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Penn Manor readies 29 new teachers and places wellness, cyberbullying policies on Aug. 18 ballot
Summary
Administrators told the board Aug. 4 that 29 teachers are new to the district this year and reviewed orientation, a state-required two-year induction program and professional learning plans; the board voted to place revised wellness and bullying/cyberbullying policies on the Aug. 18 voting agenda (9–0).
Administrators at the Penn Manor School Board Committee of the Whole on Aug. 4 outlined plans for new-teacher orientation, induction and professional learning and secured board approval to move two revised policies to the Aug. 18 voting agenda.
Dr. Cox and Dr. Egan told trustees the district will begin new-teacher orientation the week following the meeting and that 29 teachers are new to the district this year, about 7% of the professional workforce. Dr. Cox described orientation as a multi-day program including district tours, technology onboarding and mentor meetings; she said the induction program required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education is a two-year sequence that pairs new teachers with mentors and includes rigorous observations to move teachers from temporary to permanent certification.
"New teacher orientation starts tomorrow; we'll be starting at 08:00 here at the high school," Dr. Cox said, summarizing logistics and mentor pairings.
Administrators reviewed the district's professional learning schedule (Aug. 11–21), noting required state-mandated sessions (about six hours) plus elective workshops developed from teacher feedback, including curriculum-aligned vertical-learning sessions and technology-focused offerings that have filled large rooms.
The board also reviewed two policies brought forward under state requirements: an updated school wellness policy covering nutrition and physical-activity expectations (with limited fund-raiser exceptions) and a revised bullying policy that explicitly includes cyberbullying and updated harassment definitions. The chair called for a motion to place both policies on the Aug. 18 voting agenda; the board recorded nine affirmative votes.
Administrators said additional orientation and opening-day events (Aug. 18 district day) will let trustees meet new staff and noted the district will present at the PSBA conference in October on instructional-coaching and professional-learning alignment.
The board approved several grouped consent items during the meeting (each by 9 affirmative votes), and no citizens addressed the board during the citizen-comment opportunities recorded in the transcript.
