On Tuesday, October 14, some in and outside of the district became aware of police actions taken toward a Penn Manor High School student for stealing items from the school cafeteria. Since this is a private student matter, many of the details cannot be, nor ever should be, shared publicly. There are times that district administrators work with our local law enforcement partners to address student behavior. These decisions are never made in isolation or without previous attempts to address the root cause.
At no time is a student denied a meal from our school cafeterias regardless of their family’s ability to pay. While the meal may not be what is preferred, each student may receive a standard student lunch. We encourage families who are struggling financially to complete the application for free or reduced lunch, that can be found at this link. In addition, all students are able to eat breakfast in our schools for free because of funding through our state government.
The Penn Manor community is a generous community. There are many partners that provide the school district with resources that allow us to serve students that extend well beyond the classroom. I encourage families who are in need to explore opportunities available through The Loft Community Partnership. The Loft Community Partnership provides necessities such as food, clothing, and toiletries to residents of the Penn Manor School District. More information can be found at www.loftcp.org.
Another resource is the Power Packs Project. Power Packs is a nonprofit organization in Lancaster, Lebanon, and York counties dedicated to ending hunger in our local schools over the weekend, when free school breakfasts and lunches aren’t available. More information can be found at powerpacksproject.org.
In addition to other organizations in our community, The Loft and Power Packs provide resources to families in the Penn Manor School District. They are worthy of your financial and physical support.
For those who would like to make a donation to offset student negative balances, please make a check or money order payable to Penn Manor Food Services, 100 East Cottage Avenue, Millersville PA 17551. Be sure to include Share Your Cheese in the memo line of the check.
As our mission statement declares, the Penn Manor community will work collaboratively to help students define and achieve their academic and life goals. Making sure that students have the resources that are needed takes a collaborative effort.
I appreciate your support to the district and our partner organizations.
Sincerely,
Philip B. Gale, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools