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Mount Lebanon board hears district readiness report ahead of Aug. 19 start
Summary
District administrators told the Mount Lebanon Board of School Directors on Aug. 11 that schools are prepared to open for the 2025–26 year, outlining schedules, staffing, special-education additions and new student board representatives; proposed electronic-device rules were discussed but not adopted.
The Mount Lebanon Board of School Directors heard a multi-department update Aug. 11 on the district’s readiness for the 2025–26 school year, including start dates, staffing status, special-education changes and student representation.
Administrators said staff convocation is set for Aug. 14 (08:30–11:30) and district- and school-level professional learning will follow; grades 1–12 start Tuesday, Aug. 19, and kindergarten begins Thursday, Aug. 21. “We are very, very excited to welcome back our staff this week and our students next week,” one presenter said during the update.
Why it matters: The briefing aggregated preparations across curriculum, special education, transportation, human resources and facilities so the board and public could review the district’s plan to open on time and with required supports.
Most important facts - Start dates: grades 1–12 on Aug. 19; kindergarten Aug. 21. - Convocation/professional learning: staff convocation morning of Aug. 14; school-specific PD on Aug. 14 and district-level PD on Aug. 15. - Enrollment and staffing: elementary enrollment reported at 2,366 (as of Aug. 7), down by about 34 vs. the previous year; administrators said classroom vacancies and long-term substitute needs had been filled and six new elementary employees recently inducted. - Special education: a new emotional‑support classroom will open at Lincoln Elementary on Aug. 19. The district’s special-education plan approved in spring received Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) approval and will receive cyclical monitoring in March 2026. At the time of the meeting the district reported roughly 3.5 open paraprofessional/aide positions that administrators said were new resignations received in the last week and a half and for which interviews were underway. - Student representation: the board will add two student school-board representatives for the coming year: Julia Antunes (grade 11) and Henry Adams (grade 12). The students will attend voting meetings and have received orientation/training.
Supporting details and context Administrators described materials and curriculum readiness: science curriculum (all three stages) is loaded into Atlas and ELA stages 1–2 were completed over the summer with stage 3 to follow after training. Bridges math intervention resources have arrived; the district restored an instructional support teacher position at Jefferson Elementary so each elementary school now has a dedicated IST.
Transportation and athletics: transportation is reported “set up and ready” for school start. Fall sports began the week of the meeting (heat‑acclimation exceptions were noted); athletic pre‑participation meetings started Aug. 6.
Parent and family supports: principals and counselors will host schedule‑walk events and new‑family orientations in the week prior to classes. The district rolled out online Enrollment Express, allowing families to enroll and upload documents 24/7; the district also said it will provide one‑on‑one support for families who need help completing online enrollment.
Personal device guidance and next steps Administrators previewed a draft set of personal-technology guidelines for students, grade-span specific, that will be posted in schools and distributed to families. The draft says elementary devices must be “off, learning on” (kept in lockers), middle-school devices are to be left in lockers and turned off unless a teacher directs use, and high-school devices should be silent and stored, with classroom‑level exceptions for instructional use. District leaders said administrative regulations define implementation and exceptions (for safety, IDEA/504 accommodations, classroom instruction and district‑issued devices). The policy and implementing regulations were discussed during the meeting but were not adopted that night.
Ending Board members and presenters emphasized readiness for the Aug. 19 opening while noting some last‑minute hires and routine operational adjustments remain. Administrators said they will continue to post materials on the district website and finalize administrative regulations tied to device and program implementation.
