[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-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],{"_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",6589426,"mediaKeyId","5579964-354cd289a1568e4a7eb857478093e9d7","parentId",5579964,"title","Policy committee reviews mandated-reporting updates and multiple PSBA-recommended policy changes","audioSeconds",3733,"startMs",501000,"endMs",4234000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5579964-354cd289a1568e4a7eb857478093e9d7&start=501&end=4234","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5579964-354cd289a1568e4a7eb857478093e9d7/thumbnail_501000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6589426/Pennsylvania/Policy-committee-reviews-mandated-reporting-updates-and-multiple-PSBA-recommended-policy-changes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6589426-6d23635390734272da7b59bc1f9d941a/orig.mp4?Expires=1776493237&Signature=oIkDxPpgiaFHBrST74s6vvgYpHm~MX2lwAdP1nL5a4Ca4TfeZmuywRpxGxlvkPKUJUCOz1SEJWSdY25Ae59FNuo7hjttMP43gDn6zLfPkZhwvmV7iUXTRN8wsSfZFiPQcS80Or~E4PiuGHCZfqHbITBt4mBC9ewCJN0iBCehetrVI8qaxhXWC7Q7Aus1K~h7uIWp~vlOq9hjKxJ6cLLvUdavXJatF4nWDm7PFnKH3Mb9bPaDRFa1vwlNEeOQlVuMrb5gbrNoWL7hNP2ubQOO6iMJSpCTJP5JfXXfj0QPLeCrSxHtcsXAbzT4BKF2jnufJUiXr6SkEflYM48Zp7-HwQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Pennridge School District","date","2025-08-13T19:20:18Z","article","Pennridge School District's policy committee on Aug. 4 reviewed a package of Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) recommended policy updates that included a second reading of Policy 806 (child abuse) and first readings of policies on weapons, controlled substances and paraphernalia, terroristic threats, and tobacco and vaping products for students and staff.

At the outset, the committee emphasized training and mandated-reporting procedures. Dr. Barrios and policy presenter Mr. Johnson told the committee that staff had reinforced the district's duty to report: if an employee reasonably suspects child abuse or neglect, the employee must report via the state's ChildLine portal or by the specified telephone number. Dr. Barrios said the district solicitors had reviewed reporting duties during a recent administrative retreat and urged a culture of \"over-reporting rather than under-reporting,\" while acknowledging reports can lead to administrative leave while facts are investigated.

Key clarifications on child-protection policy: The committee confirmed Policy 806 references the required procedures for mandated reporters, includes language about notifying parents and agencies as appropriate, and preserves federal- and state-level protections for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Mr. Johnson highlighted added language saying a student \"for whom an evaluation is pending\" should be treated as having protections during the evaluation period; committee members reviewed the manifestation-determination process that applies if a student with an IEP faces long-term suspension or expulsion.

Weapons and controlled-substance policies: The committee reviewed PSBA edits that reorganize reporting and authority language. Members raised specific questions about the treatment of weapons kept in vehicles on school property and about pocket knives left inadvertently by elementary students. Board members and administrators said intent, age and circumstances should guide administrative discipline rather than an automatic, one-size-fits-all penalty; the committee noted those procedural specifics are set out in administrative regulations rather than the policy text.

Tobacco, vaping and medical marijuana language: Committee members flagged confusing or contradictory wording in the PSBA templates that appeared to allow \"smoking zones.\" Members agreed to strike language that could be read to permit permitted zones on school grounds and to clarify that medical marijuana possession/use is not authorized on school property although accommodations for lawful medical needs must follow district and legal guidance.

Drug-free workplace and staff drug-testing language: The staff-policy review included proposed updates related to convictions for controlled-substance offenses and the district's drug-free workplace obligations. Members discussed limiting references to specific named positions in the policy (\"personnel director\") and agreed to have the district solicitor review any drug-testing language that could conflict with state or federal requirements, including testing tied to commercial driver's license (CDL) requirements for bus drivers.

Terroristic threats and readmission conditions: The draft terroristic-threats policy broadens the definition of communications that can constitute a threat to include electronic or similar transmissions. The committee discussed guidance allowing the board to require a written agreement or documentation from behavioral service providers that a student no longer poses a threat as a condition for readmission; members said that step adds a discretionary layer the board could exercise in serious cases.

Next steps: Staff will reconcile inconsistent placement of \"violations\" language across policies (some templates moved disciplinary language into guidelines), strike or clarify permissive language (for example, smoking-zone language), and send draft language on drug testing and CDL-related provisions to the district solicitor for legal review. The committee did not take final votes on the first-reading items during the meeting.

