Luke Matthews spoke during the public comment portion of the Hanover Area School Board meeting on Tuesday night.
                                 Sam Zavada | Times Leader

Luke Matthews spoke during the public comment portion of the Hanover Area School Board meeting on Tuesday night.

Sam Zavada | Times Leader

Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.
<p>The Hanover Area School Board is shown at their meeting on Tuesday night.</p>
                                 <p>Sam Zavada | Times Leader</p>

The Hanover Area School Board is shown at their meeting on Tuesday night.

Sam Zavada | Times Leader

The Hanover Area School District’s board meeting was typical for about 12 minutes. When the public comment portion began, the runtime of the meeting doubled.

Luke Matthews, of Warrior Run, took the microphone and brought up a number of concerns and complaints that have been brought to his attention by other members of the public — and, he presumed, from inside the school community.

The core of Matthews’ remarks was student safety, and what he called a “toxic atmosphere” in the Hanover Area School District. Specifically, he questioned whether the district had any policies in place that prevent random visitors from attending sports practices.

“If someone just wants to show up at a practice, who is or isn’t cleared, could or could not be cleared. They can just show up at practice? Then it’s just the coach’s responsibility to make sure that those students are safe?” asked Matthews. Superintendent Nathan Barrett responded that the scenario presented would indeed be under the coach’s control.

Matthews became more pointed in his ensuing questions, wondering whether the coaches are protected if they fear the random practice visitor may have a power advantage over them. Barrett replied that coaches have the support of the athletic director in such situations, and that the police can be called if the situation rises to that of a trespassing violation.

Matthews then called on the board to consider a “cut-and-dry policy” to close sports practices. Barrett and the board members appeared open to the idea.

Later on, board member Vic Kopko asked Matthews to repeat himself about the “toxic atmosphere” in the district.

“I don’t think anyone could deny that,” Matthews said in reference to Kopko’s atmosphere inquiry.

Matthews referenced the board’s unanimous hiring of eight new employees, whose names were not listed on the printed agenda, and asked whether the board members ever vote outside of the consensus on similar personnel matters.

“We rely on a hiring practice where the committees and the professional people within this building, subject matter experts, review everybody,” Kopko explained. “We [the board] have the opportunity to sit in on interviews, and there’s a recommendation… It’s a pretty involved process.”

Stadium update

During the work session Tuesday night, which took place just before the regular meeting, district resident Matt Curry asked the board a number of questions regarding the closure of Hanover Area Memorial Stadium. The venue’s closure is due to a high number of paint particles that were found in and around the stadium’s locker rooms and storage units.

Curry asked the board when they knew there was lead particles in the stadium’s paint. In their reply, the board said that would be a question for the constractor SiteLogIQ, who are overseeing the project. Further information, according to school solicitor Mark Bufalino, could not be discussed for legal purposes.

Curry called for greater transparency from the board in regard to this matter specifically, noting that the project is costing the programs that use Memorial Stadium, including a number of Hawkeye sports teams, a significant amount of money. The Hawkeye football team, for example, has had to play their 2024 “home” games at Greater Nanticoke and Wilkes-Barre areas’ facilities.