Peters Township School Board makes personnel decisions
Less than two weeks before school starts, the Peters Township School Board made numerous personnel moves at the Aug. 17 meeting to ensure full staffing levels.
At Peters Township High School, Katelyn Gilroy is the new librarian, replacing Lindsey Myers. Jennifer Carfano is the new instructional support teacher at Bower Hill Elementary School, replacing Marissa McFeathers.
School starts Aug. 31.
Other new hires approved by the board include Kathleen Melnyk as the new special education teacher at McMurray Elementary, replacing Lauren Cozad; Jamie Recker is the new school counselor at McMurray Elementary, replacing Stephanie Ali, who assumes the same position at Pleasant Valley Elementary; and Christopher Allen is the new technology education teacher at the high school, replacing Larry Ansell.
In other personnel moves approved by the board, Marissa Clancy, a special education teacher at McMurray Elementary, assumes the same position by at the high school. And April Ragland, dean of students at the high school, becomes an assistant principal at the high school.
“More duties, but no change in compensation,” assistant superintendent Jennifer Murphy told board members who questioned the move.
Seventy-six people were approved as day-to-day certified substitute personnel for the coming school year.
Board member Lisa Anderson questioned why district substitutes were being paid the rate as last year.
“I know getting substitutes is difficult, but why has it now changed?”
She was assured by Superintendent Jeannine French that the district has no difficulty finding substitute teachers.
“It is something that we monitor very closely,” she said. “I don’t anticipate many issues.”
In other matters, the board approved the district volunteer policy. Any person who has direct contact with children must have a state criminal record check, a state child abuse clearance, and a federal criminal history check, which includes fingerprinting.
“The governor has waived fees for the state clearances,” Anderson said.
The changes are part of a package of legislation enacted in response to a report of a state Task Force on Child Protection, which was prompted by the arrest and conviction of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky on charges of molesting children over a number of years.