Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Radon Testing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves radon testing after debate; one member opposes to save district funds
Summary
After a board discussion and a failed motion to table, the Bethlehem Area School District board approved radon testing (item 11.01b) by a 6–1 roll-call vote, while also approving air-quality testing separately.
Board members on Sept. 22 separated the administration’s facilities recommendation into two votes and approved both air-quality testing and radon testing, despite one member urging postponement of radon testing to save district funds. The separation was approved by voice vote; air-quality testing (11.01a) passed without discussion, and radon testing (11.01b) passed in a roll-call vote.
A board member opposing the radon test argued that radon is widespread and questioned the value of testing this year, saying the district could postpone the expense. “We have radon in this room right now,” the member said while urging a motion to table or postpone the radon testing for fiscal reasons. The board discussed procedure for a motion to table; that motion failed for lack of a second. The board then proceeded to vote on 11.01b; the roll call recorded a 6–1 outcome, with Doctor White recorded as voting no.
Board President and procedural staff confirmed the separation and the votes on the floor prior to both roll calls. The radon debate included substantive concern about district spending in a time of constrained budgets; the lone no vote and the failed motion to table were both recorded on the transcript.
The board did not provide additional technical detail during the public meeting about how the radon tests will be conducted, which schools will be tested first, or the cost of testing; no outside experts testified at the meeting. The immediate next step recorded was approval and the expectation testing will proceed under existing facilities procedures.
