Here's What's Happening

Good morning! First, CCAP would like to apologize for slacking on the posts lately, but we can assure you that we are still here and involved. CCAP has been very busy!  Here is a small recap of some of the activities our group has involved in.

Lyryn Yacoe & Katie Hadzor met with Dr. Dunlap to create a liaison relationship between the community and CASD. Dr. Dunlap has been very open and excited to work together to share information with the community ensuring that all stakeholders are invested and informed. One of the discussions in their meeting was to visit a change in committee meeting format. Interestingly enough, the format discussed is what the Coatesville Area School District used in the past.  Each committee meeting would be held in the library and conversation would be open for community members to discuss with school board members.  This will allow community to have a lot more input in the process. In order to have this change, the current policies will have to be reviewed.

CCAP is very excited to have Audra Ritter back at work. Audra is now at North serving students as a special education teacher. Her students are excited to have her back, and her colleagues have some restored confidence in the process. 

On another note, the technology task force (many CCAP leaders are part of this task force) has been meeting weekly since August, and they have been working hard to create a plan for the district to effectively and responsibly roll out the Chromebooks.. Unfortunately, when this grant was accepted in March, no plan was designed or considered. When the task force started to meet, it was clear that there were many details to resolve: insurance, filtering, hot spots, procedures for the use, the repair, and the incorporation into curriculum (and all of the parts for each of those.) At this time the task force is excited that we have a handle on various aspects  moving forward. The district is waiting for the hot spots arrival and finalizing final processes.. Task force member Andy Finkbohner and Dr. Dunlap are organizing a town hall meeting for parents an opportunity to hear about the initiative and ask any questions about the 1:1 initiative. We will inform you as soon as a date is set.

One of the largest changes that our team has noticed is that conversations with administration at this point seem to be leading to a thoughtful investigation of the problems and discussions of processes in which we can solve the problem. This explains why we no longer have been publishing blog post about the concerns/ problems within the school district.

There are still many changes to work toward; we still have concerns about the special education processes and the use of the special-education supervisors. We still have concerns about the class leveling as they’re only two levels within classes - prohibiting us from meeting our student needs/ adequately preparing them for their future. We have concerns about the course offerings at both the 9/10 and the 11/12 causing too much overlap and therefore not offering enough courses to our students to complete in 9-12 grades. We still have concerns over some of the reports we are hearing in some buildings. But, again, we feel like there are open lines of communication that allow for these issues to change. We are still helping to find solutions, but it is able to be behind the scenes. If we find that the district is not hearing the needs of the students, community, or teachers, don't worry, we will be addressing it to enlist the public support.

Lastly, we do want to note that the environment of  the past several years under the former administration does not look the same for most buildings. Many teachers are reporting the joy they lacked has returned. We are working to ensure it's better for all. 

As always, reach out to us with your story. Let us know how you think CASD is doing or reach out to us with any questions or concerns.