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]

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]

References

Coordinates: 40°55′29″N 75°24′30″W / 40.92473°N 75.40843°W / 40.92473; -75.40843