Pleasant Valley Middle School

Pleasant Valley Middle School is located at Route 115, Brodheadsville, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. The school is the sole middle school operated by the Pleasant Valley School District. The building was built in 1989 and renovated in 1993.[5]

Map of school
above is (2013)
Address
One School Lane Rte. 115

Brodheadsville
,
Monroe County
,
Pennsylvania
18322

United States
Information
TypePublic
School board9 locally elected members
SuperintendentDr. Carole Geary contract August 1, 2013 to July 31, 2017[1] salary $152,000.[2]
DeanDavid J. Stefani, MS
AdministratorMs Susan H Famularo, Business Manager

Ms. Monica Kotzmann, Asst to Business Manager
Bonnie Grammes, Director of Food Services

Christopher Fisher, Asst to Superintendent
PrincipalMr Rocco Seiler, MS salary $80,000 (2013)
Faculty79 teachers in 2010
Grades7th and 8th (2013)
Age13 years to 15 years
Number of pupils902 pupils (2013), 985 pupils 2010[3]
 • Grade 7439 (2012), 510 (2010)
 • Grade 8457 (2012), 506 (2010)
 • Grade 9527 (2010),
LanguageEnglish
MascotBears
Tuition$9,540.35 (2011)
Feeder schoolsPleasant Valley Intermediate School
Per Pupil Spending$11,422 (2008)
Per Pupil Spending$14,317.35 (2010) ranks 181st out of 500 PA school districts[4]
Websitehttp://www.pvbears.org/pvbears/site/default.asp

In 2013, Pleasant Valley Middle School enrollment was 902 pupils, in grades 7th and 8th, with 41% of pupils eligible for a free lunch due to the family meeting the federal poverty level. Additionally, 17% of pupils received special education services, while 9.53% of pupils were identified as gifted.[6] The school was not a federally designated Title I school. According to a 2013 report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 100% of its teachers were rated "Highly Qualified" under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.[7] The school was part of a district-wide realignment of schools which shifted ninth grade to the high school and brought seventh grade to the middle school in 2012-13.

In 2010, Pleasant Valley Middle School had 1,056 students enrolled in grades 8th and 9th, with 354 students receiving the federal free or reduced-price lunch due to family poverty. The school employed 82 teachers, yielding a 13:1 student–teacher ratio.[8] The attendance rate rose from 90% in 2010 to 94% in 2011.[9] The school was a Title I school.

Academic achievement
2013 School Performance Profile

Pleasant Valley Middle School achieved 79.6 out of 100. Reflects on-grade-level reading, writing, mathematics and science achievement. In reading, 78.8% of the students were on grade level. In Mathematics/Algebra 1, 81% of the students showed on-grade-level skills. In Science, only 68% of the 8th graders demonstrated on-grade-level understanding. In writing, just 65% of the 8th grade students demonstrated on-grade-level writing skills.[10]

AYP History

In 2011 and 2012, Pleasant Valley Middle School remained in Warning Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status due to lagging student achievement in both reading and mathematics.[11]

  • 2009 and 2010 - AYP status
  • 2008 - Making Progress to School Improvement Level I
  • 2007 - declined to Corrective Action Level I due to chronic, low academic achievement in math
  • 2006 - declined to School Improvement Level II.
  • 2005 - Making Progress to School Improvement Level I The school was mandated by the PDE to develop a School Improvement plan to raise student achievement.
  • 2004 - declined to School Improvement Level I due to lagging academic achievement
  • 2003 - Warning AYP status
PSSA Results

PSSAs are given in the Spring of each school year. Seventh grades have been tested in reading and mathematics since 2006. Eighth graders are tested in: reading, writing, mathematics and Science. Beginning in the Spring of 2013, eighth graders, who are enrolled in Algebra I, take the Keystone Exam for Algebra I at the end of the course. The testing of 8th grade in reading and mathematics began in 1999.[12] Testing in science began in 2007. The goal is for 100% of students to be on grade level or better in reading and mathematics, by the Spring of 2014. The tests focus on the state's Academic Standards for reading, writing, mathematics and science.[13] The standards were published in 1998 and are mandated by the Pennsylvania State Board of Education.[14] In 2014, the Commonwealth adopted the Pennsylvania Core Standards - Mathematics.[15]

8th Grade Science:

