(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Curtis Walsh)

(New Brighton, PA) The New Brighton School Board met tonight for their second meeting of the month.  The meeting got started with comments and questions from the approximately 15 people that were in attendance from the public.  The first question asked was where the district was on their mask and distancing policy.  Superintendent Dr. Joseph Guarino relayed that nothing has changed since their last meeting where it was announced that the district would leave masking optional for the time being with the exception of masks being required on buses and transportation by FAA and TSA mandates.  The district will not guarantee that masks will be optional throughout the entire year, with Board President John Ludwig saying ‘I cannot deal with the what-ifs”, if an issue arises they will deal with it then.  One person asked about the possibility of signing waivers to allow students to not wear a mask if it became mandatory again, without holding the district liable.  Dr. Guarino stated that New Brighton does not have intentions of doing anything of that nature, with the exception of students who may have a medical condition, which is handled in a different manner.  Another question was how the district would react to the usual common cold cases that spread during the beginning of school, in which the superintendent said that they will not overreact.  The school nurses will use their discretion to determine if the child needs to go home and if they will need to be tested before returning to school.  An additional concern that was brought up was kindergarten age students being able to see their teachers faces, to learn things like proper pronunciation.  Dr. Guarino responded that teachers are also given the option to wear masks, and the district provides clear face shields for that exact reason.  Elementary Principal Jason Hall stated that around 6 or 7 percent of kindergarteners were held back last year, which they consider a normal amount.  After addressing the public, the regular meeting took place.  Bernadette Mattica was approved to serve as the district’s representative to the Beaver County Career and Technology Center’s Joint Operating Committee and Christeen Ceratti was approved to serve as the district’s representative to the Joint Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit’s School Board.  The board approved an agreement with the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit to provide services to eligible New Brighton students that attend nonpublic schools, as well as an approval for Dare2XL to operate an afterschool program.  A floor and retaining walls study will be conducted by Barber & Hoffman Inc. at a cost of $8,500 due to cracks appearing in the floors of the high school.  Clayton Dentistry will serve as the school dentist for the 2021-2022 school year at a stipend of $1,900.  7 new teachers have been hired by the district for this upcoming school year, and the district is currently struggling to find enough substitutes.