Antietam School District and Mount Penn released a joint statement Monday stating that they are confident that students will return to school in person next school year despite a recent dispute over permitting requirements for plans to use the Mount Penn primary center as a high school.
The meeting Monday was mediated by state Sen. Judy Schwank and state Rep. Mark Rozzi, who joined in issuing the statement.
The announcement was the latest development in Antietam’s quest to relocate 600 students after a summer flood left the district’s middle senior high school uninhabitable.
The subject of the closed-door meeting was a borough-mandated traffic study that would analyze the impact of school traffic on the primary center and surrounding areas.
District superintendent Dr. Heidi Rochlin released a statement last week warning that the traffic study being required was unnecessarily extensive. She said the borough’s requirement that the study be completed before construction on the primary center could start would result in students having to learn virtually in 2024-25.
At that point borough officials said they were aware of Antietam’s unique situation, wanted students to attend in person and were aiming to expediate the review process. Still, borough officials noted that they were bound by the law to conduct a proper review.
The statement Monday indicated relations between borough and district officials had thawed.
“We are all committed to working collaboratively to overcome the challenges facing our community,” the statement said. “Now that we’ve sat down, we are confident that our students will have a safe, in-person learning environment for the 2024-2025 school year and beyond.
The statement notes that the district and borough were able to come to an agreement that allows a phased construction of the primary center while satisfying local and state zoning rules.
Details of the agreement were not provided in the release, and borough and district officials could not be reached for further comment. Borough council was to discuss the issue at a meeting Monday night.
“Antietam School District and Mount Penn borough would like to emphasize that both entities have acted in good faith throughout this process and are pleased that they were able to reach an agreement in this matter,” the statement says.
Source: Berkshire mont
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