  • 2012 - 61% on grade level (15% below basic). State - 59%[25]
  • 2011 - 57% (22% below basic). State – 58.3%
  • 2010 - 53% (26% below basic). State – 57%[26]
  • 2009 - 47% (26% below basic). State - 55%[27]
  • 2008 - 49%, (18% below basic). State - 52%[28]

School safety and bullying

Pleasant Valley School District administration reported there were six incidents of bullying in the school in 2012. Additionally, there was an assault on a student and no sexual incidents involving students. The local law enforcement was involved in one incident at the school, with no arrests.[29]

In November 2015, Pennsylvania State Police began investigating a case of Pleasant Valley Middle School students transmitting sexually explicit images of a minor. The photographs of the minor were taken in Ross Township, PA. Police have yet to release a statement regarding the incident.[30]

In 2009, the district's administration reported there were 7 incidents of bullying at the Middle School. There were seven incidents involving the police with two arrests.[31] The district has implemented district-wide coordination of safety initiatives. In 2009, the school district: 1) Established a PVSD Workplace Safety Committee; 2) Upgraded the high school access system; 3) Added video cameras to the high school system; 4) Increased security patrols; 5) Increased the use of metal detectors; and 6) Worked to coordinate the school district’s school police and PSP School Resource Officer’s efforts.[32]

The Pleasant Valley School Board has provided the district's antibully policy online.[33] All Pennsylvania schools are required to have an anti-bullying policy incorporated into their Code of Student Conduct. The policy must identify disciplinary actions for bullying and designate a school staff person to receive complaints of bullying. The policy must be available on the school's website and posted in every classroom. All Pennsylvania public schools must provide a copy of its anti-bullying policy to the Office for Safe Schools every year, and shall review their policy every three years. Additionally, the district must conduct an annual review of that policy with students.[34] The Center for Schools and Communities works in partnership with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency and the Pennsylvania Department of Education to assist schools and communities as they research, select and implement bullying prevention programs and initiatives.[35][36]

Education standards relating to student safety and antiharassment programs are described in the 10.3. Safety and Injury Prevention in the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Health, Safety and Physical Education.[37]

Wellness policy

Pleasant Valley School Board established a district-wide wellness policy in March 2006.[38] The board approved nutritional standards for Competitive Foods in the district.[39][40] The district's policy deals with nutritious meals served at school, the control of access to some foods and beverages during school hours, age appropriate nutrition education for all students, and physical education for students K-12. The policy is in response to state mandates and federal legislation (P.L. 108 – 265). The law dictates that each school district participating in a program authorized by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq) "shall establish a local school wellness policy by School Year 2006." Most districts identified the superintendent and school foodservice director as responsible for ensuring local wellness policy implementation.[41]

The legislation placed the responsibility of developing a wellness policy at the local level so the individual needs of each district can be addressed. According to the requirements for the Local Wellness Policy, school districts must set goals for nutrition education, physical activity, campus food provision, and other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness. Additionally, districts were required to involve a broad group of individuals in policy development and to have a plan for measuring policy implementation. Districts were offered a choice of levels of implementation for limiting or prohibiting low nutrition foods on the school campus. In final implementation these regulations prohibit some foods and beverages on the school campus.[42] The Pennsylvania Department of Education required the district to submit a copy of the policy for approval.

The Pleasant Valley Middle School offers both a free school breakfast and a free or reduced-price lunch to children in low-income families. All students attending the school can eat breakfast and lunch. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level are provided a breakfast and lunch at no cost to the family. Children from families with incomes between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level can be charged no more than 30 cents per breakfast. All foster children, whose care and placement is the responsibility of the State or who is placed by a court with a caretaker household, are eligible for both a free breakfast and a free lunch. Runaway, homeless and Migrant Youth are also automatically eligible for free meals.[43] The meals are partially funded with federal dollars through the United States Department of Agriculture.[44]

In 2013, the USDA issued new restrictions to foods in public schools. The rules apply to foods and beverages sold on all public school district campuses during the day. They limit vending machine snacks to a maximum of 200 calories per item. Additionally, all snack foods sold at school must meet competitive nutrient standards, meaning they must have fruits, vegetables, dairy or protein in them or contain at least 10 percent of the daily value of fiber, calcium, potassium, and Vitamin D.[45] In order to comply with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 all US public school districts are required to raise the price of their school lunches to $2.60 regardless of the actual cost of providing the lunch.[46] In 2014, President Obama ordered a prohibition of advertisements for unhealthy foods on public school campuses during the school day.[47] The Food and Drug Administration requires that students take milk as their beverage at lunch. In accordance with this law, any student requesting water in place of milk with their lunch must present a written request, signed by a doctor, documenting the need for water instead of milk.[48]

