The Western Area CTC Joint Operating Committee will reconvene its August 4, 2020 special meeting at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, August 11, 2020. Due to Pennsylvania school closures, and to mitigate against potential exposures to COVID-19 by our directors, staff, and community, this meeting will be conducted electronically. Members of the public are able to join this meeting and an opportunity will be provided for public comment during the meeting.  

Join the ZOOM meeting at: 

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75002707728?pwd=NkJHQUQ3UzJ2L2RmU05QWGNxWUpoUT09

 Meeting ID: 750 0270 7728

 Passcode: KL6z8V

The decision to open school was reached after a lot of sleepless nights. Because our major concern is the safety and protection of our students and staff, countless hours have been spent arranging, rearranging, and cleaning every shop and classroom. And to adhere to “social distancing” guidelines, we have relocated some of our theory rooms. 

Career and Technical Education will be very different this school year. Every effort will be made by the administration and staff to provide as much hands-on instruction as is possible and permitted under these conditions, keeping in mind that Western Area must follow CDC Guidelines, PDE mandates, and the recommendations of our nine sending schools. We will also offer more theory via Zoom and Google Classroom due to this unpredictable pandemic. 

Our teachers are trying their best to provide our students with the best possible education. But we do need your help. FIRST: Be patient with us! Things change daily, sometimes by the minute. We are working to the best of our ability to make sure both theory (and when possible practical experience) occurs. SECOND: Work with your children when assignments are given to them by their teachers. When we have to provide distant learning, homework and assignments will be issued. We will be grading them the same as we would if they were in our building. Paraprofessionals will be assigned to several technologies and will be available to assist with any issues that may occur. We are all in this together. If you are having problems or have questions, call us. Our administration and staff are here to help. 

-- All students and staff will be required to wear either a face mask or face shield. 

-- Parents and Guardians should check their child’s temperature at home each day before sending the child to school. If a child has a temperature, or any signs of illness, please keep your child home. 

-- If a child becomes ill or has a temperature of 100.4 or higher while at school, the child will be isolated until a parent or guardian comes to get him/her. They will not be permitted to return to the home school on the bus. 

-- Our staff will do temperature checks on everyone entering the building. 

We have tried to make decisions that will best benefit our students while at the same time focusing on their safety and the safety of our staff. And although these decisions may create an inconvenience for some, they allow us all to be safe during these uncertain times. 

This has been a stressful and confusing summer. Let’s hope this passes soon and we return to some normality. Stay Safe.

In times of national or international tragedy, people come together to do all they can to survive. The Western Area faculty and staff want to assure our students, parents, and community that we are doing all we can to provide our students with an enriched education. In an effort to ensure our students do not fall behind, we will continue to send assignments to our students. I realize this is not as much fun as the hands-on projects our students are used to working on, but hopefully this will only be for a short time.

To our parents: Please make sure your child completes the work sent to them by their teacher. And if you have any questions, email your child's teacher. Our paraprofessionals may also be emailing and/or calling our students to help them succeed. All work will be given a pass/fail grade. Our goal is that no students fail.

To the community: Our challenge is to make sure we are producing the best students to work in your industry. We know we have great students and are hopeful this unusual way of teaching will keep them actively involved in their chosen programs so they are job-ready when we return.

Even though we are living in different and difficult times, our teachers are doing an outstanding job making sure our students continue to receive enriched educational learning materials. We thank all parents and the community for your support and look forward to having our students back in the classroom!

If you need anything or have questions, please do not hesitate to email me at dmccarthy@wactc.net. Stay safe and stay in touch.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Western Area Career & Technology Center will remain closed until further notice. Check back to this website (www.wactc.net) periodically for further updates.

Western Area Career & Technology Center is taking the Coronavirus very seriously.

• We have educated all of our teachers on the virus and ways to stop it from spreading.
• We have put Purell hand sanitizers in every classroom to be used by students and staff. 
• Our school nurse has spoken to each technology about hand washing and proper ways to deal with cold and flus. 
• We have given each teacher a kit containing Kleenex, disinfectant wipes, disinfectant spray and hand sanitizers. 
• Purell hand sanitizer has been placed in every bathroom. 
• Our custodians sanitize each technology at night when students leave for the day. 
• We are also cleaning every door handle in the building in case proper hygiene is not being followed. We are staying very proactive for this virus and will continue to use this practice throughout the school year. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns of what we are doing to deter the spread of the Coronavirus.