TOWER CITY — Parents of a Williams Valley cheerleader alerted the school board Thursday about concerns for their daughter’s safety.
Jeffrey and Kristen Picola attended the meeting to address the board, but refused to talk with the media afterward.
“We heard there’s threats being made. I have concerns for her safety,” Jeffrey Picola said. Kristen Picola said she worried that “something worse is going to happen.”
At the same time, on Thursday, there was a surprise lockdown drill at the district where drug-sniffing dogs were brought onto the school campus. That may have generated additional worry for parents who may not have received notification of such a drill.
It was a coincidence that the drill occurred, and was an unrelated matter to what the Picolas were addressing.
Board President Daniel Stroup said the drill was coordinated with the district’s administration, as well as the state police, and was conducted as a benefit for the district’s students.
“We want to ensure parents we’re doing everything we can,” Stroup said.
Superintendent Donald Burkhardt said the drills usually take about a year to plan, and confirmed that Thursday’s drill was a coincidence.
“We don’t have a problem with the drill,” Kristen Picola said. “We want to know if something’s going to happen to ensure our daughter’s safety.”
The board entered into a one-hour executive session to discuss personnel. Stroup, upon advice of solicitor Richard Thornburg, said the board had “no comment” when asked if any decisions had been made in regard to the Picola’s concerns. No other details were provided about who was allegedly making the threats and where they allegedly happened.
The current cheerleading advisers/coaches are Amy Kobularick, Jann Stroup and Kristine Rafferty.
In other business, the board agreed to consider pursuing other options with Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 in regard to how vocational/technical training courses are offered to district students.
Currently, 10th- and 12th-graders take vo-tech training in the fall semester for half a year, going full time; 11th-graders go during the spring semester, full time.
Daniel Stroup said at a recent IU 29 superintendents’ meeting different options were discussed, including proposing an all-year vo-tech, with students going for half a day; or going with an A-B day schedule.
Burkhardt noted that under the current method, if Williams Valley students go to the vo-tech in the spring of their junior year, they’d then take vo-tech the fall of their senior year, and then would not get back to their home district until the spring of their senior year. That’s nearly a whole year’s time away from the home district.
Logistics over curriculum, potential shared busing costs, and when students would eat their lunches are still items being discussed.
The board was to hold a meeting to discuss teacher negotiations at 7 p.m., Wednesday, with Feb. 24 as an alternate date. The next regular board meeting will be 7:30 p.m., Feb. 25.