LEWISTOWN — The Mifflin County School Board of Directors met Thursday to conduct their voting meeting and discuss district business.

Directors opened the meeting with their reports to the Board President Mark Baker.

Non-voting members including Chief Academic Officer Steven DeArment also shared reports. DeArment presented the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s pathways to graduation and explained how each pathway works to set students up for success.

The pathways include the Keystone Proficiency Pathway, the Keystone Composite Pathway, CTE Concentrator, Alternative Assessment, Evidence-Based Pathways, Waiver, and Individualized Education Plan.

The Keystone Proficiency Pathway in which students must score proficient or advanced on the Algebra I, Biology, and Literature Keystone Exam. This exam is a statewide standardized assessment required of students to graduate.

The Keystone Composite Pathway requires students to score 1500 or greater on at least one Keystone Exam, have no Keystone Exam score below basic, and have a composite score of 4452 or greater on all three exams or have a composite score of 2939 or greater on two of the Keystone Exams.

Also, students must meet established, grade-based requirements for Keystone content in which the student is less than proficient for the CTE Concentrator pathway, Alternative Assessment, and Evidence-Based Pathway.

Each of these paths requires students to meet additional criteria. This added information is available on the Mifflin County School District website under the Chief Academic Officer tab.

The next to last pathway, a waiver, is offered to high school seniors, or students experiencing extenuating circumstances, who meet grade-based requirements for Keystone content area(s) in which the student is less than proficient, and is unable to satisfy the requirements of a graduation pathway. The chief school administrator grants students a waiver in this case.

However, DeArment said that this is not a frequently utilized pathway.

The last pathway or individualized education plan allows a student with a disability who is unable to satisfy pathway requirements but who satisfactorily completes a special education program is granted a diploma.

In other business, directors:

• Approved Scott Durst of Fisher Brothers transportation as a driver with a retroactive start date of Nov. 4, 2024;

• Approved Marlin Hartzler of Krise transportation as a driver with a retroactive start date of Nov. 18, 2024;

• Approved Richard Heck II of Krise transportation as a driver with a retroactive start date of Nov. 7, 2024;

• Approved Abby Dunn of KV transportation as a driver with a retroactive start date of Nov. 11, 2024;

• Approved David Kilhefner of Krise transportation as a driver;

• Approved canceling the 2024-2025 swimming season due to lack of participation on the team. As a result, Head Swim Coach Trystan Snyder and Assistant Swim Coach Jessica Hardin will have their coaching salaries suspended for the 2024-2025 season. They will not receive any coaching payment and will not receive credit for coaching experience for the 2024-2025 season;

• Approved Outdoor School for LIS fifth-grade students on April 1-4, April 8-11, and April 14-17 to Camp Blue Diamond (part of Shaver’s Creek Center). Students stay for four days and three nights;

• Approved 2024-2025 contracted daily rates for student transportation services and yearly comparisons in the total amount of $31,302.70 per day;

• Approved, with an abstention from Zeb Harshbarger, pulling the following personnel item from the Consent Agenda:

• Transfer of Olivia P. Jurasz from PT Learning Support Paraprofessional at MCHS to FT Emotional Learning Support Paraprofessional at IVES/IVIS retroactive to Oct. 28, 2024.

• Approved use of the MCMS gym beginning at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, for Mifflin County Elementary Wrestling.