July 28, 2026 at 6:30 PM - Regular Meeting Agenda

1. Moment of Silence

2. Call to Order

3. Recognition of Visitors and Guests

4. Review and Approval of Minutes

4.A. Regular meeting minutes of June 23, 2026

4.B. Special meeting minutes of July 14, 2026

5. Additions and Deletions to the Agenda

6. Recognition of Achievement

7. Old Business

8. New Business

8.A. Academic/Extra-Curricular

8.A.1. Approval to offer the option for students to purchase accidental damage insurance coverage for student issued district purchased devices at a yearly cost of $50 per  Rocky Grove Junior-Senior High School student and a yearly cost of $20 per Valley Grove Elementary School student.

8.A.2. Approval of Pre-K Counts Flexible Instruction Plan (FIP)/ Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts and Head Start State Supplemental Program Emergency Instructional Time.

8.A.3. Approval of the revised Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Partnership Agreement between lead agency Family and Community Christian Association Pre-K Counts Program and Valley Grove School District for the 2026-2027 school year.

8.A.4. Approval of the 2026-2027 Athletic Handbook.

8.A.5. Approval of the 2026-2027 Student Handbook.

8.A.6. Approval to purchase district license for the Smart Futures platform for the 2026-2027 school year at a cost of $3,500.  

8.A.7. Approval of the special education services agreement between Valley Grove School District and Cranberry Area School District for the 2026-2027 school year. 

8.A.8. Activity requests (All foods that meet the Smart Snacks standards may be sold at fundraisers on the school campus during the school day without a limit on frequency. Smart Snacks standards do not apply to items sold during non-school hours, weekends, or off-campus fundraising events. Smart Snacks standards can be found at www.vgsd.org.)

Boys and Girls Cross Country
• Spiritwear Sale
• Fill the Runner
• Beef Raffle
• Sub Sale
• Invitational Sponsors
• Invitational T-shirt Sales
• Invitational

Junior Class
• Junior class to host a Holiday Bazaar fundraising event on Saturday, November 14, 2026 at RGHS which will include a vendor show in the gym and food trucks in the parking lot.

8.B. Operations

8.B.1. Approval to recycle electronic waste with Maven Technologies LLC, a R2/RIOS Certified Electronics Recycler. This service is provided to the district free of charge.

8.C. Policy

8.C.1. Approval of a first reading of policy 815.2 Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Education

8.D. Finance

8.D.1. Approval of the financial reports for the period ending 6/30/2026 and the list of bills and payrolls.

8.D.2. Approval of the designation of Investment Officers who shall implement the school district’s investment program in accordance with Policy 609, Investment of District Funds: Stevie Harry, Business Administrator; Debra Shevitz, Assistant Business Manager

8.E. Personnel

8.E.1. Approval of Mrs. Tessa Simmons to serve as Valley Grove School District’s School Safety and Security Coordinator.

8.E.2. Approval of the Act 93 Agreement for 2026-2027 and 2027-2028.

8.E.3. Approval to move employee #1863 from part-time custodian to full-time custodian.

8.E.4. Approval of professional staff tenure for Makenzie Beels in accordance with the Public School Code 11-1108.

8.E.5. Approval of the resignation of employee #1667, effective July 28, 2026.

8.E.6. Approval of the following conference request: Officer David Wilson to IU5 in Edinboro, PA to attend the TruNorth Security Specialists 3-Day Training Course, August 3, 2026 -August 5, 2026. Officer Wilson will learn about enhancing school safety and emergency response capabilities. The program is tailored to school staff and security personnel and combines classroom instruction, hands-on drills, and scenario-based exercises to prepare for real-world threats. Estimated costs are $672.24 for wages (3 days at 8 hours/day), $660 for registration, and $243.60 for mileage.

8.E.7. Approval to hire recommended candidate for the art teacher position at Rocky Grove Junior-Senior High School.

8.E.8. Approval to hire the recommended candidate for the following position for the 2026-2027 school year:
• District School Police Officer.

8.E.9. Approval of a service contract with Core Security to provide a School Police Officer and/or Security Officer for the 2026-2027 school year.

9. Information 

9.A. Information from Board Members

9.A.1. Riverview Intermediate Unit 6 – Dr. Melanie Anderson

9.A.2. Venango Technology Center Joint Board – Cindy Swendsen

9.B. Information from Superintendent and Supervisory Staff

9.B.1. Report from Tessa M. Simmons, Superintendent

9.B.2. Reports from Administrative Team

9.B.3. Report from Holly Smith, The Nutrition Group Food Service Director

9.B.4. Report from Terry Tantlinger, Facilities Manager/Lead Maintenance

9.C. Future Business

9.C.1. Work session, Tuesday, August 18, 2026, 6:30 p.m., Rocky Grove Junior-Senior High School Library

9.C.2. Regular board meeting, Tuesday, August 25, 2026, 6:30 p.m., Rocky Grove Junior-Senior High School Library

10. Adjournment