JERSEY SHORE — Keystone tests for students who were scheduled to retake the exam in the spring have been waived as a result of schools shutting down in March, Dr. Brian Ulmer, superintendent of the Jersey Shore Area School District, told the school board this week.

“I am going to enact that clause of the waiver because those students did not finish those classes in the spring,” Ulmer said. “I don’t want them to have to come back in the fall, be in a completely different class and have to go back and retake the test of a class that they had part of in the spring.

“They can use the other opt-out procedures and still, if they need it, meet graduation requirements without the Keystone exam,” he said.

In other business, the board approved the district’s online learning program with Intermediate Unit 17.

The policy states that the online program is offered by the district through IU-17 and Capital Area Intermediate Unit 15 as a way for students to fulfill their educational requirements.

Online learning students are full-time district students who are permitted to participate in academic, co-curricular, athletic and social activities available to all district students, according to the policy.

Responding to a question from a board member about who would be teaching the courses for the K-6 grade students, Ulmer noted that at the beginning, instruction will be done by teachers provided by the IU. “We do have the ability to purchase a curriculum and with our partnership use IU-provided teachers. We can look at the number of kids and where we have potentially a large chunk of kids select this, we can free up one of our teachers to facilitate the courses,” he said.

“Either way, you can buy the courses with or without a teacher. You can either contract or use your own,” he said.

Other items approved by the board included:

• Title I inter-district agreement among the district and St. John Neumann and the Williamsport Area School District for Title I reading instruction for 2020-21 school year.

• A memorandum of understanding between the district and Lackawanna College for dual enrollment for the 2020-21 school year.

• A contract between the district and Justice Works YouthCare.

• An educational services agreement between the district and Pyramid HealthCare, Inc.

• A letter of agreement between the district and Beacon Light Behavioral Health System and Beacon Light Adult Residential Services.

• An application for flexible instruction days for the 2020-21 school year.

• Purchase of family ID for athletics in keeping with the athletic budget.

The board approved the following appointments of staff as mentors to fellow teachers for the 2020-21 school year: Jodie Woleslagle, Ann Knipe, Holly Dittmar, Zoraida Pagan, Judy Morlock, Jill Flook and Krista Callahan. Each will receive a $500 stipend.

Other personnel items approved were:

• Madissen Davis as a special education teacher at the Middle School at a rate of $45,000 per year.

• Resignation of Florence Weaver, part-time food service employee.

• Automatic one-year renewal of Dr. Ken Dady’s contract as assistant superintendent. Dady’s contract was set to expire on June 30, 2020, but the board renewed it automatically for one more year. According to his contract, Dady will receive a minimum increase added to his annual base salary in an amount equal to 2 percent with the potential of .5 percent performance increase of his current annual base salary. Dady’s salary last year was $114,000.

• Jancye Hoffman appointed as a full-time paraprofessional at Jersey Shore Elementary at a salary of $17,018.

• Jodi del Rosario appointed as a full-time professional at Avis Elementary at a salary of $17,018 per year.

• Sabrina Ferland as a part-time learning support aide at Salladasburg Elementary at a rate of $9.24 per hour.

• Steven Shrodo appointed as assistant varsity boys’ soccer coach at a stipend of $2,160.

• Alexis Loughry appointed as assistant varsity soccer coach at a stipend of $2,160.

• Michael Samar, Cliff Strayer and Matthew Strayer as volunteer middle school football coaches for the 2020-21 season.

• Alex Jackson and Eric Hess as half time first assistant varsity football coaches at a stipend of $2,412 for the 2020-21 season.

• Quinn Henry and Austin Barnes to part-time network computer technician positions at $15.50 each per hour for a maximum of 1,265 hours per fiscal year for each position.

• Makalea Bickhart as assistant varsity cheerleader advisor at a stipend of $2,052.

Board members present were: Craig Allen, David Becker, Harry Brungard, Patrice Doebler, Angela Grant, Wayne Kinley, Nancy Petrosky, Michelle Stemler and Mary Thomas.

The next board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Aug. 10.