(8/17) Fairfield Area School Districts Board of Directors is closer to making it easier for students who face hardships to graduate from high school.
At their work session in August, Superintendent Thomas J. Haupt presented an updated policy on how to care for those pupils. Pennsylvania General Assembly’s Act 1 of 2022 necessitated Fairfield’s changes.
The biggest change, Haupt said, is broadening the policy to include students who face "instability." Act 1 defines a student facing instability as one who is experiencing homelessness; an adjudication of dependency, delinquency, or court-ordered services under a voluntary placement or custody agreement.
Previously, Fairfield Area School DIstrict was required to enroll such students within five days of their request. The waiting period, Haupt explained, gave the district time to acquire a student’s records from his or her previous school. The district must now enroll them immediately, even if records are not accessible.
The new policy, which the board will vote on in September, also relaxes other district rules for students who experience instability. The district cannot penalize those students for defying the dress code, Haupt said. It must also adjust graduation requirements to help students achieve that goal. Normal attendance rules are also void for instable students, Haupt said.
Technology
The district is changing the process for students to receive their own electronic device. Nicole Zepp, coordinator of instructional technology, told the board every student will receive a Google Chromebook this school year.
The district replaces Chromebooks every five years, so students will receive a new device in first, fifth, and ninth grade. Kindergarten students will receive used Chromebooks, Zepp said.
All students are reponsible for the care of their Chromebook, Zepp said. Parents can purchase insurance to help reduce replacement or repair costs. The district is also giving the parents who purchase the insurance the option to pay for an inexpensive repair, such as a new power cord, outright to avoid the deductible.
Zepp said the district offers mobile hotspots to students who do not have reliable internet at their home. Last year, one student borrowed a hotspot.
The district is also working on enhancing wifi capabilities on the outdoor areas of the district campus on Fairfield Road. When that project is complete, Zepp said, district residents will be able to access the internet from parking lots and sports fields.