Pleasant Valley School District provides health services as mandated by the Commonwealth and the federal government. Nurses are available in the Middle School to conduct annual health screenings (data reported to the PDE and the Pennsylvania Department of Health) and to dispense prescribed medications to students during the school day. Students can be excluded from school unless they comply with all the State Department of Health’s extensive immunization mandates. School nurses monitor each pupil for this compliance.[49][50] Nurses also monitor each child's weight.

Extracurriculars

The Pleasant Valley School District offers a wide variety of clubs, activities and an extensive sports program. Eligibility for participation is determined by school board policy. Any student not passing two or more credits per semester will be declared ineligible for further participation until passing averages are earned.[51][52][53] The district is compliant with state law, posting its Interscholastic Athletic Opportunities Disclosure Form on its website in 2014.

By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students in the district, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, charter school and those homeschooled, are eligible to participate in the extracurricular programs including all athletics. They must meet the same eligibility rules as the students enrolled in the district's schools.[54][55]

According to Pennsylvania’s Safety in Youth Sports Act, all sports coaches, paid and volunteer, are required to annually complete the Concussion Management Certification Training and present the certification before coaching.[56][57][58]

Sports

Coaches receive compensation as outlined in the teachers' union contract. When athletic competition exceeds the regular season, additional compensation is paid.[59] In 2013-14, the district reported spending $1,289,195 on student activities, excluding transportation and facility costs.[60]

The district funds the following Middle School Sports:

According to PIAA directory July 2013 [61]

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References
  1. PDE, EdNA 2013, 2013
  2. Secretary Pleasant Valley School Board (July 10, 2013). "Pleasant Valley School Board of Education Meeting Minutes" (PDF).
  3. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data - Pleasant Valley Middle School, 2010
  4. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Finances Selected Data 2010, 2012
  5. Public Financial Management, Inc. (July 8, 2010). "PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES - General Obligation Bonds, Series of 2010 report" (PDF).
  6. Pennsylvania Department of Education (October 4, 2013). "Pleasant Valley Middle School School Fast Facts".
  7. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Professional Qualifications of Teachers Pleasant Valley Middle School, October 4, 2013
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core data- Peasant Valley Middle School, 2010
  9. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pleasant Valley Middle School AYP DataTable 2011, September 29, 2011
  10. Pennsylvania Department of Education (October 4, 2013). "Pleasant Valley Middle School Academic Performance Data 2013".
  11. Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 21, 2012). "Pleasant Valley Middle School AYP Overview 2013". Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  12. Pennsylvania Department of Education. "IU16-PSSA 95-96 Results by School". Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  13. Pennsylvania Department of Education (2014). "Standards Aligned Systems".
  14. Pennsylvania Department of Education (2014). "State Academic Standards".
  15. Pennsylvania Department of Education (2014). "State Academic Standards Mathematics".
  16. "How is your school doing?". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 15, 2012.
  17. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pleasant Valley Middle School Academic Achievement Report Card 2010, October 20, 2010
  18. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pleasant Valley Middle School Academic Achievement Report Card 2009, September 14, 2009
  19. Pennsylvania Department of Education (August 15, 2008). "Reading and Math PSSA 2008 by Schools".
  20. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pleasant Valley Middle School Academic Achievement Report Card 2007, 2007
  21. Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 21, 2012). "Pleasant Valley Middle School Academic Achievement Report Card 2012" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  22. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pleasant Valley Middle School Academic Achievement Report Card 2011, September 29, 2011
  23. Pennsylvania Department of Education Report (September 14, 2010). "2010 PSSAs: Reading, Math, Writing Results".
  24. Pennsylvania Department of Education (2009). "2009 PSSAs: Reading, Math, Writing and Science Results".
  25. The Times-Tribune (2012). "Grading Our Schools database, 2011-12 Science PSSA results".
  26. Pennsylvania Department of Education Report (August 2010). "Science PSSA 2010 by Schools".
  27. Pennsylvania Department of Education Report (August 2009). "Science PSSA 2009 by Schools".
  28. Pennsylvania Department of Education Report (August 15, 2008). "Science PSSA 2008 by Schools".
  29. {{cite web |url=https://www.safeschoolsreports.state.pa.us/historic/historic/2013/775ac45e-1227-4bdb-b03e-a4aef8d75088.pdf |title=Pleasant Valley Middle School - School Safety Report 2013 |author=Center for Safe Schools |year=2013}}
  30. Pocono Record (2015). "Police: Explicit images of a minor transmitted by PV students".
  31. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Safe School Center (2009). "Pennsylvania Safe Schools Online Reports - Pleasant Valley Middle School" (PDF).
  32. Douglas C. Arnold, Ph. D, Pleasant Valley School district Annual Community Report, 2010
  33. Pleasant Valley School Board (December 2008). "Bullying Policy 249".
  34. Pennsylvania General Assembly (2006). "Regular Session 2007–2008 House Bill 1067, Act 61 Section 6 page 8".
  35. Center for Safe Schools of Pennsylvania (2006). "Bullying Prevention advisory". Archived from the original on 2011-01-21. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
  36. Pennsylvania Department of Education (2012). "Bullying, Hazing, and Harassment Resources". Archived from the original on 2011-11-21.
  37. Pennsylvania State Board of Education (January 11, 2003). "Pennsylvania Academic Standards Health, Safety and Physical Education".
  38. Pleasant Valley School Board Policy Manual (March 25, 2006). "Student Wellness Policy 246" (PDF).
  39. Pleasant Valley School Board (March 25, 2006). "Nutritional Standards for Competitive Foods in Pleasant Valley School District" (PDF).
  40. Pleasant Valley School District Food Service Department (2014). "Food Services Parent Information".
  41. Probart C, McDonnell E, Weirich JE, Schilling L, Fekete V (September 2008). "Statewide assessment of local wellness policies in Pennsylvania public school districts". J Am Diet Assoc. 108 (9): 1497–502. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2008.06.429. PMID 18755322.
  42. Pennsylvania Department of Education – Division of Food and Nutrition (July 2008). "Nutrition Standards for Competitive Foods in Pennsylvania Schools for the School Nutrition Incentive".
  43. USDA, Child Nutrition Programs - Eligibility Manual for School Meals, 2012
  44. Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center, The Pennsylvania School Breakfast Report Card, 2009
  45. USDA, Child Nutrition Programs, June 27, 2013
  46. United States Department of Agriculture (2011). "Food and Nutrition Service Equity in School Lunch Pricing Fact Sheet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-22.
  47. Denver Nicks (February 25, 2014). "White House Sets New Limits on Junk Food Ads in Schools". Time Magazine.
  48. USDA Food and Nutrition Service (2014). "School Meals FAQ".
  49. Pennsylvania State Department of Health (2010). "Pennsylvania Bulletin Doc. No. 10-984 School Immunizations; Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases".
  50. Pennsylvania Department of Health (2014). "School Immunization Requirements".
  51. Pleasant Valley School Board (December 17, 1998). "Interscholastic Athletics Policy 123".
  52. Pleasant Valley School Board (December 17, 1998). "Extracurricular Activities Policy 122".
  53. Pleasant Valley School Board (2013). "STUDENT-ATHLETE DUAL SPORT PARTICIPATION AR123-AR-3".
  54. Pennsylvania Office of the Governor Press Release (November 10, 2005). "Home-Schooled, Charter School Children Can Participate in School District Extracurricular Activities".
  55. Pleasant Valley School Board (August 4, 2005). "Extracurricular Participation By Charter/Cyber Charter Students Policy 140".
  56. PA General Assembly (July 1, 2012). "Senate Bill 200 of Session 2011 Safety in Youth Sports Act".
  57. UMPC Sports Medicine (2014). "Managing Concussions in Student Athletes: The Safety in Youth Sports Act". Archived from the original on 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
  58. Pleasant Valley School District (August 9, 2012). "Concussion Management 123.1" (PDF).
  59. Pleasant Valley School Board, Pleasant Valley School District Teacher Union Contract, 2014
  60. Pleasant Valley School District Administration (May 22, 2013). "General Fund Budget Report 2013-14" (PDF).
  61. Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletics Association (2013). "PIAA School Directory".

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