Mt. View addresses early weeks of school

BY ROBERT L. BAKER

Mountain View School Board received word Monday that the first three weeks of the school year have been pretty smooth.

That is until Monday afternoon when the district was notified by the Susquehanna County 911 office that a funnel cloud had been seen just above Rt. 11 toward Gibson.

Superintendent Andrew Chichura said that the tornado did not touch down, but the school district took precautions anyway with the students following emergency procedures and assembled in the hallways away from the windows for about 15 minutes.

About 3:50 p.m., the all-clear was given,and Chichura said Monday night he was pleased but not surprised that students knew exactly what to do.

New elementary school principal Robert Pressley was at Monday night’s meeting but said he still has responsibilities at his former school district until October, and he said he appreciated everyone’s patience with the situation.

He said the school had an open house last Thursday and students seemed to be adjusting.

Former principal Susan Pipitone has been serving some of her former duties in the interim while also taking on her new responsibilities as Director of Special Services.

High school principal Andrew Doster said his school would be having an open house this Thursday evening.

Parent Bridget Evans raised an issue in the visitor’s comment period that she was quite concerned about an apparent disorder in managing school lunch accounts.

She had claimed she received a letter from the school which said her son who is no longer in the district had more than $200 in a former account and was told of a process that she would have to go through to claim it.

Evans said she doubted that kind of money would be in such an account and eventually it became clear that there was no such money in her son’s former account.

She said she was deeply troubled that there never seems to be an adequate accounting.

“As a parent, I am sick and tired of sending money in  (for other children of hers) and the school ends up screwing it up and screwing it up and screwing it up,” Evans said. “How can things get so out of hand?”

Business manager James Mirabelli said he apologized about certain things happening, and “It’s just not acceptable, and we’ll work on it.”

Another parent, Tanya Cameron, said she, too, is always having issues and wondered “you have never, ever gotten it right.”

Mirabelli said he would look into it.

The board added five names to its substitute list: Nicholas Lewis, Kingsley; Leslie Gossage, Clarks Summit; Jenn Penley, Greenfield Twp.; Julie Diaz, Kingsley; Caleb Lee, Susquehaan; and Alison Horne, Tunkhannock.

Conference and field trip attendance lists were also approved.