Lebanon County career center director says school ‘safe’ for students, faculty

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

Before an executive session of the joint operating committee to discuss matters concerning “safety and security” on Tuesday, the administrator of the Lebanon County Career and Technology Center told a reporter that “the school is safe.”

The executive session came at the end of the committee’s monthly meeting Tuesday evening. Committee chair Ruth Ann Schlegel announced only that the session would deal with issues of “safety and security” without providing further context.

Although not necessarily related to the discussion, LebTown reported earlier this year that South Lebanon Police Department responded in February to a call for a possible sexual assault at the Career and Technology Center. South Lebanon Police Chief Ken Zimmerman said the initial call to the authorities came on Feb. 26 at 1 p.m.

In March, LebTown reported on the investigation, and LCCTC administrator Chuck Benton acknowledged the media report in an email to students and their families.

“Student and staff safety is our highest priority,” he said in a statement at the time. “As soon as the Administration was made aware of the reported incident, the matter was immediately reported to Childline and local law enforcement. We continue to work closely and transparently with the authorities as they conduct their investigation.”

Read More: Authorities investigate sexual assault alleged to have occurred at LCCTC

This past Monday, Zimmerman told LebTown that the department’s investigation was lengthy because nine students were interviewed about the incident. He said that one individual was charged with a summary harassment offense due to “a lack of evidence to prove the alleged sexual assault.”

“One subject was charged with a summary harassment citation, basically for putting the kid in a headlock,” Zimmerman said. He said the investigation occurred within the school’s welding department and led to charges that were filed with Magisterial District Justice Anthony Verna Sr.

Neither Benton nor Schlegel on Tuesday linked the executive session to the incident in February. After the meeting, LebTown asked Benton about the summary harassment charges and he declined comment, saying the school does not discuss personnel or student matters publicly.

“Student and personnel issues are all student and personnel. We can’t give out student information and we’re not giving out personnel information,” Benton said. “Our school is safe, okay? We’re holding that to the highest priority. And that’s all the more I have to say on that.”

LebTown asked Benton for an overview of the pending executive session discussion, but he also declined to comment on whether it was related to student safety.

“Our school is always safe. We have a school police officer here that’s here. And we’re always on top of things,” Benton said.

Agreements with higher ed institutions

In business conducted by the board during the meeting, the committee voted unanimously to enter into separate articulation agreements with Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology and Delaware Valley University. 

In a separate agreement, the committee voted to sign a memorandum of understanding with Harrisburg Area Community College for a program to transfer college credits obtained while studying at the tech center.

“An articulation agreement is they are accepting what we’re teaching here so that if students go to those schools and the programs that’s in the articulation, once they’re there one semester, then they’ll pick up those credits,” Benton said. “So it’s saving the students money. It’s free credits.” 

Benton added that the memorandum of understanding with HACC is what he called “college in the high school.”

“So that means we’re gonna offer the course here. Students pay for it at a much cheaper rate, okay? They leave us with a transcript,” Benton said. “Articulation, there’s no transcript until they go to that school, apply, and after their first semester, then those credits appear on their transcript. Where a college in the high school, when they leave us, they have a transcript, and if they decide to go to University of Maryland and it transfers, they walk in with those credits already there. So that’s the difference between articulation and college in high school.”

For more specific information about the agreements, read about the one signed with Thaddeus Stevens, Delaware Valley University and HACC by clicking on their names. There were three articulation agreements for different programs with Thaddeus Stevens.

Other actions

In other business, the committee voted unanimously to: 

• Submit the Chapter 339 Approve Program Evaluation Corrective Action Plan to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Career and Technical Education.
• Accept the financial report as of Aug. 31, including a balance of $1.47 million.
• Receive the director’s, occupational advisory committee and cafeteria reports.
• Make the following financial transfers: budget, $477,637; and capital reserve fund, $795,381.56, retroactive to June 30.
• Pay bills and transfers in the amount of $1,298,976.87, including the following Capital Reserve Fund expenditures: Tillet Inc., $1,176.05; Beers+Hoffman Architects, $1,080.
• Retain $35,000 of the 2024-25 refund to cover costs for a technology consultant, with final approval of the consultant to be acted upon at a later date.
• Sign a contract with Learning Opportunities Group totaling $455 per day for the administrator on assignment, from Sept. 29 until a permanent principal is hired with a maximum end date of June 30, 2026.
• Transfer 15.5 sick days for Amanda Robinson, learning facilitator, and 25 sick days for Mitchell Hinton, carpentry instructor, per the school code.
• Hire a number of mentors for the CTC’s 2025-26 Induction Program at the contract rate of $900 per year, and hire advisers for the 2025-26 academic year at the contract rate of $750 per person.
• Approve the Occupational Advisory Committee members and Local Advisory Committee membership lists for the 2025-26 school year.
• Hire Julie Miller as a substitute instructor for the 2025-26 academic year at $140 per day. 
• Agree for the following to attend staff development conferences: Bambi Tanger, cosmetology instructor, AVTEC Fall Meeting, Ebensburg, Oct. 3, estimated cost $550; Lisa Pison, instructional coach, ILC: Innovation, Learning, and Career Education Conference, State College, Nov. 5-7, estimated cost $809; Wendy Barrett, English instructor, ILC: Innovation, Learning, and Career Education Conference, State College, Nov. 5-7, estimated cost $986.
• Participate in the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Technical Assistance Program for the 2025-26 school year.
• Declare a variety of equipment obsolete, as listed on the school website.
• Approve the Aug. 19 meeting minutes.

The joint operating committee meets at 6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month in the board/conference room (D-144) at 833 Metro Drive, Lebanon.