Credit: The Reporter.
The Pennridge School Board’s policy committee Monday, June 2 reviewed some proposed revisions to the district’s child abuse policy.
Recommended by the Pennridge School Board Association (PSBA), the revisions include the extension of mandatory child abuse training to school volunteers and the permission of school employees to take photographs for evidence preservation. Photographs must be sent to the county agency with a written report or within 48 hours of an electronic report, reads the policy.
The revisions are aimed at maintaining the district’s compliance with child protective services law, said Director of Student Services Ernest Johnson. The policy was first adopted in the 2012-2013 school year and last revised in the 2014-2015 school year.
Superintendent Angelo Berrios noted that a report is followed by a ChildLine investigation before being transferred to law enforcement. When the case implicates a school employee, the district will typically not run a concurrent investigation but will place the employee on paid leave pending the law enforcement investigation, said Berrios.
The updated policy will move to the full board meeting for a first reading vote.
Year in Review
High school principal Tim Keddie gave an overview of the high school’s 2024-2025 school year. He cited the biggest change as block scheduling. The schedule consists of four periods or “blocks,” including three 85-minute blocks and one 120-minute block. The blocks are preceded by 25 minutes of “RAMS” time for students who need additional support.
In a survey, over 60% of teachers reported feeling satisfied with block scheduling, while over 50% reported a negative impact on their ability to cover the current curriculum, said Keddie. He attributed the latter to growing pains and argued that the number will improve in the coming years.
Keddie also reviewed the district’s new electronic hall pass system. Implemented at the beginning of the school year, the system enables teachers/administrators to both issue and limit the number of hall passes.
Keddie said the change has helped increase instructional time while decreasing hallway traffic, student meetups, drug use and violent incidents. It has additionally saved the district over $5,000 in paper expenses. The system is part of the district’s 5-star app, which tracks student activity.
Other highlights of the school year include the new AP Human Geography course, a significant increase in AP exam takers and a 3.4% increase in attendance.
Changes for the 2025-2026 school year include new AP Latin and AP Pre-Calculus courses, 5-star student ID check-ins for RAMS time and school events, mandatory RAMS time for low-performing students and mandatory RAMS days for all students.
The next Pennridge School Board meeting is on June 16 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit pennridge.org.
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