The Butler Area School Board on Monday approved an update to the school district athletics safety plan but allowed the administration to change it pending a review of a federal court ruling that found public gathering restrictions ordered by Gov. Tom Wolf are unconstitutional.

The update, which details steps students and staff must take if they have COVID-19 or are exposed to someone with a confirmed case, was approved in a 8-1 vote with director Bill Halle casting the dissenting vote.

The board gave Superintendent Brian White flexibility to change the plan by Wednesday pending a review by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association of Monday's ruling by a federal judge in Pittsburgh that Wolf's restrictions on the number of people allowed to gather in public is unconstitutional.

White said the PIAA is reviewing the ruling, and he might change the plan depending on the findings.

Currently, 250 spectators are permitted at outdoor athletic events, but many schools violated that restriction and could face repercussions, he said.

Butler's Art Bernardi Stadium can seat 7,000 spectators and limiting the audience to 250 is “silly,” White said.

He said he wants to see the PIAA's review of the court ruling before possibly allowing more spectators because he doesn't want to risk having to forfeit Friday's home football game.

White gave the board an enrollment update, saying the district's enrollment is 6,281 students including 114 students at Summit Academy and 102 students who opted for home schooling.

Kindergarten enrollment is down by 100 students from last year. White said he suspects the decrease is due to parents deciding to wait to enroll their children until they are 6 years old.

Bus contract approved

The board also unanimously approved a five-year student transportation contract with Valley Lines, the current contractor.

The contract freezes the district's costs at 2019-20 rates this year and increases the rate by 1.17 percent in each of the remaining four years. The amount the district pays is based on the number of buses used and the size of the buses. The district is using 101 buses. The cost this year is about $4.7 million.

In addition, the board approved a three-year transportation contract to bus district students to Portersville Christian School.

The contract includes two buses — one for district students only and one that is shared by Butler Area and Seneca Valley School District students.

For this school year, the district will pay $226 a day for the Butler-only bus and $113 a day for the shared bus. Those costs increase to $230 and $115, respectively, in 2021-22 and to $234 and $117, respectively, in 2022-23.

In unrelated business, the board agreed to allow the Butler County Emergency Services Unit Team 400 to conduct active shooter training in Butler Middle School on Sept. 19.