Busy month at DVSD
Milford. School Board acknowledges the efforts of students participating in OM, SkillsUSA, future health professionals and Specialm Olympics.
Milford /
| 29 Apr 2025 | 02:08
School Board President Pam Lufty during the OCR discussion. Photo by Melinda Compton. (
)
Competitions kept Delaware Valley High School students busy this month, the board of education announced at its Thursday, April 24, meeting.
The Odyssey of the Mind (OM) club came in first in two categories at the nationals which takes them to the world competition in May.
HOSA (the future health professionals) competed in Lancaster, Pa., SkillsUSA competed in Hershey and the Special Olympics Games were a resounding success.
Superintendent Dr. Brian Blaum spoke about the 87 sessions of professional development added to the school district this past semester, bringing the total to 270 for the year. He said some neighboring school districts don’t offer anywhere near that much.
In other business
Rental fees were waived for the Cultivate Collective, Mojo Dojo and Battle BJJ to use the DVHS gymnasium, multipurpose room, and concession for their upcoming jujitsu tournament.
The tournament will benefit Pike Autism Support Services of Northeastern Pennsylvania, otherwise known as PASS, and will be held on Saturday, May 3, at the DVHS.
There was further discussion about the school’s stance on the Office for Civil Rights. Once again, Jack Walsh tried to persuade the board to pull out of OCR, and he and Carl Will both insisted that there was no reason to wait and follow legal protocol, even though the Tuesday, April 29 deadline has yet to pass. They said the current administration would back them.
However, the current administration promises to empower smaller, local governments, which would have the school board wait to see what the state of Pennsylvania says on the matter and follow the state’s lead.
Ongoing lawsuits in other states, such as Maine, will continue to shape the educational landscape over the next few months.
On recommendation from the school’s solicitor and supported by School Board president Pam Lutfy, it would be in the school’s best interest to proceed with caution, lest the school act hastily and open itself up to lawsuits charging discrimination.
May 8 budget workshop
There will be a budget workshop meeting on Thursday, May 8.
The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, May 15. After the workshop meeting more information on a possible tax hike will be disclosed. A hike of 2% increase has been mentioned. This is less than half of the 5.3% increase which was authorized by board vote. Rumors continue to circulate of this higher figure.