The Northampton Area School Board held their January meeting on Monday, January 10, at 6:30 pm in the Northampton Area High School auditorium. While the school board has previously met twice a month, this week’s meeting signaled the changeover to meetings held once monthly, with a set meeting date on the second Monday of each month.
The night’s agenda included confirmation of various scheduling and personnel items.
The board addressed the budget planning for the fall, saying they plan to have no tax increase for the 2022-2023 school year. Board President James Chuss stated that updates with further details would follow in coming months, after a budget address from Governor Wolf.
The board then accepted the resignation of Meghan Lloyd as the Assistant Director of Special Education, effective Feb. 2, 2022. They also approved revised lists of district volunteers and substitute teachers for the ongoing school year, as well as the calendar for the 2022-2023 year.
Northampton Area High School’s graduation for the class of 2022 was confirmed for Friday, June 3, at 7:30 p.m., with rain dates of June 4 and June 5. The full calendar of events, including school breaks and holidays, is available on the Northampton Area School District website.
Several parents and community members expressed concern regarding the status of mask guidelines in area schools, specifically anxieties that children foregoing masks could feel isolated or singled out from their peers. Board members confirmed that area schools will remain mask-optional for the time being. Chuss expressed plans to speak with school officials to ensure that safety measures taken in schools do not deprive students of a proper in-school experience. The school board will hold their next meeting on Monday, February 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium.
