The Butler Area School District school board accepted the resignation of a long-time board member at Monday’s meeting and approved a number of new and updated policies, relating to harassment and discrimination among students and district faculty and staff.

Assistant superintendent Brian Slamecka said the policies presented to the board Monday have the same content that they had before, but with updated language.

“This is all in compliance with federal regulations,” Slamecka said. “The content, the process, everything is the same as it was.”

Board members asked at the meeting if the policy updates are being mandated at a state level and if they are tied to state funding. Slamecka said guidelines come from the state level, and funding that comes from Title IX or Title I comes from a federal level.

“Everyone has to follow the same guidelines,” Slamecka said. “Since it’s federally regulated ... we have to make sure we are in compliance.”

Many of the approved policies were first readings, so the school board members will give final approval at a future meeting.

The board also accepted the resignation of board member Tom Harrison, who announced at last week’s meeting he is moving to Clarion County to pursue a position with the United Methodist Church.

Harrison’s resignation is effective June 30, and the board will have 30 days to appoint a replacement. Applicants will file to fill Harrison’s term, which runs until December, 2023.

A discussion about the method the board will take to replace Harrison closed the meeting, with the board members coming up with six questions they would like applicants to answer. The questions ask why the applicant wants to be on the school board and if and how they have been involved with schools in the district.

In addition to being at least 18 years old and a resident of Pennsylvania, applicants must be a resident of the Butler Area School District for at least one year prior to the date of appointment.

The board is also interested in applicants’ background in the local community.

“I’d like to know what their involvement with the district has been,” said school board President Al Vavro. “Whether they have kids, whether they have been on committees, if they served on PTOs, if they served on some kind of athletic thingamabob.”

Any interested person should submit a letter indicating his or her reasons for wanting to serve on the Board of School Directors along with a resume to board secretary at catherine.melder@basdk12.org. The board anticipates interviewing the candidates on the evening of Monday, July 11, according to a news release from the school district.

The deadline for applications is 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 30.

The successful applicant is expected to be appointed by the board at the July 11 meeting, the news release said.