DVSD announces new classes, electives for students

The Delaware Valley School Board has elected the next president and vice president for the upcoming year. Incumbents Pam Lutfy and Felicia Sheehan were voted in as president and vice president, respectively, and unanimously, with nine votes each.

During the meeting, DVSD Superintendent Dr. Brian Blaum gave a very thorough presentation regarding the advancements and achievements of the school district. PA Act 13 of 2020, which provides a revised rating system utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of education professionals serving in the Commonwealth, issued a score of 100, the highest available, to both Delaware Valley High School and Dingman-Delaware Middle School. The other schools in the district all outperformed previous scores, according to Blaum.

With 76 curricula being updated for the next school year, the district is putting an emphasis not only on the bettering of its students through state testing, but also on nurturing individual growth of each student. With new standards for science in Pennsylvania going into effect July, 1, 2025, the district plans to forge ahead with more hands-on learning.

The high school will be adding a new personal financial literacy course that will be mandatory for all students at the start of the 2026 school year. There will be two other new electives available for students as well: a digital content creation course, where students will be able to learn about marketing and utilize those skills for school events, such as football games, holiday fairs, plays and more; and a creative writing course, with the hopes of publishing a literary magazine throughout the year.

Health

Once again, several parents came forward expressing their concern and exhaustion with the school board’s inaction regarding the wellbeing of students living with diabetes who must wear a glucose monitor. When confronted by the parents, not a single board member spoke up, despite stating at the last school board meeting that the issue would be addressed. The parents, who are hoping the school district will allow the school nurse to re-download an app previously used, but was removed for unstated reasons, are hoping the district will support and provide for their children, as previously done.

Other business

Dingman-Delaware Middle School will host a parental awareness presentation covering the buying and selling of drugs across various social media, vaping, and more at 6:30 p.m. on January 15 and 22. The next regular school board meeting will occur on January 16 at 6 p.m. at the Delaware Valley Administration Office.