With its students among the first in the area to return to in-person schooling for the 2020-21 academic year, the Aug. 25 Saucon Valley School Board virtual meeting’s agenda largely centered around the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, both in classrooms and on athletic fields.

To kick off the meeting, Superintendent Dr. Craig Butler introduced each Saucon school’s respective principals to provide updates on the first two days of school, as most students whose families chose the in-person option rather than the remote/online model returned on Monday, Aug. 24. Each principal shared photos, including student arrivals, classroom arrangements, gym and recess activities.

Acting elementary school Principal Michael Sakelarides said face-covering usage by students was a “pleasant surprise” but added he had heard anecdotal evidence of some issues, especially with the youngest students. He maintained a positive outlook, saying, “things as a whole were very good the first few days but we have things to work on.”

Middle school Principal James Deegan agreed, painting a similar picture and praised teachers, staff and students for their cooperation thus far. High school Principal Tamara Gary also spoke positively of their experience thus far, although she noted that only ninth and 12th grade students had been in attendance to that point, so she reserved some judgment until all students are attending at once.

Board member Bryan Eichfeld said, “I’ve spoken to three or four parents and they are extremely happy with what’s going on and they’re very happy that we’re open five days a week.” Butler, other administrators and several board members also sang the praises of faculty and staff on what he characterized as a successful first two days of school. Additionally, board President Dr. Shamim Pakzad said he had spoken with parents who are nurses and doctors and, “every single one of them that I know are sending their kids back to school.” He added that while things seem to be going well so far, vigilance is and will continue to be important. “We are watching these numbers and the data… very closely,” he said.

Fall sports were another hot topic, as there has been quite a bit of consternation recently over the upcoming scholastic athletic calendar. Butler said he has “concern” about ‘high risk’ sports, which have been labeled by the PA Department of Health as soccer, volleyball, field hockey and football. As the Colonial League voted the prior day to push back the start of sanctioned competitions in these sports by several weeks, the current plan would have the board vote on the district’s participation if and when the league decides to resume them.

Other students will be back on their respective fields of play sooner, as less risky sports such as golf and tennis will start by the end of August. Additionally, Saucon’s cross country team will have its first competition on Sept. 11 with a reduced number of runners.

Regarding the future, Athletic Director Robert Frey said, “we have 56 schools in District 11 (and) none have given any indication that they plan on canceling anything yet.” There was some criticism from the community, however, as Keith Riefenstahl, who said he was a teacher, parent and coach in the district, said, “these kids deserve to play, I hope you take that under consideration.”

With two children who are students in the middle school, Riefenstahl said he was also concerned about the class sizes and arrangements for sixth graders, describing a situation in which some students who spent the entire day in science classrooms were stuck sitting on metal stools for long durations. He rhetorically asked, “who can sit on a stool for six hours?” and said there were two open classrooms in the building which could be used if the district wasn’t lacking the staffing to cover them. Deegan later agreed with Riefenstahl’s assessment of the sixth grade, saying “numbers are high.”

In other news, the resignation of Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kristine Rosenberger effective Sept. 12 was approved. Butler and several board members wished her well and characterized her move as simply a matter of convenience, with Pakzad saying facetiously, “I think we should stop hiring folks who live so far from the district.” Rosenberger thanked her colleagues and wished them and the district well, saying her tenure has been a great adventure (and) very rewarding.