Statement read at School Board meeting on Aug 13 about the locker room issue

On July 10, custodial staff discovered two holes in lockers of the girl’s locker room. A storage room is adjacent to the locker room. The media had initially stated that the room was a custodial closet; the difference between these two spaces is significant in that a storage room is accessed far less frequently than a custodial closet. More importantly, the wall on the other side of the locker room has been blocked from floor to ceiling by heavy boxes and other large supplies.

The person who discovered the holes followed correct procedure by notifying the district’s custodial supervisor. He then informed the high school principal and me of the holes. After which I made the entire Board of Directors aware of the situation.

We began an internal investigation and then contacted Cambria Township police in order for them to determine if there was any possibility of criminal activity.

Inspection of the area showed that the holes did go through to the storage room. Our first reaction was an internal investigation of areas connected to all locker rooms and restrooms. There was no evidence of problems in these places.

The fact that we found no indication that a school-wide problem existed, or even that the holes had been visible from the side of the storage room, I was satisfied that a problem did not exist. I did, of course, direct the custodial crew to cover the holes on the wall of the storage room.

To summarize, the holes have been securely covered, all other lavatories and locker rooms have been thoroughly checked by the district’s head custodian and his staff, and no other holes were found.

My sincere hope is that, having been as open as I can be, without compromising the police investigation, we can return our attention to preparing our schools for the start of another great year at CCSD. Remember, the District’s policy and practice has always been openness and honesty, and the Board feels that it is important to share the facts as we know them, keeping in mind, that there is an ongoing investigation, and that any other information disseminated would compromise the investigation on the part of the School District, and possibly on the part of the Police.

Relative to that investigation, please rest assure that no incidents have surfaced which would indicate that someone has been spying on anyone through the locker room, and at this time, there is no indication of any criminal activity taking place.

Right around the corner...

You know the fall season is coming when…

…the soccer teams are going through their drills

…the marching band is preparing for football games

…the football team has its overnighter

…cross country runners are logging miles

Summer will soon be a memory and school will be in session once again – and we’re ready!!

The JES sewer project is complete and we are now in compliance with township sewer codes. Classrooms and furniture in all the buildings have been thoroughly cleaned and arranged, thanks to Greg Shaffer and his crew of hard workers. The road patching around the main campus has been completed, along with the sealing and relining of several parking lots. InShore has been busy preparing and updating the technology needs of each building. First Student transportation has been working with the District’s transportation coordinator to set bus routes, stops and pick up/drop off times. Of course there are numerous other summer tasks that have been completed; these are just the ones that relate directly to the arrival of students. Suffice it to say that summer is a busy, busy time for all those involved in getting the District ready for the upcoming year.

As you may have noticed, we have installed a gate above CES. The times for open/closing are:

· Open first day of the school week at 6am

· Closed during the day at 9:15am

· Re-opened during the school day at 2pm

· Closed at 11pm on the last day of the school week and reopened at 6am on the morning of the first student day of the next week (this means that the road is closed when students are not in school)

The gate is intended to protect the campus while school is in session and to reduce the amount of traffic on our road system.

Congratulations to all students and staff for making AYP again this year. 11^th grade students will not take the PSSA this year—don’t sigh with relief just yet. These students will instead take the Keystone exams; more on this as testing time draws near.

Finally, what would my blog be without some mention of football at this time of year? I can now look forward to my gridiron fanaticism with great glee. As I had said last year at this time – “for me, the anticipation of the season is in some ways better than the season itself: once it starts I know it will end in a couple months.” But I am nonetheless thankful that it is finally here.

I look forward to another wonderful opening day this year as we begin the 2012-13 school year. I wish each student and staff member a wonderful, productive and safe school year. Let’s hope we have a beautiful fall with vibrant colors and that winter is similar to last year.

DR. D

Oh Summertime....

“Summertime, but is the living easy…?

Yea! it’s summertime; the official start of summer is almost here with the summer solstice occurring June 21. It is what many of us have been waiting for, but from June 21 on, until winter solstice in December, the sun will leave us a few minutes earlier each day. Heavy sigh… As she does every year, my wonderful wife Judy, who is by nature an early-to-bed/early-to-rise person, will make it a point to stay up as late as possible (for her) on June 21.

In my opinion, summertime is not necessarily easy for CCSD’s 12-month employees. A surprising number of activities take place during the summer months to prepare for the new school year. For one thing, prior to the arrival of staff and students, all buildings are organized, repaired, patched, painted and cleaned from top to bottom. Greg Shaffer and his staff work very hard, both inside and out, in the heat of the summer, to get buildings and grounds in top shape for the beginning of the school year. And, while there are no construction projects this summer, we are currently managing the process of replacing old terra cotta sewer lines.

On the administrative level, records are maintained/updated and distributed across grade levels and schools, and between districts. Then, based on population shifts, materials for the coming school year are ordered.
Bus routes are reviewed and adjusted according to the same information.
From my own perspective, one thing that remains constant at all times of the year is the number of meetings I attend.

With all that goes on while students are enjoying some well-deserved summer fun, it’s nice to know that there remains a more casual air among those of us working to ready our facilities for the coming school year. The tempo, while still brisk, is a change of routine that refreshes our spirits.

On the home front, my wife and I are now blessed with three wonderful grandchildren. Our eldest son and his wife, are the proud parents of our first granddaughter. She is (if I do say so myself!) a doll with a beautiful smile and lots of hair. We have many trips and activities planned with our kids and grandkids this summer. Among these is a weeklong stay at the beach. I enjoy the beach about as much as I like needles BUT I love being with my family. They all assure me that I’ll have fun – I’ll let you know in September whether or not they were right.

Strange things can happen during the summer. Who would guess the Pirates were tied for first in their division, briefly, but still sporting a winning record for the middle of June. Or that speedy receiver Mike (60 minutes) Wallace of the Steelers would still be unsigned. OTAs are done for most NFL teams and that means training camp is not that far away. Life is good.

Enjoy what is left of June, and have a safe and happy Fourth of July holiday!

Dr. D.