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Commissioner Parker and residents urge church-based support for foster families; county staff outline school surveys
Summary
During public comment at the Sept. 17 Monroe County commissioners meeting, Commissioner Parker described a local initiative to support foster families and county staff outlined plans and constraints for school surveys tied to a Community Partnership for Gun Safety project.
Commissioner Parker used the Monroe County commissioners’ public-comment period on Sept. 17 to urge churches and community groups to participate in an initiative called the Keystone Family Alliance, which he described as a volunteer network to support foster families in the county.
Parker said the idea, started over the past year, asks churches to recruit roughly five congregations to come alongside a single foster family with weekly help such as meal preparation, respite and encouragement. He framed the program as local support for children in care and as a way for communities to assist families so they can continue fostering children.
Why it matters: Parker said local volunteers could reduce turnover among foster parents, thereby reducing the number of placements children experience. He connected the appeal to recent national events and local community outreach, saying many residents were seeking ways to help and that the program could channel that interest to county needs.
County staff and project representatives also took questions during the public comment period about the Community Partnership for Gun Safety’s website and the timing and scope of school surveys conducted in local districts. A county representative identified as Dr. Collina said the project has a website domain and is preparing media content; staff expect surveys to be distributed soon in the East Stroudsburg Area School District high schools (North and South). Collina said surveys were previously administered in the Pocono Mountain district (East and West high schools) and Stroudsburg schools but that Pleasant Valley Area School District previously declined participation.
On the surveys, Collina said the timing of the earlier distribution may have limited responses because Stroudsburg students had already returned district Chromebooks at the end of the school year; staff said they may seek better timing or additional outreach to boost response rates. Collina added the project may approach Pleasant Valley administrators for a focused conversation about participation rather than seeking full-board action.
A member of the public also asked for additional details on the Datum Products cleanup contract approved earlier in the meeting. County staff said Pennoni Associates, a consultant hired to develop the scope of work, solicited three quotes; the low bid (Datum) was approximately $21,800, while the highest returned quote was about $90,000. Staff said Pennoni recommended the selected bidder based on prior work for the county.
Ending
Speakers used the public-comment time to highlight community events and outreach: the meeting record included announcements about a county Public Safety Day, a county “250-miles” wellness initiative and reminders about forthcoming salary-board and retirement-board meetings.
