[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-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",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_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",6613144,"mediaKeyId","2876683-21a5f3e197d3175d2154766a4b438fa2","parentId",2876683,"title","Board to consider $25,000 donation, playground redesign and a superintendent contract at next public meeting","audioSeconds",5693,"startMs",515000,"endMs",6208000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2876683-21a5f3e197d3175d2154766a4b438fa2&start=515&end=6208","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2876683-21a5f3e197d3175d2154766a4b438fa2/thumbnail_515000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6613144/Pennsylvania/Board-to-consider-25000-donation-playground-redesign-and-a-superintendent-contract-at-next-public-meeting","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6613144-cf074eba87ceb4f0ea9caa7207c166c1/orig.mp4?Expires=1773762474&Signature=ibn7uNoUMGw8tT-6BTOtV-MkDV6BLyGzosyH0Ez33oQMxXWPsiLoVDaahUznyM5J2Nq6d17-te5qUH77E0R79Si0C2rye3UFNVwpLdcPUdkBnrGx45jbaoJAWXjZ0ltAsKqdKE92RTna7bcyU2MHJ-r0lDtmXyD-FOLPe3S36uxJ6z9~li5lsZPUTM4VzAMZLyt0K~yMc5X~p7YKvDTKWi7mkGOEQueuT7a-U8kERTFhWLJKUcErJuJei2xEm74nh5EIeDQDoBc5YZJaGCm7b8rhTU7f5vldWVNf9-YyOs0peWCCfctB4LChWHYujByTXbj6Rg4d4M9zjd5R5VF94g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Punxsutawney Area School District","date","2025-04-04T15:16:27.143Z","article","During the work session the board said it will ask members to accept a $25,000 donation from the Cheyenne R. Burkett Memorial Scholarship Fund and to approve a change to a previously approved playground project design.

Board materials described a playground project that began as a roughly $250,000–$300,000 plan but grew over design iterations; in the discussion the board cited an approved design and said the project had risen to around $6,690,000 (as described in board remarks). Board members said the $25,000 donation and other contributions helped with inclusive equipment items and noted the district’s capital budget limits would require rebalancing the project scope.

On personnel, the board announced the candidate it plans to recommend as superintendent. The board packet contains a contract and the candidate has accepted the terms, the administrators said. The candidate identified by the district is Dr. Charles Krainbacher, described in meeting materials as currently serving as assistant superintendent in Armstrong; the board said it will vote Tuesday on the contract and that Dr. Krainbacher and his wife plan to attend the meeting.

No votes were recorded during the work session. The board indicated it will take formal action on the donation, the playground project revision and the superintendent contract at its next public meeting.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","SchoolBoard Committee Meeting 4 3 25","oneSentenceSummary","The board said it will ask for Tuesday approval to accept a $25,000 donation tied to a playground redesign that expanded from an initial plan; it also announced a superintendent candidate who has accepted contract terms and is expected at Tuesday's meeting.","taxTitle","Punxsutawney Area SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania","taxId",70120,"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},6613148,"Elementary leaders end reset room, move to distributed supports and quarterly discipline reports",259,3267000,3526000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2876683-21a5f3e197d3175d2154766a4b438fa2&start=3267&end=3526","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2876683-21a5f3e197d3175d2154766a4b438fa2/thumbnail_3267000.jpg","/articles/6613148/Pennsylvania/Elementary-leaders-end-reset-room-move-to-distributed-supports-and-quarterly-discipline-reports","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6613148-b88d0084862355bf6e46f247b1da47fc/orig.mp4?Expires=1773762474&Signature=Pk~Uj9RI1rbMcDv8c9QBt4p3L1xZ~-Fg1Q0P-2mRfpctgzPGQW3otJkJyPBoAgx9VULxQckM26wFQtvp4an53VjYtJEXy~e4UFAQwv0hYkgx0O4wQqDRIZR4OmMRGSkrZkVtHg28s7P~TXz2t46j30Jis7cJfWaD3whxn2OLhLC5PYG7zob8pLll0UIGfhcnJArMV8xR-XJ~ttuVlUmht0OK17u7zYVFTJX5MRT78mAUCM7P9xT27XdMFc4TkJN0xk2rTCY-aLHeyueAEDsOmp0vtP81Di0rlZPyU7~9nyYWpjPRg01DybcoJnj36XN-z7mXB4dadt2y69VjlQ2fgQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Leaders at the Punxsutawney Area Elementary School (PAES) said the building discontinued a centralized “reset room” for the 2024–25 year and instead embedded support staff into classroom schedules to respond more quickly to behavioral incidents.

