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Parents urge exemptions for students volunteering with emergency services; other parents press for tougher bus-discipline and video access
Summary
Two parents used public comment at the May 12 Whitehall-Coplay School District meeting to urge changes to attendance and discipline policy — one seeking excused-absence treatment for special-education students serving as approved volunteer firefighters, another asking for tougher bus-discipline and clearer access to incident video evidence.
Two parents used public comment time at the Whitehall-Coplay School District May 12 meeting to raise related concerns about attendance, discipline and student safety.
Volunteer firefighter and special-education attendance
Laurie Ann Fanehl, a parent, asked the board to reconsider the district's application of the 10-day excused-absence policy for students in special education who serve as volunteer firefighters. Fanehl said her son, a high-school student and junior firefighter with the Whitehall Fire Department, would miss Keystone exams because he is scheduled to respond to calls with his fire company and that existing district options (separate testing spaces or the library) were not appropriate for his sensory needs.
"My son's not gonna be taking keystones due to being in special education," Fanehl said. She asked the board to allow approved volunteer service to be treated as an excused absence when it conflicts with testing days and described the district's 10-day excused-absence policy as producing a situation in which her son will be marked truant for service he performed with permission from his volunteer organization.
District staff did not take a vote at the meeting; the item was raised during public participation and Fanehl asked the board to "reconsider" policy application for such cases.
Bus bullying, video evidence and FERPA
Another parent, identified in the record as Kelly, urged the district to adopt a stronger stance on bus bullying and to clarify how the district shares evidence with parents after incidents. "They have a right to a free education. They don't have a right to ride the bus if they can't behave and keep their hands off of other kids," the parent said, pressing for a "zero tolerance" approach.
Kelly said she had requested to view school video related to a bullying incident and was told FERPA limited access; she later said she was told the video was no longer available. Board members and administrators responded that investigations are conducted where there is evidence and that discipline steps are applied when substantiated. A district official told the meeting that "the zero tolerance policy kicks in immediately" when evidence supports it but also noted that investigations rely on evidence.
Why it matters: These public comments raise two recurring policy tensions: how districts balance attendance and extracurricular/community volunteering for students (especially special-education students with accommodations) and how the district investigates, documents and communicates about discipline incidents while complying with student-privacy rules.
Next steps and context
No board vote or formal policy change was taken on May 12. Parents seeking policy changes or case-specific exceptions were directed to district staff to pursue follow-up. The meeting record shows administrators have discussed the incidents raised by commenters and that board members asked for clarity on how evidence and disciplinary decisions are processed.
Ending: Parents asked the board for policy-level changes and greater transparency; administrators said incidents are assessed case-by-case and encouraged follow-up with staff and administrators for individual cases.
