Doctor Stage outlines 'Bridal Across Borders' Wales exchange; board approves settlement and routine business

Doctor Stage presented a plan called “Bridal Across Borders,” a cultural and global education exchange funded by an Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) grant of approximately $34,000 that would pair Athens fifth-graders with students at a very small school in Abercrave, Wales.

Stage said the program will select eight Athens students (targeting fifth graders) through a mixed committee and a near–blind review to avoid name-based selection. Selected students would meet virtually twice a month with Welsh peers beginning this fall; a culminating cultural immersion trip to Wales is proposed for June 21–30, 2026, and the district would host Welsh students at Roe Middle School in October 2026. "The ultimate goal is to bring all of their students over," Stage said, adding that families would need to commit to attending social events and field trips when guests visit.

Stage described risk-mitigation steps: he said the district is partnering with EF Tours for travel logistics and umbrella insurance, plans a 1:4 chaperone-to-student ratio, will require chaperones to retain passports during travel, and will hold an informational night for parents. He told the board the grant award is roughly $34,000 and that $18,000 must be expended by Dec. 31 of this year, with the remaining $16,000 to be spent by the following calendar year. "There's a 0 cost to the district at all," Stage said of the program’s projected local budget impact.

Stage framed the exchange as an educational initiative rather than a tourism trip: students would spend five school days immersed in Welsh classrooms, participate in cultural activities (examples mentioned included local forest-school practices and a day in Swansea), and produce a monthly podcast, "The Tale of 2 Schools," to document conversations between students.

Board members asked about liability, selection fairness and logistics. A board member said selection and liability were principal concerns; Stage reiterated that EF Tours and selected chaperones would assume travel responsibilities and that hosting Welsh students in Athens would follow standard school-day supervision rules.

Beyond the presentation, the board handled routine district business. Solicitor Mister Barris moved approval of a settlement agreement and release related to a lawsuit and presented it in executive session; the motion was seconded and approved by roll call (votes recorded in the affirmative by Minnick, Owen, Smart, Cooper, Frisbie, Johnson and Jones). The agenda also included routine financial items (general fund and cafeteria checks, earned income tax and school activity reports), personnel items (one support resignation, cafeteria contracts and an athletic resignation), four contracts (a Bradford/Head Start lease extension through 2030; an agreement with Children’s House child advocacy services; an ESI employee assistance program; and a BLAST educational-planning contract), second readings of several insurance and fiscal policies, approval of FFA overnight and national convention travel items, and the addition of six bus drivers to the district roster. All of those motions were moved, seconded and approved by roll call as presented.

In board discussion, Doctor Stage described a proposed midday varsity game with Wyalusing (proposed Jan. 14) intended as a pep-rally–style event to boost school spirit; he said field-trip forms will follow for any travel. A separate exchange focused on stop-arm violations: a board member asked whether the district coordinates enforcement with local police or state troopers and requested exploring grant funding to add cameras on the passenger/entrance side of buses. Stage said the district already uses cameras on stop arms to capture license plates and turns violations into authorities; Solicitor Barris noted the penalty for passing a stopped school bus can be substantial and said he had raised the issue with Senator Yaw.

The board adjourned at the end of the meeting. Stage told the board the exchange will require formal board action at next week’s meeting because it involves out-of-country travel per district policy.