Ending: Board members stressed the importance of training (including Crisis Prevention and Intervention/CPI training for staff and administrators) and consistent administrative regulations to accompany policy changes; staff will return revised drafts for further consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Wednesday, August 13, 2025 - PSD Student Services, and Policy Curriculum Committee Meetings","oneSentenceSummary","Pennridge School District's policy committee on Aug. 4 reviewed a package of PSBA-recommended policy updates including a second reading of the child-abuse policy and first readings of policies on weapons, controlled substances, terroristic threats and tobacco/vaping.","taxTitle","Pennridge SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania","taxId",51485,"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},6589431,"Pennridge outreach reclaims dozens of students from cyber charters; district reports six-figure savings",4829,76000,4905000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5579964-354cd289a1568e4a7eb857478093e9d7&start=76&end=4905","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5579964-354cd289a1568e4a7eb857478093e9d7/thumbnail_76000.jpg","/articles/6589431/Pennsylvania/Pennridge-outreach-reclaims-dozens-of-students-from-cyber-charters-district-reports-six-figure-savings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6589431-8af6af0decc5da113fa55905ec1682ec/orig.mp4?Expires=1776493237&Signature=NgxsyRzRYpToF1XKjKSpjb2OoHnwrlp8Sqh44IBqiDVfvQ~1XffllBZoDb9PJXgfJwM3HfqtjjLQdtAzo0V-s-v5yb4btIX1GWxEra407htM7E4a8~-zZVMTWMVRozrcanvKScY91IMUUSxTMZr9m1ogw~X80LsOtSjO3G0DCJNIJh4RMS~tR1GS9oJ5qE6UpvziJ1rcUSWHuQjRn6jiBEH1ABApWu1T1YSTrTU3yntuC6MQ5yIOPEOsr8CtjdhC28KM4uWXp3oFutNN93JYZogeoNcoVf~AF7d3X4VVi9FtBvo5FNoq44RJnvoOwxROruziVKdfCbqlkSl-f1b2oA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Pennridge School District staff this summer called families of students enrolled in out-of-district cyber charter programs and reported recovering a group of students, district officials said Aug. 4.

Jennifer Bloom, director of teaching, learning and assessment, said staff identified roughly 126 students in cyber charter records and made outreach calls. Bloom said 12 students have committed to return to in-person instruction with the district, four indicated they would enroll in the district's cyber/online program, two planned to enroll in other alternative programs, three moved out of the district and three planned to be homeschooled. Taken together, Bloom said, 24 students left cyber charter enrollment during the outreach effort.

Why it matters: District staff and the board framed the outreach as both an educational and budgetary win. Karen (last name in the record: Fair), who led the phone outreach, told the board her work directly produced $259,000 in avoided cyber tuition this summer; Bloom and other staff provided a separate, rough estimate that the district could avoid about $400,000 if current changes hold. Staff warned those totals are provisional because student enrollment can change before the school year begins.

Bloom described the outreach process as targeted phone calls: the district obtained cyber charter receipts, counted currently enrolled students (excluding graduates) and contacted households by phone over roughly a two-week period. She said the count (126) is student-level, not family-level, and that some households include multiple students.

Special-education and tuition details: District presenters said special-education students enrolled in cyber charters are substantially more expensive for the district. The board heard staff's per-student figures: Bloom said a special-education cyber charter placement costs about $34,000 per student annually, while regular-education cyber charter tuition runs about $15,000 per student. That gap was cited when staff calculated potential savings from students who return to district programs or transfer out of cyber charters.

Next steps and outreach plans: Bloom and board members discussed follow-up steps including a parent survey for families who declined offers to return and a fall open house for the district's online academy. Board members asked staff to update the district website and produce brochures and other marketing materials to sustain recruitment. Bloom also suggested prioritizing outreach to elementary and middle school families, and the board asked staff to pursue outreach to homeschooling communities.

Context and state policy note: Board members also discussed pending state legislation (Senate Bill 1500 mentioned in the meeting) that would cap cyber charter tuition rates; staff encouraged board members to contact local legislators. Bloom said the district has already sent a legislative letter advocating for reforms to cap tuition.

