Discussion and analysis of the Pennsylvania Youth Survey continued during the March 28 Whitehall-Coplay Communities That Care meeting.

Coalition members first looked at the students’ reported involvement in pro-social activities. It was noted 83.2% of students reported participating in at least one pro-social activity. The PAYS report showed an increase in participation in school-sponsored activities, as well as in faith-based and organized community activities.

“These numbers are encouraging to see,” said Chad Stefanyak, Whitehall High School counselor.

It was also noted future PAYS reports will see an increase in volunteerism due to the new graduation requirements. As a new requirement, it is only applicable to the current ninth- and 10th-grade students. In a few years, it will encompass all students, so the volunteer numbers should increase in the next couple of years.

Shari Noctor, president of Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative, gave a special shout-out to the WHS SERVE Club. She said those students have been a big help and many continue to volunteer beyond their required hours.

It was noted there are special events and opportunities for new students to get involved in clubs and activities. In response to the access for current students to join, Stefanyak reported there are regular promotions for club events and activities in emails, on social media and in the morning announcements. He also noted word-of-mouth and peer support are the most effective methods of getting students involved.

Regarding violence in the school and community, less than 20% of students reported being threatened with violent behavior, and less than 10% said they were attacked on school property. It was reported the threats do not typically involve a weapon and result from interpersonal issues brought into the school.

WHS Principal Dr. Peter Mayes and Stefanyak noted they do not have a big problem with weapons in the school. Mayes said they are often “toy” weapons, such as rubber band shooters. Stefanyak said there have also been instances of parents giving their daughters pepper spray key chains for safety, and those count as a weapon violation if brought into the school.

The number of students being offered alcohol, tobacco or drugs at school was less than 10%. Additionally, less than 5% reported being drunk or high at school.

Mayes said the number of students being offered tobacco, drugs or alcohol is a bit misleading. He said this is primarily THC vapes. It was noted they have daily reports of THC vapes in the school across all four grades. It was reported the middle school administration sees it in seventh and eighth grades.

Stefanyak noted the companies making the vapes are getting more creative with how they make and sell vapes, noting there are some made to look like AirPods. It was also reported the community is not helping by making them easily accessible and relatively inexpensive.

Mayes noted he has regular meetings with other Lehigh Valley principals, and they are all seeing the same things.

It was reported it is harder to prove students are selling vapes or drugs because they use cash apps instead of physical cash.

Mayes mentioned they also updated their search procedures at WHS to include metal-detecting wands to help cut down on invasive searches on students.

The number of students reporting being bullied in the past year is fairly consistent with the state level.

There was discussion about how students often misunderstand what bullying actually is. Joshua Thatcher, Whitehall-Coplay Middle School assistant principal, said when two students just don’t get along, many students call it bullying. He noted there are few actual cases of bullying involving repeated mistreatment of a student by others. When any instance of bullying is reported, the schools investigate the situation and handle it.

The PAYS report showed low numbers of students reporting being bullied several times or daily, which supports the principals’ assertions that regular bullying is not a pervasive problem in the district.

Mayes noted students are more likely to report bullying incidents now than in the past. They are more open to talking to someone about it, allowing the school to address the issue. He also mentioned they have stronger internal systems to gather data and handle situations.

Stefanyak said students are also getting smarter about what they post online to help avoid negative backlash or comments. He noted there was a learning curve with social media, but the students are figuring it out.

It was reported repeat offenders are not as common. Generally, once the parents are informed and get involved, incidents drop.

The PAYS report showed the most common places to be bullied were at school and online.

CTC members discussed the importance of students being involved in activities to help them feel connected, supported and less alone. The varied and diverse population in the district was also reported to be a benefit to the students and community.

It was noted the PAYS data about stressful events and sleep, including a death of a friend or family member and housing and food insecurity, reflects the growing needs of the students.

Michelle Khouri, district registrar, said the district has its highest number of homeless students in recent history. She said there are 40 unhoused students currently, as opposed to the average of about 15. She noted getting places for families to stay is a challenge.

It was noted shelters fill up and some have time limits, as do some hotels. Since Whitehall doesn’t have a shelter, this also becomes a transportation issue for families.

Khouri discussed the cycle of families losing a home and losing credit, making it hard to get another place and rebuild the credit. It was noted keeping their heads above water paying for storage and car payments makes it difficult to also manage rent.

Work is being done in the community to address food insecurity through Noctor and the WCHI. It was reported food insecurity was a main priority for the CTC, but Noctor and the WCHI energized the community and has the effort more under control.

Noctor noted she was happy to see lower numbers of food-insecure students reported in the PAYS. However, she did report Coplay Borough was listed among the top five municipalities in Lehigh County with food insecurity. Additionally, Noctor mentioned WCHI is entirely volunteer-run. While the volunteers work to provide access to WCHI Food Pantry, they do not have the manpower to open another day.