Hollidaysburg Area School District seeks location for Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth program | News, Sports, Jobs

HOLLIDAYSBURG — After a heated public forum with community stakeholders, Hollidaysburg Area School District administrators have decided to pursue a different location for the proposed Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth Program run by Nittany Learning Services, according to a letter sent to district families Tuesday morning.

District parents expressed extensive concerns surrounding the location of the program in a segregated section of the Junior High basement during a public forum with both school leaders and Nittany Learning administrators on Thursday.

Hollidaysburg Area will seek a new location “near the school campus,” according to Superintendent Curtis Whitesel.

Nittany Learning Services program director Terry Bumgardner explained that his company had toured five other locations before initially deciding to move forward with the junior high setting during the Thursday forum, but did not give specifics on what other options are under consideration.

The letter, signed by Whitesel, does not lay out what other locations may be considered to house the AEDY program nor does it offer a timeline on when the ultimate decision will be made public.

“This change in direction reflects our commitment to listening to our community and ensuring that decisions are made in the best interests of all students and stakeholders,” Whitesel said in the letter.

The initial AEDY program proposal would have seen disruptive students from districts across Blair County come to the junior high for a temporary 45-day alternative education placement to receive intensive behavioral counseling alongside their typical school work under the supervision of Nittany Learning Services staff in an area closed off from the rest of the school.

Many attendees at the Thursday forum expressed skepticism that the plan would ensure that their children are not in danger from the AEDY program students and whether an alternative, off-campus location would be more suitable.

Bumgardner had explained that Nittany Learning Services staff are trained in interpersonal deescalation tactics and that harmful incidents involving AEDY students were rare.

Whitesel said that the district would realize “significant” cost savings by housing the AEDY program on campus compared to the external placements the district currently uses for both disruptive students and students with disabilities.