Miss Nichols, PAES principal, told the board the reset room pilot in 2023–24 had pros and cons. For 2024–25, the school’s master schedule was revised so reading and math specialists, IST (intervention support team) staff and other support personnel are available throughout the day. That change, Nichols said, allowed staff to remove a student from class and offer a brief sensory walk, a visit to a sensory room, a drink or a short regrouping activity without calling to check if a centrally located reset-room staff member was available.

“We put reading specialists and support staff and really filter them out throughout the day,” Nichols said. “The classroom that was having a child that needed to be removed for a reset, there was an adult available to go and do that. This proved to work better, more efficient, faster to remove that child than to call down to an office.”

Nichols also said the school will provide quarterly discipline reports to the board — including year-to-date and end-of-year reports — and that office referrals can be filtered by grade level and teacher to identify patterns. She described a system of consistent classroom-level guidelines (Leader in Me language and think sheets) intended to reduce office referrals and to document interventions before office-level discipline such as in-school suspension (ISS) is used. The school’s ISS room serves grades K–6, and Nichols said staff use multiple interventions before resorting to ISS.

Board members asked administrators to provide the year-to-date discipline data and an end-of-year report; administrators said the district already can filter office referrals by teacher and grade and will deliver the requested reports after the quarter ends.

","PAES administrators discontinued a centralized reset room this year and replaced it with classroom-level guidelines and distributed support staff; the school will begin regular quarterly discipline reports to the board and can filter office referrals by grade and teacher.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6613153,"Board explores pre-K committee, kindergarten registration glitches and outreach to boost enrollment",369,2085000,2454000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2876683-21a5f3e197d3175d2154766a4b438fa2&start=2085&end=2454","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2876683-21a5f3e197d3175d2154766a4b438fa2/thumbnail_2085000.jpg","/articles/6613153/Pennsylvania/Board-explores-pre-K-committee-kindergarten-registration-glitches-and-outreach-to-boost-enrollment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6613153-a094430ba95d7a5575f229603ef20861/orig.mp4?Expires=1773762474&Signature=gv252ABg0uU2mot31D4AENE0X7L0a4JYbFCBSlcDWGQhmJV6x9vBcwkEfdaSawMtRzHnvs7qKJ68gVhSN3QU9zPcOq66QO8AOZsOs-W8StWH~i0hakqbcnkpYb8qms8qcRkRYDorC6mKKIoitFB1WTLRBjQPZrrzb4mHAt3mjJrlrWHtzjKkBOOQoqhIwhyBeZFMuj~voVjYsetRDB1gnpttq6-0Vmw0hBKY~WdcP--oUvSuYnAfGfWMCHo16tMc7jgxZbJVvuN2bVK59p9CRYX2~aBc0PHXsroqFglg7MEDN28CpE8X9yOhnCk-0aqBT0FA5zSPxuD7s8St6V1IeQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Board members discussed early-childhood readiness, kindergarten registration problems tied to a new student-information system and possible outreach and marketing to increase district kindergarten enrollment.

Dr. Bassett, a district administrator, said members had raised concerns that some children are arriving at kindergarten unprepared for classroom expectations. He proposed establishing a stakeholder committee of pre-K providers, day-care operators, medical professionals, counselors and kindergarten teachers to identify gaps and coordinate supports. “My thought process is we develop somewhat of a committee… comprised of all the stakeholders,” he said, adding that parents should be part of the work.

Board members cautioned that starting a district-run pre-K would have financial implications and could affect private providers; they said the committee should explore options without displacing existing local businesses. The board asked administrators to invite retired educators, Head Start representatives and kindergarten teachers to participate.

On kindergarten registration, administrators said the district moved from eSchoolData to Synergy for its student information system and the first night of digital registration experienced technical problems that have since been corrected. The district said it will hold additional registration events at the central office on the ninth and tenth of the month for families needing help, and that paper options and photo uploads are available as workarounds when required fields prevented progress.

Board members also discussed outreach to families earlier in the year to showcase kindergarten programming and suggested offering classroom tours, evening sessions for working parents, or earlier summer orientation to give families a more personal connection to the school. Administrators said logistical constraints (building capacity and parking) complicate mid-day classroom visits but that evening or summer events and tutorials could be expanded for the next school year to make the district more competitive with private and cyber-school options.

No formal policy changes were adopted during the session; board members asked administration to form the stakeholder list and return with a proposed committee structure and outreach plan.

","Board members proposed a community stakeholder committee to improve preschool readiness, discussed technical issues with kindergarten registration and considered earlier marketing and registration events to make district programs more competitive with private and cyber options.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6613158,"Punxsutawney discusses helmet safety, booster-funded equipment and options to replace retiring athletic director",438,1180000,1618000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2876683-21a5f3e197d3175d2154766a4b438fa2&start=1180&end=1618","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2876683-21a5f3e197d3175d2154766a4b438fa2/thumbnail_1180000.jpg","/articles/6613158/Pennsylvania/Punxsutawney-discusses-helmet-safety-booster-funded-equipment-and-options-to-replace-retiring-athletic-director","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6613158-bda86c928f58a8b57698fef203d14d9b/orig.mp4?Expires=1773762474&Signature=gLt7KbC~nKcgU~5EpHGfbvuGNeEUEza06hJ-7G9TVbsddpk21c6VddxU8sDMpGxqJb9aHARQ4ACXsCJcwC3pgEVEWOhfgztKrPfp1X0YMDl3PNq225f-M5Eua8SWCBgLmyGvJYx0R0zIOD2uUOQpvY~UeVC2wDa00aDhjUPGgjBTJX7k7GZXlO16hHm7hflrnr~vPgjidHZECHskY7y1TsACgRycXo1-HsirHZolA4dcoEuideu-MwwsUKj4h58qTYWMMTd9yvGttDIFkiws6Ghb9UdW1WDxweRpQM7VoiWYYI9omaoUJkfvinWckWPHHznlS6i91Uzpj6QexE5gBQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Punxsutawney Area School District held a wide-ranging athletics discussion during its work session that covered helmet safety and warranty issues, a proposed booster-club advertising plan, scheduling gaps in the football league and options to replace the retiring athletic director.

Mr. Wright, the district athletic director, outlined equipment and safety options for the football program and summarized current inventory and costs. “The helmet we use is a SpeedFlex helmet,” he said, and described a complementary protective product called a guardian cap, which he said costs about $70. Wright told the board the district currently stocks about 90 SpeedFlex helmets and that the roster for the program typically requires roughly 70 helmets (about 40 for high school and about 28 for junior high), noting additional helmets are needed as spares. He said a full inventory replacement could approach “a hundred thousand dollars,” depending on the number and model ordered.

Wright and other administrators discussed whether parents or booster clubs should be allowed to buy higher-end helmets or additional protective gear for individual players. Administrators raised operational questions about ownership and ongoing servicing: who would own such helmets, who would be responsible for fitting and reconditioning them, and whether adding third-party padding would void manufacturer warranties. Wright said some manufacturers say adding a guardian cap can void a SpeedFlex warranty.

Board members and athletic staff also reviewed league scheduling disruptions: the district’s league lost teams this year, forcing a mid-cycle redraft of schedules that will mean some opponents are played twice and others not at all. That change, the athletic staff said, was driven by neighboring districts losing programs and the league’s shift to a one-year scheduling cycle.

Separately, the board discussed personnel planning after the imminent retirement of the current athletic director. The district presented three staffing options: (1) create a new assistant-principal/athletic-director role (splitting an administrative position between athletics and assistant principal duties), (2) keep the current model of a teacher who also serves as athletic director, or (3) convert the role to an after-school or stipend position. Board members also discussed a fourth practical option — hiring a full-time athletic director who is not a classroom teacher — and asked for financial comparisons and job descriptions to guide a decision.

No hiring decision was made at the work session. The board asked staff to return with cost breakdowns and more detailed job descriptions so it can determine how to advertise and fill the position before Mr. Wright’s planned June departure.

","District athletic staff and board members discussed helmet safety, the cost and ownership of parent-bought equipment, scheduling challenges for the football season and options to replace retiring athletic director Randy Wright.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6613162,"Parents urge Punxsutawney Area SD to address repeated bullying; district schedules roundtable",175,281000,456000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2876683-21a5f3e197d3175d2154766a4b438fa2&start=281&end=456","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2876683-21a5f3e197d3175d2154766a4b438fa2/thumbnail_281000.jpg","/articles/6613162/Pennsylvania/Parents-urge-Punxsutawney-Area-SD-to-address-repeated-bullying-district-schedules-roundtable","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6613162-569196ac416e8332766ca65e4a2a5035/orig.mp4?Expires=1773762474&Signature=ZTCnoZca~c0h478GiMtVNn7Rt5sYUxaxaNv0t45NenRg-JjE97-LaaHIDmIEb3HwDdxUl7kBbtu2D8XGvdsw3wydDiaSb4CPPj7Wz8PXDcSYIyS89nB6qbttL7eCeSFk6hTYCLvcyQdDImDJ76hA2hHVRCHC2zakdpOmOL~q18nWEvLxNvRZYqAYrgzNNbCZMF1nwsHUacVlOKlXSP4fcHU~0ot0u8X~1oxiZ5bmarucrLD2N3NsBq5BCOAW16dEvhb2hlEZ41jtjjNSe7QO2gfbn~89zakJqmVEdBJmri2AElsAGlwnCS3sWHNy6B2nyQT7HCAjozFiIpbE0Y6GeA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Two parents described repeated bullying of a Punxsutawney student at a board work session and urged the Punxsutawney Area School District to take action to improve student safety.

In public comment, Jessica, a parent, said her son Bentley has faced bullying “over the past couple of years,” including incidents she said began in kindergarten and escalated in high school. “The bullying began in kindergarten when a teacher made a thoughtless comment about his epilepsy medicine,” she said, and added that Bentley had been physically assaulted: “he has been stabbed with a pencil, had his thumb bent back until it cracked, and had been punched in the head by 2 students.” Jessica said she created a Facebook page to collect other parents’ reports and “urge[d] you to take some action to address this issue and ensure that our children feel safe and supported in school.”

Later, Mike Harmon, who identified himself as attending because of the bullying issue, described what he called failures of existing disciplinary responses and proposed graduated penalties. “So what I’m thinking is if you go with the first offense, you get, like, 4, 4 hours of community service… Third offense, you give their parents a fine and you double it again,” Harmon said. He also argued teachers who engage in bullying should face immediate dismissal: “Teachers should be fired on the spot.”

Board members and administrators said the work session was not the forum for extended back-and-forth on individual incidents, and they pointed parents to an upcoming district meeting intended for a broader, more informal discussion. A board member noted a superintendent-led roundtable on April 15 at 4:00 p.m. for parents and school leaders to discuss concerns and protocols; administrators also reiterated the district’s standard complaint path: talk first to a classroom teacher, then to building administration.

District officials who spoke during the meeting acknowledged there are established policies and procedures for reporting bullying and for responding to incidents, and they encouraged parents to use those channels so staff can investigate and document concerns. The board did not take formal action at the meeting on the subject.

The board chair and administration encouraged concerned parents to attend the April 15 meeting for a fuller discussion and to follow the district’s reporting process so the district can document incidents and take appropriate steps.

","Two parents described repeated bullying of a student and urged the Punxsutawney Area School District to take stronger steps. The board and administrators said a public roundtable is scheduled and outlined existing reporting channels.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board to consider $25,000 donation, playground redesign and a superintendent contract at next public meeting

Elementary leaders end reset room, move to distributed supports and quarterly discipline reports

Board explores pre-K committee, kindergarten registration glitches and outreach to boost enrollment

Punxsutawney discusses helmet safety, booster-funded equipment and options to replace retiring athletic director

Parents urge Punxsutawney Area SD to address repeated bullying; district schedules roundtable