Panther Valley School District staff has embraced using a telemedicine program, which is saving the district in insurance costs, its business manager told the school board Wednesday.

“It is part of our health insurance plan, and one of the ways that we try to save money with our insurance plans,” Jesse Walck said.

The district has saved $61,537 with employees using the telemedicine service, instead of visiting their primary care physician or seeking care at an urgent care facility in the past year.

“This is only through August,” he said. “You can see that’s really good utilization for a short period of time.”

Walck also pointed out that the board had a revision on a policy regarding insurance, and this was just to allow for employees to use electronic means to record which benefits they’re participating in.

Superintendent Dave McAndrew said there was some confusion on this change, and some employees thought they had to pick out an insurance plan from several different plans, and that is not true.

Employee only need to select if they want health insurance, dental insurance and vision insurance coverage, he said.

Walck said the district needs to have a definitive election for each employee each year, and this is standard practice. The board approved the policy revision.

Other business

In other business, the board:

• Hired Theresa Yurick as a junior senior high school secretary at a rate of $17.71 an hour, per the union contract.

• Approved bus transportation for JROTC to travel to New Jersey to depart on their trip to Kentucky. The students’ color guard performed at state school board association conference, earning $1,000 to help pay for future conferences and other programs, McAndrew noted.

• Approved conferences at a cost of $1,141 for Walck and Scott Fisher, and college credit courses for Joseph Damiano, Jennifer Jones and Nicole Wynings.

• Approved bills totaling $4,369,623, for general fund, and $1,093,460, for cafeteria fund.

• Approve Unified Indoor Bocce Ball as an approved scholastic junior senior high school sport for winter sports. The cost is not to exceed $4,000 for student and coach transportation to away matches and all other cost paid through Special Olympics PA.

• Approved winter ticket prices and winter sport workers for 2024-25 school year. Workers are paid $25 an event.

• Approved Michael Williams as an independent swimmer.

• Approved an agreement with Northwestern Lehigh School for speech therapy services.

• Approved a list of volunteers for the 2024-25 school year.

• Approved a memorandum of understanding with Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21 Title III Consortium for the 2024-25.

• Approved Susan Solt, Nicholas Jaeschke, Evelyn Hydock and Dylan Ryzner as After School Tutors, per the union contract.

• Revised the start date for Natalie White, paraprofessional, to Oct. 7, and designated her as “highly qualified,” at a rate of $14.60 an hour.

• Approved the termination of two employees.

• Approved a 50-cent raise for the district’s SPOs, retroactive to the start of the school year.

• Approved an intent to hire Robert Yaeger as a JROTC instructor.