My children love Shade Gap Elementary for countless reasons.

Not only does it have a brand-new playground (built just last year), but it’s filled with familiar, compassionate teachers who know every child by name and understand their unique needs. Beyond academics, it’s the heart of a safe, tight-knit rural community we cherish deeply.

But now, the Southern Huntingdon County School District (SHCSD) has decided to close it—without real public input, without exploring fixes, and without applying for a single grant.

Instead, our kids will be forced into a building with:

•  Fire alarms out of code and past useful life since at least 2019 (per the district’s own 330-page Feasibility Study, pages III-23, III-35, III-51)

•  Dangerous CO₂ levels exceeding 2000 ppm daily at Rockhill Elementary (Indoor Air Quality, Figure 5)

•  60 minutes added to daily bus rides—5 extra hours a week on rural, icy roads

•  3rd graders sharing hallways with 12th graders, increasing risks of bullying, anxiety, and exposure to inappropriate behavior

This isn’t efficiency. It’s reckless.

And it follows $5 million wasted on engineering for a site that failed basic septic tests—a check that should have been done first. Meanwhile, the district built a new high school weight room but ignored three elementary schools with critical safety violations.

There is a better way.

The 2019 Feasibility Study shows $3.7 million (2025-adjusted) fully renovates Shade Gap—fixing alarms, HVAC, fire suppression, asbestos, and more. That’s less than the district already “loses” on homeschoolers.

SHCSD claims 54 homeschoolers cost them $1.2 million per year — $22,222 per child.

34 more children withdrawn for 5 years = $3.77 million — more than enough to save Shade Gap.

That’s why we’re building a coalition of action:

EVERY SIGNATURE COUNTS.

By signing, you stand with us to demand SHCSD:

1.  Hold REAL Act 34 public hearings with full transparency

2.  Fix fire alarms, CO₂/ventilation, and suppression by June 2026

3.  Apply for $1M+ in Keystone and PSFIG grants by March 3, 2026

WANT TO GO FURTHER?

If you’re willing to PLEDGE to homeschool or transfer your child(ren) to cyber charter for 5 years to force the fix, email shcparentalerts@gmail.com with:

•  Your name (or “Anonymous”)

•  Number of children

•  “I PLEDGE 5 YEARS”

We already pledge 4 children.

We need 34 total pledges to hit $3.77 million in financial pressure.

Shade Gap isn’t just a building. It’s our community. It’s our future.

Sign now. Stand up. Save our school.

— A Shade Gap Parent

shcparentalerts@gmail.com

Tell the board what you think at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-hEkoJK_otM3-NrhrVjjGZY83anvra0u1NpuhGjhrbqBdTg/viewform

Full Report: https://shcsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SHCSDfeasibilitystudy2.pdf

Maintenance Updates: https://shcsd.org/maintenance/