PENNCREST meets tonight

CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS — PENNCREST School Board holds its October voting meeting today at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of Cambridge Springs Junior Senior High, 641 Venango Ave.

The meeting originally was scheduled to take place at Maplewood Elementary in Townville. During the monthly work session last week, board members decided to relocate the meeting to facilitate a walk-through of the district's two Cambridge Springs schools, which will be conducted prior to the meeting.

The walk-through comes after the district received a state grant of $4.3 million for repairs related to building issues such as lead, mold, asbestos and other environmental hazards. Board members spent much of the work session discussing how much to spend in addition to the grant award.

The meeting was scheduled for tonight rather than the usual second Monday of the month due to the Columbus Day holiday.

Other items on the agenda include a vote on updates to 18 district policies, including extensive rewrites of the policies on tobacco and vaping products; hazing; the district's academic calendar; and suicide awareness, prevention and response.

New policies include one that streamlines bureaucratic requirements for the children of military personnel and another that sets the district's first guidelines for the use of generative artificial intelligence applications like ChatGPT.

A revision to the policy on flag displays directs the district to provide an annual moment of silence during the school day for students and faculty to mark the Sept. 11 anniversary.

Also on the agenda is a presentation from ONE Federal Credit Union, which is donating $4,000 for the soccer field scoreboard at Saegertown Junior-Senior High.