Two weeks into the school year, ISD 166 students and their parents were still adjusting to new rules. One of those is the requirement that middle and high school students stay seated in the lunch room during the 30-minute lunch period instead of being able to walk the halls, play in the gym, or go outside (except for juniors and seniors who can go off-campus but are not allowed back inside the building until the end of lunch). On September 19, the school board listened to some comments.
One young woman said students need to burn off energy and cool off during lunch. “You’re making the students feel like we’re not trusted,” she said. She said she feels like she is constantly being watched and yelled at this year, with school personnel saying, “Get to class!” when she’s at her locker. She doesn’t even want to be in school anymore, she said.
One parent advocated for giving students more freedom, pointing out that the older students are considered responsible enough by society to be driving. “You’re trying too hard to be the parent all the time and you’re taking away my parental rights,” she said. “I feel insulted at times.”
Social studies teacher David Lichty spoke positively about the beginning of the year, reporting that he was sensing great rapport with the students and hearing positive remarks from them.
In his administrative report, 6-12 Principal Adam Nelson was also upbeat. He said he was impressed with the creativity in lesson plans and the relationships teachers had built with their students.
Nelson also felt positive about the lunch period. “I feel as though lunch is going very well. I’m not sure where the whole idea of prison comes from,” he said, referencing a remark on Superintendent Beth Schwarz’s facebook page about the lunchroom feeling like a prison. Students can use their cell phones, talk with friends as long as the noise stays at a “reasonable” level, and use the bathroom if they get a pass. They don’t want kids eating all around the school, he said. Two study tables and wireless access are available for students outside the lunchroom. Students are being “supervised” and “monitored,” he said.
Nelson said social studies teacher Mitch Dorr, administrative assistant Cindy Everson, and he greet upperclassmen when they return from off-campus lunch. Starting this year, students and visitors must be buzzed into the building through the Eagle doors.
Research shows the importance of adults in the school engaging with students, school board member Jeanne Anderson said. Keeping students out of the hallways during the lunch periods keeps distractions down for students in class, she said.
Because the lunch period is only 30 minutes, Superintendent Schwarz said, students would not have time for recreation anyway. They could consider opening a gym once the YMCA opens and another gym is available, she said, but that could increase supervision costs.
Schwarz said the administrative committee (Beth Schwarz, Gwen Carman, Adam Nelson, Tom Nelson, Lori Backlund, Pam Taylor, and John Jacobsen) recommended leaving campus open for upperclassmen over lunch for now but said more and more schools are not allowing it. She said school districts have typically lost in court when sued after students have been in car accidents during the lunch period.
Principal Nelson said they could handle the entire student body being in the lunchroom, “but it would be a little bit of a tight squeeze.” Ed Bolstad said he would vote to close campus if it came to a vote. “I don’t think we’re demanding much of students to help us with security,” he said.
Q Comp
Elementary Principal Gwen Carman reported on the state-initiated Q Comp quality enhancement program adopted by the school last year. The teacher mentoring that is part of the program has been “a wonderful, wonderful thing,” she said.
The school met its student math improvement goals in the first year, with 77.1 percent of elementary students, 67.9 percent of middle school students, and 54.8 percent of high school students showing the growth they had aimed for.
The state is supplying $169 per student, which totalled about $78,084 in the program’s first year. The budget was set higher for the second year— $117,166—“to provide additional funds for the program,” according to Superintendent Schwarz. The levy was increased by $91 per student this year to cover the additional cost.
Student population
The upcoming graduating class sizes look like they will be in the lower to mid 40s, Superintendent Schwarz reported. This will make it easy to split them into two sections per class period.
The population of white students dropped from 78 percent last year to 75 percent this year. “We’re definitely becoming a more diversified district,” Schwarz said, “and I think that’s a good thing.”
Superintendent’s facebook page
Superintendent Schwarz asked the school board what they thought about her checking her district facebook page throughout the day to respond to comments and questions from parents, students, and community members.
Schwarz said the page had 259 members, and some had posted positive comments about her availability. The site is also used to keep people informed about things like weather, busses, lunch procedures, and playground issues. She said she deleted one series of comments because they were “disrespectful” and “not appropriate.”
The board gave its approval for Schwarz to continue to respond to postings throughout the day.
Dental screenings
The board approved an agreement with the Oral Health Task Force, an initiative of the North Shore Health Care Foundation, to continue dental screenings for students. Screenings will be conducted on students in grades 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10, and the Oral Health Task Force will help families access funds for needed treatment. The task force will reimburse the district for any costs incurred.
Road dispute
The board denied a request made by Steven Carlson that the district pay him $6,000 for damages he said were incurred on his property from a school bus traveling on it during soft road conditions. The bus that picked up children along School House Road (County Road 55) just west of the Gunflint Trail has discontinued traveling on the portion of road belonging to Carlson that it had been using, which brought the bus closer to the homes of two of the families on the route and allowed the bus to travel along a straight stretch. It now stays on the curved section of School House Road between its east-west portion and its north-south portion.
Industrial ed
Superintendent Schwarz said she had consulted with an industrial technology professional, who recommended that the school focus on three main areas: metal and welding, wood and carpentry, and fabrication and design.
She said architects would be consulted about what kind of space the school would need to upgrade the department and asked if the board wanted her to proceed in this direction. “I think you should double your efforts,” responded Ed Bolstad. Workers are needed in this field, he said.
Leave a Reply