A Tamaqua Area School District parent questioned the district’s bullying policies during the public hearing portion of Tuesday’s Tamaqua Area School Board meeting.

Parent Angela O’Donnell asked when the last time the policies were reviewed and if there is any way to update them based on student and teacher needs.

Superintendent Ray Kinder said the cyberbullying and bullying policies are reviewed on a yearly basis.

“The policies themselves, usually a vast majority of it, comes from the state as far as the things that are required to be in there, and then procedures come after that,” Kinder said.

“We incorporate our bullying prevention as part of our emergency crisis teams that are involved in the school, so we can solicit opinions from those people to see if they have anything to add, whether it’s a policy or procedure.”

Dr. Stephen Toth, assistant superintendent, said the annual review of the policies, which is typically done with the student health, safety, and wellness committee, is always well attended.

It encompasses bullying discussions and other topics such as Title IX, safety, nutrition, and healthy activities. Administration, teachers, board members and councilors are also involved in the process.

“We invite parents, it’s not going to be everybody from the community - we pull from people who are a part of our organizations and are actively involved in our buildings and are able to see what goes on with our inner workings,” Toth added.

Bullying has been a frequent topic brought to the board by TASD parents since an incident in November caused Tamaqua to forfeit its District 11 Class 3A football semifinal game against North Schuylkill. The district called it a “hazing” incident.

The incident was under investigation within hours of the action, which took place at the team’s football house.

“We’ve had internal discussion about bullying in general,” Toth said.

“Obviously with the situation that happened (in November), we were hands-on from the get-go with that. That is going to be a topic at that meeting, just like everything else that we deal with on a year-to-year basis.”

Earlier this month, Tamaqua police said the investigation is ongoing

The district’s original bullying policy was adopted in 2008. The policy was last updated in October 2020, which incorporated some Title IX responses. Toth said the policy, which is No. 249 in the handbook, has been updated many times since its origin.

The review typically takes place in March or April, so if there are any changes, it can be implemented for the next school year, added Toth.