Power outages were fixed and the East Penn School District School Board meeting was able to be held in its regular place Oct. 13. The rainy weather did not put a damper on the family members who attended the meeting to see their students recognized by the school board and administration.

Superintendent Dr. Kristen Campbell recognized six students who performed exceptionally well last fall on the PSATs earning recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Program. The students are Thomas Amdur, Maitreyi Kukade, Anisha Kundu, Marleigh Llewellyn, Nathaniel Peters and Liam Queenan who was unable to attend the meeting.

Campbell recognized these students performed well on the PSAT and also are exceptional in their involvement in additional sports, clubs and activities.

In public comment, former school board member Ted Dobracki addressed the board with his version to restructure the district at half the cost. He suggested keeping grades seven and eight at Lower Macungie Middle School and placing students in grades five and six at Eyer Middle School. If all of fifth grade cannot fit at Eyer, Dobracki added, “half of the students could go to Eyer and the other half could go to Shoemaker (Elementary School).”

Campbell shared information and tickets are available online for the fall theater programs in the school district. Emmaus High School Theater Department presents “The Diary of Anne Frank” 8 p.m. Nov. 6 and 7. Eyer Middle School presents “Two School Spirit-Themed One Act Plays” Nov. 14 and 15 while LMMS presents “Fractured” Nov. 20-22. The annual Thanksgiving luncheons for Gold Card holders are scheduled Nov. 20 at each of the secondary schools.

Campbell reminded the community about the partial closing of Lower Macungie Road for bridge construuction through Oct. 22. School buses will be using alternate routes.

A presentation by PowerSchool’s Zach Worthen presented to the board via Zoom noted trends in housing developments are among factors in school enrollments. Overall, while the nation might be seeing a decline in enrollment in public schools, the East Penn School District is seeing increasing enrollment in the north and western portions of the district.

Steve Behrens and Brian Huber of Breslin Architects presented quantitative data and qualitative analysis of buildings at the meeting which stretched over three hours.

Using color-coded charts, the architects summarized classroom space in elementary buildings has been reallocated to address special education needs, academic support and interventions. They noted 50 utilized spaces were not designed for the current educational purposes and these spaces are not equitable across the seven elementary schools. There are no additional spaces available for Innov8 programs or other similar programs. Projected enrollment “exacerbates current space constraints with makeshift spaces,” according to discussion at the meeting.

Eyer Middle School’s open classroom concept is challenging for effective instruction. Acoustic and circulation challenges are distractions. At LMMS, faculty rooms and storage areas have been converted into offices and instructional spaces. The cafeteria is too small for the current student population. Shared areas and a lack of specialized classrooms makes scheduling of the areas complicated. And, just as in the elementary schools, projected enrollment “exacerbates current space constraints with makeshift spaces.”

It was asked if any measurable differences were found compared to previous presentations. Behrens explained the “magnitude changed.” Behrens said walking through the buildings and seeing the 50 classrooms is “eye opening when quantifying the impact.”

It was acknowledged the buildings were constructed without the needs for academic support in mind. Campbell shared the “law states that a limited number of students is required for special education classrooms and there is a need for privacy of intervention delivery.”

Director Shonta Ford pointed out new classrooms reflecting the newer technologies might be required and that redistricting “might not be the best case scenario.”

Director Gabrielle Klotz explained to the board that it might be valuable for the board to visit the schools to see the transitions. “It is hard to make decisions like this,” she said, “without visiting all the schools (during the school day).”

Board President Dr. Joshua Levinson noted that both elementary and middle schools require attention.

The second reading of the updated current policy 320 was debated. Solicitor Marc Fisher and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Douglas Povilaitis explained the language in question is verbatim from the Pickering and Dougherty cases. Bowman, Klotz, Tim Kelly, and Whitney agreed that the language is vague. Ford asked what happens if the board does not accept this policy language and it was noted the current policy would remain in effect.

Bowman expressed “educators are under such scrutiny that people try to find posts to report to the administration to cancel them.” She asked, “Are we opening ourselves to more problems than we are solving? Eliminate points 1-4.” Povilaitis said he did not recommend that the board do this.

Director Jeff Jankowski suggested the Pennsylvania School Board Association recommended this language on behalf of school districts.

“We aren’t in a position to stray from PSBA’s guidance. The law’s the law. It is in our best interest.”

Smith agreed that “we could be in legal jeopardy if we go against this policy.”

Whitney and Klotz struggled with the use of the terms “loyalty” and “harmony” and hoped for better clarity in the definitions. Campbell shared she meets with the East Penn Association monthly and union leadership questioned why this policy is being looked at. Fisher said the policy’s last revision was in 2016. Fisher also stated citations were added to support the recommendations from the first reading of the policy. Levinson concluded that he “trusts the PSBA’s analysis” and that there will be perpetual scrutiny over the policy.

The next meeting will be held 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27.