Ending: Board members thanked Karen and Bloom for summer work and asked staff to continue outreach and to return updates to the board as numbers firm up. Staff and board emphasized that the savings estimates are preliminary and enrollment could still change before the fall term.","Pennridge School District staff this summer called families of students enrolled in out-of-district cyber charter programs and reported recovering a group of students, district officials said Aug. 4.",{"_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},6589421,"Curriculum committee updates: full-day kindergarten pilot, $1M PDE-linked dual-enrollment grant, and middle-school wellness revisions",2492,4294000,6786000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5579964-354cd289a1568e4a7eb857478093e9d7&start=4294&end=6786","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5579964-354cd289a1568e4a7eb857478093e9d7/thumbnail_4294000.jpg","/articles/6589421/Pennsylvania/Curriculum-committee-updates-full-day-kindergarten-pilot-1M-PDE-linked-dual-enrollment-grant-and-middle-school-wellness-revisions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6589421-fa2ab47c9c959ddd655762317782d171/orig.mp4?Expires=1776493237&Signature=BCqyOpYno0uuZ1yqsNcdwwizIuLtfR4zuJ0XSighwQ7Spkj5yRBrFPSBNN0Jg2D~lRxEFKxPDNHo5pc1gWsxik0rIz2gq~8cToW1BCC8IdoyP9OVj7qNxOJYh7QAu1qEjQMuwwH1QB4r6XadOchWIctMLvrLq4zCnlxC~AoZmZnETySli-W2TRfGRVcLANj7GsOjPbUcDR88XOe66J7CtyYp6PHAcTETNYLk18roNRD-uVttVnt5AYCuMKL89beKyP~QFp6MfnvzTmywnnDO5UlZ4b1LNPz712xT9NBNYt8L4RWR4M5bf~Vfm4-otpA24-q~GzhiA~WGbFzn96stKA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At its Aug. 4 meeting, the Pennridge School District curriculum committee reviewed several program-level updates: progress on full-day kindergarten, a potential dual-enrollment expansion tied to a $1 million grant to Bucks County Community College and the completion of a multi-year revision of the middle-school wellness curriculum.

Full-day kindergarten pilot: Jennifer Bloom, director of teaching, learning and assessment, reported enrollment counts for the district's full-day kindergarten pilot as of Aug. 4. Bloom said most full-day sections are at 25 students; she noted Divers (site name in district materials) was at 24 students with no wait list. Bloom and principals reported some movement on wait lists: a Sellersville afternoon section initially showed three students but, per principal communication reported in the meeting, that class had seven students as of a more recent check. Bloom cautioned that August registrations often change as bus routes and family choices finalize, and she said the pilot committee will meet Oct. 24 to perform a SWOT analysis and plan observations and site visits.

Kindergarten STEM: The committee discussed, but did not implement, a STEM add-on for the full-day kindergarten pilot. Staff said early work had been done but that the program lacked finalized instructor, budget and equity plans and that introducing the STEM module in one cohort while leaving half-day students without comparable programming would raise equity concerns. Instead, staff will research kindergarten STEM models, schedule site visits between October and December and form a committee to recommend a sustainable implementation for the 2026-27 school year.

Dual-enrollment grant with Bucks County Community College: Bloom described a Pennsylvania Department of Education-related opportunity managed by Bucks County Community College. The college received a $1,000,000 award and proposed making some reduced-cost or free college-credit opportunities available to Pennridge students. Bloom said Bucks County Community College indicated it could provide a set of college-credit seats for Pennridge students (staff cited figures verbally as program options but said final allocation and selection criteria remain under discussion). Bloom and district staff will meet with college representatives on Sept. 5 to set selection criteria, including potential priority for economically disadvantaged students, and to decide whether to use a limited number of fully funded seats this year or a broader reduced-cost offering that could reach many more students. Existing dual-enrollment arrangements with Bucks include AP English Literature, Child Development II and College Algebra; the district is exploring adding public speaking and AP psychology pending college approval.

Middle-school wellness curriculum: Curriculum staff reported completion of a long-running wellness curriculum revision at the middle-school level and said the materials are live in Atlas (the district's curriculum platform). Revisions reduce redundancy across grades and reallocate instructional time (for example, moving some first-aid content to a grade where it aligns with anatomy or lab activities). The staff presenter said the revision emphasizes practical skills (stress management, de-escalation, refusal skills and personal advocacy) and aligns national SHAPE standards where appropriate while keeping Pennsylvania state standards where necessary. The committee also discussed CPR/AED training and the district's investment in mannequins and AED drills for implementation.

Ending: Committee members commended the work, asked staff to continue site visits for the kindergarten STEM research and to return with proposed selection criteria and timelines for the dual-enrollment grant. The committee will bring updates back to the board as details are finalized.","The curriculum committee reviewed the full-day kindergarten pilot enrollment, tabled a kindergarten STEM launch for later study, discussed a Bucks County Community College-linked $1 million PDE grant to expand dual-enrollment access, and completed middle-school wellness curriculum revisions now available on Atlas.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Policy committee reviews mandated-reporting updates and multiple PSBA-recommended policy changes

Pennridge outreach reclaims dozens of students from cyber charters; district reports six-figure savings

Curriculum committee updates: full-day kindergarten pilot, $1M PDE-linked dual-enrollment grant, and middle-school wellness revisions