The Bradford Area School District heard from two guidance counselors Monday regarding the district’s K-12 Guidance Plan, which focuses on career and college readiness.
The K-12 Guidance Plan is a state requirement, because Bradford Area High School is a comprehensive high school, according to Superintendent Katy Pude. This plan specifically focuses on the area of preparation for college and careers, while the district has a 339 plan, which is all encompassing of what the school counselors do.
Bradford Area High School has a Focus Room, with new staff set to report next week. Pude explained Chelsea Smith (formerly Beacon Light staff) and Cathy Gabel (former Guidance Center Staff) have been hired by Denise Bean from the Guidance Center. The purpose of the Focus Room is to provide “a safe place with licensed therapists for teachers to recommend to students who need time to refocus and to reestablish their ability to learn. We are excited to be able to offer this to our kids, many of whom just need a safe place to share their frustration without punitive measures being incurred,” Pude said.
Pude also recognized Maddy Emerson for being the recipient of a YWCA Rising Leader Award. Pude said Emerson has been “instrumental in many leadership activities in our schools, including being Miss Bradford.” She also noted that most recently, Emerson recognized the need for students to connect and spearheaded an initiative at BAHS called Be Kind To Your Mind that has partnered many students and teachers with the 21st Century staff to participate in fun activities that promote positive mental health.
The Board also approved two contracts: one with the Keystone Rural Health Consortia to provide state mandated student dental health screenings for the 2021-22 school year at a rate of $700 per year, and a second with Frontline Education to purchase and implement an Absence & Substitute Management system for a rate of $5,355 for the one-time implementation and an annual fee of $9,573.
A Memorandum of Understanding between BAESPA and the district was also approved that increased the hourly rate for Summer School Aides to $25 per hour.
The Board also approved the resignation of Transportation Discipline Coordinator Thomas Shallop, effective March 1; hiring of two part-time reserve bus drivers, John Tancar and Santana Romero, at a rate of $20.76 per hour and for four hours per day, effective Feb. 15 and Jill Bailey as a Full-Time General Aid at BAHS, effective March 15, at a rate of $15.37 per hour and for 7.25 hours per day.
