Wyoming Valley West School Board tackles packed agenda

Oct. 13—KINGSTON — The Wyoming Valley West School Board approved a several new agreements and contracts at Wednesday's monthly meeting covering mental health, review and possible construction or renovation of facilities, and a possible civil law suit against vape companies.

An agreement with Kooth for student mental health services is at no cost to the district, with the state paying for it as a pilot. The program is "intended to help augment existing mental health services in a select number of schools across the state," according to a presentation about the program.

Kooth bills itself as an "international leader in online youth mental health," and the program will be available in grades six through 12. Parents and students can opt out. The presentation noted an "unprecedented prevalence of mental health disorders in U.S. youth," with 36% feeling persistent sadness, 41% with untreated anxiety, 15% suffering a major depressive episode and 18% having seriously considered suicide.

Citing an "acute practitioner shortage and related barriers to care," the presentation says Kooth gives users "access to self-therapy, peer support and professional support" through online service that can be accessed via a smart phone. Kooth claims 95% of users "get the support they want/need without costly long-term counseling."

Three parents questioned the program and asked the board to table the vote, but it was approved unanimously with two board members absent. After the vote Superintendent Dave Tosh noted the district has lost two students to tragedy in the first five weeks of this school year, and said he believes the no-cost program is a "home run" in trying to help students deal with difficult times.

The board also approved an agreement for professional services with SitelogIQ as a facilities solution provider. The company will review and report on the High School, Middle School and Chester Street, Dana Street, Schuyler, State Street and Third Avenue elementary buildings. A final report is promised no later than March 2023. The company uses proprietary software to simplify findings and prioritize needed changes in buildings, and continuously updates the report if the district opts for that service.

The initial basic services are provided at no cost, according to the agreement. SitelogIQ it be considered for any future construction projects, charging hourly fees for different services ranging from $69 per hour for a project coordinator to $162 per hour for a project executive, as well as charging for "reimbursable expenses" approved by the district.

The company's northeast president Rick Evans gave a slide presentation that, like the Kooth proposal, has been posted on the district website. He noted that while the company has done work with numerous districts in the state, it is still relatively new to Northeast Pennsylvania.

The company promises to complete along-term facilities maintenance plan, identify needed improvements, and provide expertise in getting grants and other available money.

A facilities review would include assessment of energy use, lighting and air quality, water quality, space capacity and utilization, safety, code compliance and disability access, among other things. In managing projects, the company promises being the single-prime contractor to eliminate "the finger pointing that occurs on traditional public construction projects," elimination of change orders, and a construction schedule limiting interruptions to school routines.

Regarding vaping, the board approved a legal agreement with four law firms — Fellerman & Ciarimboli, Rogers, Patrick Westbrook & Brickman, LLC, Solomon Law Group, LLC and Grazer PLC to represent the district in potential litigation against vape company Juul Labs, Inc. and possibly other defendants. The litigation would seek payment for "nuisance and other damages." The agreement costs nothing if the firms fail to recover any money. The law firms would get 33% of any amount recovered.

The board also:

—Approved an agreement with Municipal Revenue Services regarding delinquent tax claims, effective from July 1, 2022 through June 20, 2025.

—Approved an agreement with the Luzerne Intermediate Unit for partial hospitalization therapeutic services for the current school year. The LIU will provide the services for six hours per day at a cost of $112 a day, though the district would not pay if the services are covered by Medical Assistance or private insurance.

—Renewed an agreement with Kishbaugh Behavior Services, LLC, in Luzerne Borough for the current school year. KBS will provide a board certified behavior analyst and related services at the district's request at a cost of $100 per hour. Tosh said this covers some student needs that the LIU may not.

—Approved a contract with the Pennsylvania School Boards Association for a comprehensive review and update of the School Board policy manual at a total cost of $6,900.

—Approved an update to the contract with Bus Tracks, the company that provides school bus route tracking services, to switch to a web-based system accessible on any computer with an internet connection. The change bumps the price up from $4,300 annually for the current system based on the district server to $6,500 for the cloud-based system. Transportation Director Anthony Dicton said the company will not start charging the higher fee until next year.

—Approved putting out a request for proposals to have the Schuyler Avenue school building appraised and for brokerage services for the sale of the building, which was closed this year as a cost cutting measure.

—Added Karen Lipski, Caroline Novrocki and Robert Reichold to the substitute teacher list.

—Appointed Samantha Kozokas as special education teacher and Katlyn Dopko as speech and language pathologist, each at $51,239 per year.

—Accepted the resignations of high school assistant principal Matthew Zampetti, emotional support aide Monica Sterling, substitute aide Cynthia Pelletier, autistic support aide Tonya Carey and life skills aide Rose Hryczyk.

—Appointed Amanda Werts as life skills aide and Michelle Bolton and Christina Sapp as cleaners, all at $12 per hour each.

—Accepted the retirement of autistic support aide/personal care aide GeorgeAnne Romanoskey.

Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish