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Kindergarten Registration for the 2022-2023 school year will be held at the Line Mountain Elementary School in Trevorton. Children must reach the age of 5 by September 1st, 2022. Please phone the Elementary School for an appointment: 570-797-3825
The Archery Tournament scheduled for Saturday, January 8th at Williams Valley has been postponed until Saturday, January 22nd.
Employment Opportunities Click HERE
Important Update Regarding Masking and the Commonwealth of PA
Masking and Contact Tracing Updates for LMSD Health & Safety Plan 11/17/2021
Health and Safety Plan Guidance and Template Revised November 17 2021
On Tuesday, November 17, 2021, the Line Mountain School Board approved in a 6-1 vote a proposal to return to voluntary/optional masking and to discontinue contact tracing for traditional school-based “contacts” who are non-symptomatic.
We believe these decisions have been thoroughly reviewed and our based on the hard work and efforts of our school district personnel. These data-driven decisions come from background support from employee leadership structures, the nursing department, the administrative team, and the school board. The district also calculated a component where this decision aligns with the majority viewpoint within our community. Additionally In discussions with other superintendents, we have not once heard information that would lead the LMSD to believe that other districts are not experiencing similar data trends as well. We have been bracing for making this type of decision for a long time and feel the best time to move in this direction is now.
Masking
Based on a communication from the Governor’s office on Monday, November 8,2021 related to an anticipated Monday, January 17, 2022 return to local decision making and the Wednesday, November 10, 2021 Commonwealth Court’s decision in the Corman v. Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health determining the Tuesday, August 31, 2021 order mandating masking void and unenforceable, the District is returning to the optional masking position set forth in the District’s Health and Safety Plan.
Contact tracing:
A school-based contact example would be a student or staff member who is either in need of quarantining simply due to proximity to another individual who was symptomatic or within the Forty-Eight (48) hour window of having symptoms. Contacts such as these may occur as result of; where someone sat in the classroom, where they sat at lunch, where they sat on the bus, and what team/club/ they are on.
Although the district has always attempted to function in the least “intrusive” manner in association with the CDC, and the PA DOH guidance, we have still quarantined nearly 400 individuals over the last 15 months. Over 98% percent of those individuals remained non COVID Positive. So far this year, we have had to quarantine nearly 100 students. This has resulted in about 700 missed days of school for students and staff so far this school year. These statistical figures directly correlate to days missed by healthy individuals who never tested positive for COVID.
The district will continue to quarantine individuals who are household contacts of a COVID positive person and in situations where students/staff have demonstrated symptoms in alignment with the COVID Screening Tool. Finally, the district may communicate with families of students when isolation and quarantine become necessary as per Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines.
Mask Mandate Update Wednesday, 11/10/2021
The Commonwealth Court just released its decisions in the Corman et al. Beam regarding the Department of Health Mask Order. The Corman 55-page decisions (majority and dissenting opinions) can be viewed here – https://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/294MD21_11-10-21.pdf?cb=1.
The Commonwealth Court held the Department of Health Mask Order is void ab initio because it was not adopted in compliance with regulatory review process. Therefore, the Department of Health mask order is deemed unlawful.
Therefore, beginning at 12am Thursday, November 11, 2021 masks in accordance with our July 27, 2021 board approved Health and Safety Plan will once again be voluntary. The Line Mountain SD Health and Safety Plan can be found on our web-site www.linemountain.con or direct link here: https://www.linemountain.com/wp-content/uploads/LMSD-ARP-ESSER-Health-and-Safety-Plan-Guidance-and-Template-July-27-2021.pdf Additionally approval of our Health and Safety Plan can be found in our Board minutes by clicking here: https://www.linemountain.com/download/Minutes/210727bd.pdf
LMSD ARP ESSER Health and Safety Plan Guidance and Template July 27 2021
Click HERE for the Line Mt. SD Mask ExemptionForm
Update From The Secretary Of Education Regarding the State’s Mask Mandate-August 31, 2021
- Masks will be required for all indoor activities – including on our buses.
- This mandate from the DoH is effective starting Tuesday, September 7, 2021.
- This mandate does not include any outdoor activities or events.
- This mask mandate lifts the requirement for contact tracing – meaning contact tracing is no longer required.
I will join Governor Wolf and other state leaders to announce an Order signed by Pennsylvania’s Acting Secretary of Health requiring face coverings to be worn in all school entities, including school districts, brick and mortar and cyber charter schools, private and parochial schools, career and technical centers, intermediate units, and early learning and other child care settings, effective Tuesday, September 7, 2021. This statewide Order reflects the current statewide data—all 67 counties are reporting high or substantial rates of community transmission of COVID-19—and the fact that our young people represent the largest remaining segment of our population that is unvaccinated, and therefore unprotected from an infectious disease variant that is aggressively spreading.
Your efforts to maintain orderly and safe school conditions, foster consistency for your students, and navigate divergent community sentiment have been heroic. Amid these challenges, I am heartened by the fact that nearly everyone—parents, policymakers, medical professionals, and educators—agrees that our students’ long-term prospects depend on schools remaining open for full-time instruction for every family that wants it. This Order will help maximize the chances for regular school operations and minimize student and staff quarantines as the school year gets underway. The Order also acknowledges that face covering requirements can’t go on forever. The Administration will continue to evaluate community transmission rates, vaccination data, and other indicators, and will provide a comprehensive update to the education community by October 1, 2021, to inform decisions about the Order’s statewide application going ahead.
To ensure as much consistency as possible, local implementation of the Order will reflect many of the standards that were in place throughout much of the 2020-21 school year, including a series of accommodations and exceptions detailed within the Order. Answers to FAQs are also available on the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s website. In a change from the 2020 Order and recognizing a steady accrual of evidence around disease transmission, face coverings are not required outdoors.
I recognize this announcement will be met with relief in some quarters and anger in others. I further understand that proponents and opponents alike will feel frustration that it comes as the school year is already underway in large portions of the state. The last few weeks have been an exceedingly discouraging and disruptive chapter in the course of the pandemic, especially the manner in which weak mitigation efforts in other states have threatened the relative normalcy that Pennsylvanians sacrificed so much to achieve. As we work to regain ground through increased availability of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for our students, efficient administration of Federal aid, and continued mitigation efforts, please know how much your leadership matters to Pennsylvania’s families.
Sincerely,
Noe Ortega | Secretary of Education
School Wellness Policy #246 – Annual Information
Wellness/Advisory Committee and Wellness Policy Triennial Assessment Report
Any parent or community member interested in serving on the Wellness/Advisory Committee, please contact Joanna Hovenstine at: jhovenstine@linemountain.com The Line Mountain School District Policy entitled: “School Wellness Policy #246” can be found at the following link: https://www.linemountain.com/policy-200 You can participate in the development, implementation, periodic review, and updating of this policy by filling out a suggestion form by CLICKING HERE. The Wellness Triennial Assessment Report can be found at the following link:
Wellness Policy Assessment Tool And Report 2021
Low-income families still have time to sign up
for advance child tax credit payments. CLICK HERE to find out more.
LET US PAY YOUR RENT & UTILITIES – Emergency Rental Assistance Program
Click HERE for more information
Scholastic Reading Counts
The Scholastic Reading Counts program from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is once again accessible. You can access the login page by CLICKING HERE.
For Apple iPad Users, you must first go to SETTINGS and scroll down to READING COUNTS. Tap in the SITE ID field and key in: h100008308
The Line Mountain School Board meeting on Tuesday, October 26th, 2021 at 6:30pm will be held in the High School Cafeteria |
Community Aid has discontinued their clothing bin collection. The Line Mountain School District has entered into a new partnership with Community Aid called the Virtual Partnership. Line Mountain School District will now receive $.06/lb instead of $.04/lb for all clothing that you take to any of the Community aid donation centers using Line Mountain’s partner number #30145 for the appropriate credit. Please note the district will not get credit on toys, household goods, shoes and books, although Community Aid still accepts donations of these goods. All the district’s proceeds go towards our Needy Family fund. Thank You again for your support of the Line Mountain SD.
Click HERE for the new Line Mt. Counseling Services Website |
Face Coverings & Identification of COVID-19 Cases
Face covering requirements were revised from a July 28th, 2020 release by the Pennsylvania Department of Education release on Monday, August 17, 2020; which now require face coverings be worn by students. PDE approved face coverings include: disposable surgical masks, cloth mask, neck gaiters, and face shields. Detailed clarification regarding approved face coverings can be found on our web-site.
Protocol for an identified case or cases of Covid-19 can be found HERE. When referencing the protocol on our web-site it is important to know that Northumberland County is currently categorized as a moderate level of Transmission County.
The district cannot stress and encourage parents and guardians enough to follow the symptom monitor checklist everyone received last week in the mail. This checklist can be found on our web-site. Strict daily adherence to the checklist is the single most proactive step for the maximum safety of our students and community.
Click Here For The Line Mountain School District Face Covering Protocols
Microsoft Teams Acceptable Use Policy |
Just a reminder to all students, and parents of younger children, the Microsoft Teams Online Learning program is to be used for school related activities and studies only; which includes the chat functionality. Students must adhere to the district-wide Acceptable Use Of Technology By Students policy number 815.1. This policy can be found by CLICKING HERE.
Getting Started with Microsoft Teams
Mental Health and Crisis Management
With all the conversation surrounding COVID-19, we understand that it can cause students to feel nervous and anxious. It is important to help your student manage and cope with these feelings. The following link outlines how parents can help their child(ren) during this uncertain time.
As a parent, you may be aware of changes in your teen’s behavior but may not know how to proceed. Crisis Clinic has put out Helpful Advice For Parents to help with communicating with your child.
Virus Prevention
The Superintendent’s Advisory Council recently met at the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit 16 for their monthly meeting. The group of 16 superintendents reviewed all of the most current recommendations from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, The Center for Disease Control, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and met with a local health and emergency management official to discuss the current state of COVID 19, both locally and statewide.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
For those families in the Line Mountain School District, you may be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is a program that helps supplement your monthly grocery budget to help put nutritious foods on your family’s table. If your child(ren) receives free or reduced lunch at school, your household may be eligible for SNAP. For more information on the SNAP program, and to determine whether you qualify, click on the SNAP logo at the top of this page.
Line Mountain Cyber School
Click Here for more facts when speaking to your legislatures about House Bill 526 and Senate Bill 34 regarding funding reform for Cyber Schools
Proposed House Bill (526) and Senate Bill (34) could save Line Mountain taxpayers more than a half-million dollars. A full presentation regarding the continued concerns with local tax payer funding of Cyber Schools can be found by clicking HERE. While there is nothing definitive to report currently, there has been a lot of discussion on the bills introduced by Rep. Sonney (House Bill 526) and Sen. Schwank (Senate Bill 34) that would require parents to pay that tuition if the school district of residence offers a full-time cyber program. Although there is a lot of momentum and discussion about cyber charter tuition, many don’t think either bill will make it across the finish line. Please talk to your legislators about bills introduced by Rep. Sonney and Sen. Schwank and support for those bills.
Line Mountain SD Homeless information
Pennsylvania’s Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program was established to make sure homeless youth have access to a free and appropriate public education while removing barriers that homeless children face. Its goal is to have the educational process continue as uninterrupted as possible while the children are in homeless situations. Some of the other main objectives of Pennsylvania’s Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program are to inform local school districts of their responsibilities to homeless children and youth, to increase awareness about the needs of homeless children, explain current laws and policies, and provide practical tips for working with homeless children. Click Here To Read More….
The Child Protective Services Law was updated to require school entities to display a poster with the statewide toll-free telephone numbers for reporting suspected child abuse and neglect, along with toll-free telephone number relating to school safety. For more information, visit the PA Keep Kids Safe website
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