Admins, board stand by parent calls

BY STACI WILSON

A Montrose Area senior told the school board Monday night that some students find the administrators’ handling of party rumors to be “controversial.”

He said that by calling parents when rumors surface about possible parties involving underage drinking, the house parties are stopped leading to “kids being more risky with their behavior.”

Principal Michael Boccella and Assistant Principal Eric Powers both said that each time a rumor surfaces, parents are called. Powers also added that in the past year, he has only made three such phone calls. Those tips, he said, had come from community members. Powers said that most of the time, parents appreciate receiving the phone call.

Boccella said the administrators handle the calls in a tactful manner. “We have a moral and ethical obligation to call,” He said. “The students are not punished.”

Board members backed up the administrators’ actions.

Gloria Smith said, “It’s beneficial that parents also know the risks (of hosting an underage drinking party).”

Board member Kathy Mordavancy said, “It isn’t any parent’s right to make that decision for anyone else’s child.”

The student said that parties have moved from being parent supervised – with car keys taken and breakfast served the following morning – to remote woods and fields.

“This district has been hit with some bad things,” Pam Staats added. “The worst case scenario is we make a call and save someone’s life.”

“I can’t imagine parents familiar with the law would allow it,” said Richard Jordan.

Superintendent Carol Bryce said that throughout her career spanning work in four states, “that same call has been made.”

As a former school administrator and now board member, Doug Wilcox said, “There’s not a teacher or administrator in the district that wants to get the call a life is gone. It has a tremendous impact on you as a person.”

In other business, the board approved the sale of 3.03 acres of school district land to the Susquehanna County Free Library Association for $1.

The move allows for the new library construction project to move forward.

Library representative Tom Kurosky said the group intends to break ground in the spring, with construction to begin immediately after site work is completed. The project should take about two years.

The district should begin seeing royalties on its 13-acres that are part of a Cabot natural gas well.

District lands will also be part of another well unit, with a lateral expected to run under the high school property. Drilling on the Warriner well site is expected to begin in December.

Piping for the new natural gas system at Lathrop Street Elementary has been pressure tested. The school’s hot water has also been converted to natural gas, with one burner installed that is ready to be tested this week.

Some work on the high school stage area will get underway this week. The work will address some safety issues with the updates. Cost for the project is covered by a grant and a private donation made to the district.

IT director Craig Owens said that after the immediate concerns are addressed, the district should look to update the stage – which hasn’t been modernized since it was built over 50 years ago – with a large project. He estimated a total project to cost over $200,000.