Need a Copy of an Abington School Board Meeting?

The Abington School Board yesterday approved the first reading of an amended policy regarding the district’s cable channel, Abington Media Production or AMP.

The change would allow residents the opportunity to acquire a copy of the recorded board meetings. According to the current policy, the recording of the meeting “is not a public record available for inspection and copying.”

That entire phrase would be removed from the amended policy.

According to board president Raymond McGarry, the person seeking the copy would incur the costs — but the cost of making a copy has yet to be determined.

Superintendent Amy Sichel said the change in policy is the result of a resident asking for a copy of a meeting earlier this year. Sichel said the district holds on to the recordings for a year; Sichel added that she is in talks with the district’s solicitor to see how long the copies should be saved.

The “official record,” however, remains the minutes — and Sichel said the district keeps the minutes “forever.” 

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In other news, school board member Michele Tinsman was elected the school board representative to the Joint Committee of the Eastern Center for Arts and Technology for a three-year period, beginning Dec. 1; school board member Jeannette Maitin was named the alternate representative.

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And looking to the near future … the district approved contracts to Reading Equipment Co. in the amount of $9,240; and Oceanport LLC in the amount of $10,800 — the awards are for a replacement snowplow assembly, and for 200 tons of rock salt, respectively.