Penn-Trafford parent urges board to reconsider stricter senior college and work‑release rules

A Penn‑Trafford parent told the school board on Tuesday that recent changes to the high school’s senior college and work‑release program were not communicated clearly and will overburden students and counselors.

Corey Gross, a parent and Penn‑Trafford resident, said an email sent in January did not describe the change and that the high school student handbook contains no details about the new policy. “These new updates are quite frankly outrageous of a program that was not broken,” Gross said during the public comment period.

Gross said the policy change raises the required out‑of‑school commitment from the previous standard — one college course or 20 hours of work per week (including weekends, as he described it) — to a new requirement of either 20 hours of work “not including the weekend, or 2 college courses.” He said that change, paired with a minimum expectation that seniors remain in school for four class periods and some students taking a fifth period for arts classes, leaves many seniors unable to meet the new hours without sacrificing sports, arts and other extracurricular commitments.

Why it matters: Gross told the board the new rules could add stress to seniors’ final year, make it harder for students who need paid work to support college or family, and increase burdens on guidance counselors. “You’re really hurting the kids that are depending on also having a job to help pay for college or even support their families,” he said.

Details and board context: Gross said he was told the changes came from an advisory group that included board members and was “led by Mister Ingles,” but he prefaced that statement with uncertainty: “I’m not sure if this information is correct or not.” He also said the district’s guidance counselors are already stretched thin and that some dual‑enrollment courses offered at the high school are more expensive than online options students can take from home.

The board did not take formal action during or immediately after Gross’s comment. School officials at the meeting thanked him for speaking; there was no recorded vote or motion tied to the comment in the transcript of the public portion of the meeting. No district official provided a fuller explanation of the policy change on the record during the meeting transcript provided.

Next steps: Gross asked the board to reconsider the change or to allow alternatives — for example, credit for athletics or rigorous extracurricular activities — but the transcript does not show a board response or an announced plan to revisit the policy.