Melissa Maris, who identified herself as a South Fayette Township School District parent, taxpayer, booster member and long-time volunteer coach, told the board Dec. 2 that water has leaked onto the high-school gym main court "not just for a few days or weeks, but for several years." She said the leaks have forced practices and games to move to other courts and that buckets and taped towels have been used to catch water.

"These leaks render the main gym unusable for your students, athletes, faculty, and community," Maris said, adding that the condition poses "an imminent safety hazard" when water on the court goes unseen. She asked the board to take immediate action to fix the ceiling and to outline a plan of action at the next board meeting.

Maris contrasted the ongoing gym-leak problem with recent district expenditures, saying the board had approved "over $1,000,000 in total to replace the stadium lighting system" and to install a new outdoor track. She urged the board to address the gym ceiling repairs with similar urgency so students and teams are not displaced for practices and events.

Board members acknowledged her comments and proceeded to a brief executive-session request later in the meeting; no immediate repair plan was recorded on the public record during this session.