02Z","article","A parent told the Pleasant Valley Board of Education on Jan. 23 that her daughter was moved into a virtual class for nine weeks and criticized the district for using remote instruction after buses failed to start amid an extreme cold snap.

“I cannot believe that I'm sending my child to brick-and-mortar school because I believe that is the best education for them. And now they're gonna sit in the classroom with a teacher in the room who's not really — they're just there fixing monitored behavior. The only way they can contact their teacher is via email. That's not education,” the parent told the board during public comment.

The parent also raised concerns about recurring tax increases, administrative pay and school budget choices during the public-comment portion of the meeting.

District response
Superintendent Dr. Conrad described the operational decisions that led the district to pivot to a remote instruction day on one of the extreme-weather dates. She said buses — which are contracted — repeatedly failed to start in the predawn hours, and staff added additional anti-freeze additives and took other precautions.

Dr. Conrad said the district faced \"negative 14 degrees\" and that, after consulting transportation staff, she determined an in‑person start could not be guaranteed. \"I will go on the record and say this,\" she told the board, \"that there was never an intention to do a remote instruction day. That pivot was a result of factors of negative 14 degrees and degrees that prevented our buses from operating the way that they should have.\" She added that the district did not charge taxpayers for the days buses did not operate.

Board and community follow-up concerns
Board members and community speakers asked for more detail about why nearby districts had buses running while Pleasant Valley’s fleet struggled and questioned whether food and meal distributions were affected. Dr. Conrad said food prepared for missed days remained available to students when in-person instruction resumed and that administrators were reviewing bus reliability and steps to prevent recurrence.

On staffing for the specific virtual-placement complaint, the superintendent said one teacher expected to return at the start of the fourth nine-week marking period and another vacancy remained under active recruitment.

Ending
Board members told the public they would continue to investigate transportation reliability, the district’s processes for substituting remote instruction in emergencies and staffing to minimize future disruptions. The district scheduled further internal follow-ups and said it will continue to communicate with families about operational decisions during extreme weather.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","1/23/25 PV BoE Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","A parent criticized Pleasant Valley School District on Jan. 23 after her child was assigned to a virtual class and the district used a remote-instruction day when contracted buses would not start amid temperatures near -14°F.","taxTitle","Pleasant Valley SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania","taxId",60258,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6372571,"Pleasant Valley board hears student honors, approves routine finance and operations items; Citizens Advisory Committee policy slated for February",6267,79000,6346000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2147528-c085b60752d2920c038e581ddfdea322&start=79&end=6346","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2147528-c085b60752d2920c038e581ddfdea322/thumbnail_79000.jpg","/articles/6372571/Pennsylvania/Pleasant-Valley-board-hears-student-honors-approves-routine-finance-and-operations-items-Citizens-Advisory-Committee-policy-slated-for-February","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6372571-f5521767d4a6be38e2685e7977b09170/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158009&Signature=Nje1wKWnH07VSnt2FmQINkr64RxDlMZkXDYqaoPG7zDgeEg0AJ~Ck59kfZDoZIYU70XxFdxVBxOGV7nKXWRHIxEn5hEMaUHvPDQ7EafamfG2z5eUPu6q~s81BIrvPW5ejbg7Hc-6GLsan5OGFUqTGP2g7-t0BX4eEIHiPWTqOmf-txFnHjkRPzuJFMB1JUP63JRXsesoQVJz11RLHE2oy0v9fyfzqDX1GqoIoRIMprcGEzctPSsjt11WZrlHNZWAWRCuImBP5dq5WSUukdMaBPffk7Q0SdXvK5GxcgxtfOHk04KqAjbVlHNcslCNYcD5WqSYnNGer9R9xDjRvVsm-A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Pleasant Valley Board of Education on Jan. 23 heard student presentations and approved multiple routine finance, personnel and operations items while directing policy 905 (Citizens Advisory Committee) toward the board agenda in February.

Superintendent Dr. Conrad opened the board meeting by noting the district had held an executive session just before the regular meeting \"for purposes of personnel, including but not limited to performance and or discipline negotiations and legal issues,\" and introduced a presentation by the FBLA chapter. Board members and administrators praised the student presenters; the FBLA report noted more than 40 members qualified to compete at the state leadership conference in Hershey in April.

Why it matters: The approvals completed routine business that keeps district operations moving — payroll, vendor/contract approvals and program updates — while the planned discussion and possible adoption of policy 905 (Citizens Advisory Committee) would set the formal structure for community input if adopted after its February agenda appearance.

Key actions and approvals
- Treasurer's report (item 4a) — Motion by Mr. Geller, seconded by Mr. Berger; approved. The board recorded the motion and it carried.
- Approval of items 7b and 7c (personnel/administrative items) — Motion by Mr. Galler; seconded; approved.
- Items 9 a–b (information) — moved and accepted as informational.
- Approval of items 10b–10g (consent/operational items) — motion carried.
- Approval of item 11a (routine consent) — motion by Mr. Walters, seconded by Mr. Clark; approved.
- Approval of item 12a (curriculum/course changes and related approvals) — motion by Mr. Berger, seconded by Mr. Geller; approved after board discussion about electives and scheduling.
- Approval of item 13a (operations) — motion by Mr. Galler, seconded by Mr. O'Keefe; approved.
- Approval of business management items including 15b, 15c, 15h and 15j and related vendor/technology requests — motions carried after discussion about esports and other programs.
- Approval of items 16b, 16c and 16g (tax-collector contract and related items) — motions carried; board reported the tax-collector arrangement is a four-year contract beginning 2026–27.

Board and administration notes
Dr. Conrad told the board she expects policy 905, the Citizens Advisory Committee policy, to appear on the board agenda for first reading Feb. 13 after review through the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) to ensure legal citations are current; she said the district had sought input from IU 20 superintendents and staff as part of that process.

Career and technical education Liaison Mrs. Serpas reported District 11 skills competition results and noted several Pleasant Valley students placed first or second and will advance to the state competition in Hershey April 2–4; she outlined local winners who will represent the district at state and potentially national competitions.

Board member and committee reports covered design meetings for the high school renovation (scheduled monthly through May) and routine liaison updates for technology, security and athletics.

Federal guidance and legal update
Board solicitor/representative Fitzgerald briefed the board on recent federal developments related to immigration enforcement: a longtime Department of Homeland Security memo that had discouraged enforcement actions inside schools was rescinded, and Justice Department guidance on local officials' obligations has prompted district offices and superintendents to review protocols. Fitzgerald told the board the district would comply with applicable law and advised that, when required, enforcement actions should be supported by judicially issued warrants.

Ending
Board members closed the regular meeting after routine business and moved to an executive session. Several community members had addressed the board during public comment; the board said it would continue to refine procedures for community engagement ahead of the Citizens Advisory Committee discussion in February.

","At its Jan. 23 meeting the Pleasant Valley Board of Education heard FBLA and student recognitions, was briefed on plans to place policy 905 (Citizens Advisory Committee) on the Feb. 13 agenda, and approved a series of routine finance, personnel and operations items, including treasurer and contract-related motions.","actionData","errors"]

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Parents criticize Pleasant Valley after buses failed in extreme cold; superintendent defends remote-instruction decision

Pleasant Valley board hears student honors, approves routine finance and operations items; Citizens Advisory Committee policy slated for February