Penn-Delco School District

The Penn-Delco School District is a midsized, suburban public school district in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, that encompasses the following municipalities: Aston Township, Brookhaven Borough, and Parkside Borough. Penn-Delco School district encompasses approximately 9 square miles. According to 2010 local census data it serves a resident population of 26,455. In 2009, the district residents’ per capita income was $23,035, while the median family income was $61,417.[3] In the Commonwealth, the median family income was $49,501[4] and the United States' median family income was $49,445, in 2010.[5]

Penn-Delco School District
Map of school districts of Delaware County
Address
2821 Concord Road Aston , (Delaware County) , Pennsylvania 19014 United States
Information
Type	Public
Oversight	Elected school board
Superintendent	Dr. George Steinhoff
School number	125236903
Grades	K–12
• Other	Enrollment projected by PDE to be 3,600 pupils in 2019[1]
Tuition	Nonresident and charter school students ES – $8,967, HS – $9,786 [2]
Website	Penn-Delco School District

Started in 1960 by Dr. William G. Moser, who served as the district's first superintendent, the district was carved out of the nearby present-day Chester-Upland School District and was instrumental for the building of the Sun Valley Senior High School and administration building on land donated by the Sun Oil Company (now Sunoco). In addition to the regular curriculum, in 1976, the U.S. Marine Corps Jr. ROTC (MCJROTC) program was offered for the first time and was only one of three MCJROTC units in the Delaware Valley area – the others being in nearby Chester City and in Bensalem.

Schools in the Penn-Delco School District

Currently, the Penn-Delco School District operates the following schools:

• Aston Elementary School, Aston
• Coebourn Elementary School, Brookhaven
• Northley Middle School, Aston
• Parkside Elementary School, Parkside
• Pennell Elementary School, Aston
• Sun Valley High School, Aston

The following schools were once operated by the district, but have been closed and/or demolished:

• Washington Grammar School, Brookhaven (This later became Brookhaven Elementary School, then the Brookhaven Municipal Building before being demolished. A Walgreens drugstore was built on the site.)
• Green Ridge Elementary School, Aston (demolished in 1997 and is now the site of the Aston Community Center and Aston Free Library)
• Brookhaven Junior High School, Brookhaven (later became Brookhaven Middle School before being sold to The Christian Academy)

Governance

The school district is governed by nine individually elected board members (who serve four-year terms), the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania General Assembly.[6] The federal government controls the programs it funds, like Title I funding for low-income children in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the No Child Left Behind Act, which mandates the district focus resources on students' reading and math skills.

The Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives Sunshine Review gave the school board and district administration a "D−" for transparency based on a review of "what information can people find on their school district's website". It examined the school district's website for information regarding taxes, the current budget, meetings, school board members names and terms, contracts, audits, public records information and more.[7]

Sun Valley High School

Sun Valley High School is located at 2881 Pancoast Avenue, Aston.

Northley Middle School

Northley Middle School includes 6th through 8th grades. It is located at 2801 Concord Road, Aston, Pennsylvania. And is so named after the original, pre-1688 name of Aston Township.

School safety

The Penn-Delco School Board has provided the district's antibully policy online and in the policy manual.[8] 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. Each 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.[9] 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.[10]

Penn-Delco has adopted the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program district-wide. Schools have a Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee. Specialized training in controlling the school climate was given to staff and teachers.[11]

Education standards relating to student safety and anti-harassment programs are described in the 10.3. Safety and Injury Prevention in the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Health, Safety and Physical Education.[12]

Common Cents state initiative

The Penn-Delco School Board elected to not participate in the Pennsylvania Department of Education Common Cents program. The program called for the state to audit the district, at no cost to local taxpayers, to identify ways the district could save tax dollars.[13] After the review of the information, the district was not required to implement the recommended money-saving changes.

Extracurriculars

The district offers a variety of clubs, activities and sports. Eligibility for participation is determined by school board policy.

The Sun Valley High School Vanguards play all interscholastic games in the Ches-Mont League. Until 2007, Sun Valley was part of the Del-Val league, and prior to 2006, had played inter-league games with schools in the Ches-Mont and Southern Chester County Leagues. It became an associate member of the new unified Ches-Mont League starting in the 2007–08 school year, with full membership starting in the 2008–09 year. Its ice hockey team has no school sponsorship and is an independent affiliate of the ICSHL

All K-12 students in the district, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, or charter school, and those who are 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.[14]

References

1. "Enrollment and Projections by school district". Pennsylvania Department of Education. January 2009.
2. Pennsylvania Department of Education, tuition rates per LEA, 2011
3. US Census Bureau, American Fact Finder, 2009
4. US Census Bureau (2010). "American Fact Finder, State and County quick facts". Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
5. US Census Bureau (September 2011). "Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010" (PDF).
6. Pennsylvania Public School Code Governance 2010
7. The Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives. "The Pennsylvania Project". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
8. Penn-Delco School Board (December 2006). "Bullying/Cyberbullying Policy 249" (PDF).
9. Pennsylvania General Assembly (2006). "Regular Session 2007–2008 House Bill 1067, Act 61 Section 6 page 8".
10. Center for Safe Schools of Pennsylvania (2006). "Bullying Prevention advisory". Archived from the original on 2011-01-21. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
11. Penn-Delco School District Administration (2011). "School Bullying Prevention Information".
12. Pennsylvania State Board of Education (January 11, 2003). "Pennsylvania Academic Standards Health, Safety and Physical Education".
13. "Common Cents program – Making Every Dollar Count". Pennsylvania Department of Education. 2007.
14. Pennsylvania Office of the Governor Press Release (November 10, 2005). "Home-Schooled, Charter School Children Can Participate in School District Extracurricular Activities".