JERSEY SHORE — What students in the district are being taught was on the minds of some Jersey Shore Area School District residents who addressed the school board at its meeting this week.

Ann Marie Pfirman would like to see the district eliminate all social-emotional learning from the curriculum.

“With social-emotional learning comes responsibility,” Pfirman said.

“What they try to do in that, is teach our kids what to think and not how to think. That’s not the job of our teachers,” Pfirman asserted.

“The teachers are to teach our kids the basics of education,” she added.

Pfirman also questioned whether the addition of some courses, which the board was going to consider, would be fiscally responsible considering how much it would cost to implement them.

“If we don’t know how we’re going to pay for the teachers’ contract that we’re in, I feel that it doesn’t make sense to spend additional money on classes that will only benefit a few kids,” Pfirman said.

Another resident, Shelly Helms, also urged the board to “go back to basics,” particularly in light of some deficiencies in student performance that had been revealed resulting from the pandemic.

“My suggestion is to tighten up our smorgasbord of course offerings at the high school level. Concentrate on the three R’s at the elementary level and go back to the basics,” Helms said.

“If we do this, the students will be able to do anything at the secondary and post-secondary level,” she said.

In other business under personnel, the board approved the following: the appointments of James Bennett as volunteer baseball coach and Barry Wrench as volunteer softball coach; Randy Smith and Steven Lehman as head middle school boys’ basketball coaches at a 1/4 stipend for a shared position and half the season at $1,053 each; the appointment of Joshua Torrens to the athletic event staff; Jordan Bower as full-time assistant cook at the Jersey Shore Area Elementary School, $18.03 per hour; Stacy Younkin, part-time food service position at the high school, $12.75 per hour; and the appointment of Ella Simcox to the high school Renaissance Club co-advisor at a 1/4 stipend for a shared position and for half the school year at $102.

They also accepted letters of resignation from Holly Lehman, assistant middle school track and field coach; Sara Luprek, head girls’ middle school soccer coach; Melissa Williamson as Renaissance Club co-adviser; and Richard Franco, fitness center supervisor.

An amendment to the initial energy services agreement with Sitelogiq Energy Services not to exceed $1,219,951 for boiler and related control replacement in the Avis Elementary School was approved by the board.

The purchase of a replacement walk-in freezer system for the middle school from Ainsworth at a cost of $9,965, which will come from the contingency fund was also approved.

Other items given the OK by the board included: an Athletic Trainer Physician Supervision Services Amended Agreement between the district and Geisinger Clinic; the use of Interpretek American Sign Language Services; an agreement with Maxim Healthcare Services to provide nursing services for the current school year; the donation of two keyboard packages from Heather Haigh for the High School Keyboard Lab; the donation of 20 books from Dale and Barbara Copenhaver for the middle school library in memory of Kenneth R. Flanigan; and an educational services agreement between Pyramid HealthCare Inc. and the district.