Parents press Berwick Area SD for more nursing support for special‑needs students; community member praises Amazon committee

During the final public‑comment period, Sarah Kriegel identified herself and spoke on behalf of a special‑needs student, saying the child — named in her remarks as Martha Potter — has missed school since early in the school year because there is no nursing staff to accompany her to class. "She requires a nurse to go to school with her, and she has been out of school since the first week... because there is no nursing staff to go to school with her," Kriegel said. She asked the board to "do more about this, hire more nurses to be in classrooms for special needs children, hire more aids, etcetera." Kriegel said the student has missed a large amount of school and described the effect on the student's social interaction.

Board members and staff asked Kriegel to stay after the meeting to discuss the matter further and said they would try to follow up.

Another public commenter, Crystal Lukolowski, praised a board member's effort to establish a committee to engage on an Amazon development opportunity and urged the district to maximize tax and community benefits. "I applaud his efforts... there is an excellent opportunity to make the most out of this, get the most tax dollars," she said.

The public comments raised two distinct community concerns: access to in‑school nursing and aides for students with medical needs, and community readiness to engage on a potential large employer/development. Board staff indicated willingness to follow up with the parent immediately after the meeting; no formal board action on either matter was recorded during the session.