This week has been quite an interesting one for the Armstrong School District, hasn’t it?
The main topic at the ASD School Board’s open caucus meeting this week was the numerous transfer requests that were submitted by parents who wanted their children to attend a school other than their assigned attendance area building.
As reported in the newspapers, there were 28 transfer requests that were denied because of the following question asked of the parent signing the form:
“Does your child play any sport/s in grades 9-12 for his/her school? If yes, please be specific and list.”The board did not care if a parent wanted educational continuity, if a parent had babysitting arrangements elsewhere, or if a family lived only 1/8 of a mile from an attendance border……if somebody had written Football, Basketball, Baseball, Tennis, Wrestling or any other sport, even without checking the box for sports as a reason for requesting the transfer, they were automatically denied. Did the board even look at anything beyond that word “sports”? Did they look to see if a student did flourish when transferred to new surroundings? Of course not, they wouldn’t even have looked at “sports” had they not needed to devise some way to force students into Elderton High School.
Up until this time, past practice of the district, has never denied transfer requests in this manner. Why suddenly is the board so concerned with these???? You all know as well as we do, it is the same reason they are pushing for Lenape Tech to be ½ time…..warm bodies in EHS so that it looks like there was a solid reason for reopening.
For the students that did have their transfer requests approved the board, according to Mr. Marklinski’s telephone interview in the Kittanning Paper, will force them to sit out of sports for 1 year. Suddenly ASD Policy 252, Guideline #6 is being enforced in the district? Why? Never has been before?! PIAA doesn’t care…..again warm bodies, to falsely inflate numbers at EHS. As an aside is this policy even relevant? The students were already at the schools in question for 1 year and are simply asking to stay where they are…….is this even LEGALLY a transfer??)
We still don’t understand though, why EHS needs these numbers? Why is this board punishing parents and students who do not want to return to Elderton? The school is reopening, being majorly renovated and staffed for the students who want to be there. The fact that there are some students who do not wish to return is not going adversely affect the students that will attend EHS. The small number of students, with or without the transfers, will not change the class offerings at EHS, regardless they are already at the minimum for offering classes and losing a few more students will not make a difference in that regard. Why then can’t the students/parents have school choice, as has always been the case in our district? Why are the students who wish to transfer being bullied into returning to a school that they do not want to attend?
We have already heard of one family that had requested that their two children be transferred. One was approved and the other denied! Why? You guessed….the one child plays a sport.
Before the meeting, we had heard of a young man who previously did not like school and his grades were barely passing. With the closing of Elderton High School, he was transferred to a new school where he enjoyed the camaraderie, his grades improved and so did his spirit. Thus his family put in a transfer request to keep him in these surroundings that nurtured him. Wouldn’t you do the same if it were your child? Sure you would! Any of us would. But guess what? He plays a sport. We are going to take a guess that his family did put on the form that he plays because they seem to be honest people, so I am wondering if his request was indeed denied as well.
What do you do if you are a parent in any of these situations? You start fighting. It is YOUR child’s well being, it is YOUR child’s education and it is YOUR child that suddenly turned himself/herself around all because of a change of school.
If we were that parent, we would be filling out new request forms and attaching copies of previous report cards, letters from teachers and anything else relevant and then resubmitting it and making sure you got onto the agenda to speak to the board. There are, of course, always the legal avenues that can be pursued as well as Cyber School.
Were you denied your transfer request? Let us hear about it. Contact us by email at info@asd-news.com or by mail at:
HERC-ACT
PO Box 424
Ford City, PA 16226
There was another little issue brought up at the meeting, but because it was at the end when most people had left, there has not been a lot of discussion about it…..the estimate from the architects for renovations of Elderton High School.
$18,000,000.00 That’s right, Eighteen million dollars.
For a comparison of what this new study could possibly be, go to the ASD website and look at the 4-10-07 Hayes Large Facilities Master Plan. In their study, what they deemed as a Level Two renovation had a cost of $15,212,200 with only approximately $4 million in reimbursement from the state. Keep in mind, that figure did NOT include asbestos abatement which is VERY costly and must be done.
You can also go to the ASD website and look at the Hayes Large study from 3-20-06 OR the Ingraham Dancu Master Facilities Plan from 9-8-03. Those studies have studied previous studies at the taxpayer expense for years!
At any rate, at next week’s board meeting, it will be interesting to see what the $18 million includes.
In closing this editorial, we would like to thank Dr. William Kerr for his years of service to our district. There are many people here who have admired the dedication that you have shown to the students and families of ASD and appreciate the dignity and class you have shown in the face of adversity throughout the years. We wish you the absolute best in your new position as Superintendent of Norwin School District. Our loss is their gain.
