A TE - cas E Sein A i A TC art @ Sunday, February 19, 2012 THE DALLAS POST PAGE 3 By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Two students and their par- ents spoke out at a school board meeting Monday against the metal detectors recently put to use in the senior high school. Before the meeting began, the board held a moment of silence in honor of 18-year-old Dallas High School student Thomas Lynch, of Harveys Lake, who died in a car accident early Mon- day morning. Board President Catherine Wega said Lynch was an Eagle Scout who had already enlisted in the U.S. military, and planned to attend basic training in Fort Benning, Ga. £ oD - wn _— = se of m “He leaves a space in every- one’s heart...,” said Wega. During the meeting, parents and students discussed the met- al detectors at Dallas High School, which have been in use since Feb. 6. Principal Jeffrey Shaffer said the system is randomized - all students walk through the de- tection system when entering the new building, but only some are scanned. Paul Paci, of Dallas, whose daughter attends the school, said he disagrees with the no- tion that all students should have to pass through the metal detector because of the “poor choices” of other students. “I don’t believe good children should be treated as criminals,” “I don’t believe good children should be treated as criminals.” Paul Paci Father of Dallas High School student he said. He said students who wish to commit harm on others will find a way to get a weapon into the school regardless of metal detec- tors. Paci feels the detectors are a violation of students’ constitu- tional rights. Paci also said administrators and teachers should know who the troublemakers are, and those students should be the on- ly ones scanned. Board member Maureen Ma- tiska said the district cannot tar- get specific students, and the system has to be random to be effective. “Probably any night you turn the TV. on, and you look at crime in our area, and some- one’s being paraded out, and they're interviewing the neigh- bors and the neighbors are say- ing, ‘I can’t believe it — we lived next door to them for 10 years and we had no idea,” said Wega. “We are doing the best we can.” Board member Colleen Slo- cum said because of incidents such as the Columbine High School shooting in which two students killed 12 students and one teacher and injured nearly two dozen others in April 1999, schools need to be prepared to keep students and faculty safe. “This is our new normal,” she said. Paci’s daughter, Amanda, said the metal detectors are time- consuming, and don’t leave her enough time before class to fin- ish her homework. She said she’s unable to complete home- work at home due to a part-time job. Senior Gavin Carolan, of Dal- eta detectors at high school is debated las, created T-shirts in protest of the metal detectors, but said the administration had banned them on Monday. He said the T-shirts are bright orange and read “PA Department of Correc- tions, Dallas High School, In- mate Number 570.” Carolan researched case law and deemed the detectors and banning students’ protests are both unconstitutional. Shaffer said he saw the shirts as a disruption to the school’s learning environment. Amanda Paci also said she didn’t feel safe at the school be- cause faculty, staff and visitors are not scanned for weapons. “According to the school, I'm See METAL, Page 12 LiL elementary sports resume Suspension of program came after altercation between two basketball coaches. SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com _A mandatory meeting was # Wednesday for dozens of weke-Lehman elementary bas- ketball parents to discuss an al- tercation that occurred be- tween two coaches last week. Lake-Lehman Superintend- ent James McGovern wouldn’t give specifics, but he said there was an altercation between two Ross Elementary fifth and sixth-grade boys’ basketball coaches last week that escalat- ed to a point of concern. The administration suspend- ed play among all elementary @ teams until suffi- ¥at action could be taken. McGovern said the elementary basketball league is run by the district and the school-wide Parent-Teacher Organization, which gives him the power to make such decisions. McGovern was satisfied with the league president’s decision asto what action to take against the adults responsible for the al- tercation, but would not pro- vide details. McGovern said the league will also develop a parent guide, coaches’ guide and a mission for the program. He also lifted the suspension of the program, though some teams have only one game re- maining in the season. McGovern said it wasn’t the fitst time incidents occurred on the court and said emotions ran high even when his son, now 14, played on a fifth and sixth-grade team two years ago. “Sometimes when we have altercations, I gather my people together and we talk about it,” “Never mistake my kind- ness for softness, be- cause next time we have one of these incidents, it will be the last.” James McGovern Lake-Lehman School District superintendent he said. “Maybe this is some- thing we should do prior to each season.” He brought the parents to- gether to discuss how their ac- tions affect the children and to review the mission of the dis- trict’s sports programs. “If you're one of those people who think the kids aren’t watch- ing every single thing you do, you're wrong,” he said. McGovern urged parents to better understand how their ac- tions affect students and how sports help build students’ character, but the outcomes of games do not matter in the long run. Though McGovern talked to parents pleasantly and told sto- ries about his family through- out the meeting, he had a stern warning for parents at the end of the night. “Never mistake my kindness for softness, because next time we have one of these incidents, it will be the last,” he said. John Blaski, a Ross Elemen- tary third and fourth-grade girls’ basketball coach, felt the presentation was necessary to remind parents about conduct during games. “I've got five girls on the court, and five girls behind me, so when I'm out there, I try to be the middle man,” he said. “If 'm happy, they will be happy. If 'm angry, they will be angry. I try to contain myself because they’ll follow my lead.” between the schools. alone on Valentine's Day. By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com About a dozen Dallas High School Key Club members spent their Valentine’s Day in an elementary school gym chas- ing little tykes to give local par- ents a night off. The Key Club sponsored its annual Valentine’s Day babysit- ting program at Dallas Elemen- tary on Tuesday. The event suggested a dona- tion of $10, with all proceeds going to the Kids, K9s and Cops program of the Fallen Of- ficers Remembered organiza- tion, which helps provide bul- letproof vests to local police Chance for a Valentine night out § High school students spend time with elementary students, giving parents an opportunity to spend time dogs. Shannon Forrer, Key Club ad- visor and learning support teacher, said the club has of- fered the babysitting service for the last three years. She said parents must pre-register for the event, and it is only for chil- dren ages 1 through 10. The children stayed in the gym and library at the school from 5 to 10 p.m. They watched movies, colored and played games like “Red Rover” and basketball. “It’s a very informal service,” said Forrer. “Some of our kids have CPR knowledge because they’re in the high school emer- gency response team and some are Boy Scouts.” CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Dallas High School students entertain Dallas Elementary School students on St. Valentine's Day as part of a coordinated program J: Kristen Frederick sits with Dalt on Hislop on St. Valentine's Day as part of a coordinated program between Dallas High School and Dallas Elementary School. Forrer, with her own toddler, 2-year-old Madeline, in tow, said anyone with young chil- dren would appreciate the ser- vice. “Being a parent, just being able to get out with your spouse, especially in this hard economy, is priceless,” she said. “.It’s just so parents can get out and not worry about paying for a babysitter or finding some- one to watch their kids. These things don’t happen very often.” DALLAS BOROUGH ’ By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com {Officials announced Wednesday that Dallas Bor- ough is slowly moving forward with plans to clean up Toby Creek to address storm water sues. @® Manager Tracey rr said the borough is mov- ing forward in applying for a grant through the state Depart- ment of Conservation and Nat- ural Resources to “clean up de- bris and sediment” within To- by Creek. Carr said there are no specif- ic plans yet because she wants to see if the project could be funded before property owners and engineers get involved in the details. Depending on the funds re- ceived, Carr said the borough and property owners along the creek may have to contribute to the cost of the project. She also said all landowners in- volved would need to cooper- ate in allowing the work for the project to be successful. Council also voted to apply for a grant from the Luzerne County Office of Community Borough Manager Tracey Carr said the borough is moving forward inapplying for a grant through the state Department of Conser- vation and Natural Resources to “clean up debris and sediment” within Toby Creek. Development to address storm water and street infrastructure issues on Wellington Avenue. Carr said the street has been on the paving list for a few years, but the borough has nev- er had enough funds to com- plete the project. She said ev- ery three years municipalities are eligible for a Community within the borough. Development Block Grant. She added surveys will need to be conducted and additional information gathered to see if the street is eligible for the pro- gram. In other news, Council ... e Approved an ordinance banning large donation boxes At last month’s meeting, Carr said the donation boxes, typically for clothing, furniture and other physical items, have become a nuisance in the borough and have blocked public access to driveways and other areas. e Approved a resolution to limit public comments during the meetings to a five-minute time frame. Carr said this has always been the rule at meet- ings, but there was never any formal resolution declaring it. e Rehired Eric Domzalski for the part-time season posi- tion of summer recreation di- rector at the rate of $9 per hour. Borough plans moving forward for clean up of Toby Creek Carr was authorized to seek ap- plications for summer recre- ation program counselors. ® Authorized Carr to solicit bids for refuse container ser- vices for the 2012 Spring Clea- nup program. ® Donated $200 to the Dallas High School Lock-In program. e Hired R.N. Finch & Sons, Inc. to furnish and install air conditioning in the front offic- es of the municipal building in the amount of $2,050. * The next Dallas Borough Council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21 in the municipal building.
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