Westmont Hilltop School Board approves REACH agreement, passes tower resolution

Jan. 20—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The new Reaching Educational Achievements with Clinical Mental Health counselor and the school police officer at Westmont Hilltop School District will now have office space at the high school.

The board approved a $7,500 renovation to the building at Thursday's meeting to the student services conference room, which will create dedicated space for each individual.

Superintendent Thomas Mitchell said the REACH counselor is being provided to Westmont Hilltop at no cost to the district by the Cambria County Drug and Alcohol Program, which is using funds received from the opioid settlement to provide mental health services to county school districts.

"The more people you have around connecting to students who are trained in what they're experiencing (the better)," he said.

Prior to adopting this action, the school directors approved the service agreement with REACH.

Also passed by the board Thursday was a resolution imploring the Citizens of Upper Woodmont Group to drop their legal objections to the proposed cellphone tower at the secondary school.

Robert Gleason, board president, read the proposal in full at the gathering and noted that the district and group have battled for four years regarding this matter.

At the December meeting, school director Jeffrey Masterson requested such a resolution be made after the November garage fire at his Woodmont Road residence, which is located near the high school.

At Thursday's meeting, Masterson again stressed the need for a tower in order to protect not just the school but the entire community in that area.

Cellphone coverage around the high school is spotty at best and nearly nonexistent in the building.

According to the resolution, the most recent Woodmont Group's appeal has been remanded by the state commonwealth court to trial court to obtain further evidence.

"This is really about health and safety," Gleason said, adding that opposing the matter doesn't make sense.

He said the board is at its wits end on what to do and is now demanding the group "take any and all action necessary to cease imposing delay upon the construction of the cellphone tower."

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