The coronavirus pandemic is continuing to upend educational norms, and that has required some shuffling of the sports schedule and employee roster in Cranberry Area School District.
Cranberry School Board put practice sessions for the upcoming winter sports teams on hiatus at a meeting Monday. Practice sessions were to begin Thursday, but the current remote learning model means those will be postponed.
The district imposed an all-remote instructional model last week and that will continue until at least Dec. 4 when a review of the local virus statistics will be made.
In addition, the junior high girls basketball schedule is now on hold. High school principal Ritt Smith said the teams has played seven games while seven others were canceled.
Smith said about six or seven more games are scheduled, but other teams are canceling their games and that affects the Cranberry schedule. Those games may eventually be rescheduled if participating school districts return to in-person or hybrid educational models.
The school board decided to wait until Dec. 1, the date of the board’s reorganization meeting, to decide if the winter sports agenda would continue.
“Let’s take a pause for a couple of weeks and see where we are then,” superintendent Bill Vonada said. “Let’s push it ahead and then revisit it.”
Smith also commented on the record-setting Oil City football team that several Cranberry students are playing for as part of a cooperative agreement. The Oilers are playing in the state semifinals Friday.
“A few of our (Cranberry) athletes are making a significant contribution to the Cranberry and Oil City team,” Smith said. “Returning home (from the game on Saturday) was very emotional for everyone.”
He also praised the Cranberry cross-country teams and noted, “We have something very special in them.”
Support staff issues
On the personnel side, the board approved laying off 12 food service workers in the cafeteria due to students doing all virtual classes and not attending in-person classes. However, some staff will remain in order to provide meals to students doing remote learning.
“We started today and provided 170 meals at six locations,” food services director Kim Daugherty said.
The district said all families in the school district with children under 18 are eligible to receive a free breakfast and lunch on school days during the period of remote instruction.
The meal distribution sites and times are:
Cranberry High School parent drop-off lane, 11 to 11:45 a.m.; Rockland fire hall, 11:30 a.m. to noon; Rhodes Country Court, 11:10 to 11:20 a.m.; Pinegrove fire hall, 11:30 a.m. to noon; Seneca Acres (front entrance), 11 to 11:05 a.m.; Pin Oak Village, 11:30 to 11:45 a.m.
In a related matter, the board approved a collective bargaining agreement with the Cranberry Area Educational Support group that represents 62 support staff members, including cafeteria, custodial, aides and secretaries. The contract extends to June 2024.
In other personnel matters, Shawn DeLong was named head elementary wrestling coach, Frank Boocks was hired as assistant elementary wrestling coach, Cara Andres was named assistant varsity cheer coach, and the resignation of Lisa (Hepler) Santee as a child specific care aide was approved.
