One mother of an Iola student expressed her displeasure with school officials during the public forum section of Tuesdays USD 257 board meeting.
Dimity Lowell criticized school administrators for what she believes was their mishandling of an accusation she made last year against a teacher at Iola Middle School. The incident concerned what Lowell deemed inappropriate electronic communications and subsequent inappropriate physical contact between one of the districts teachers and her son (who is no longer a student at IMS).
Lowell did not broadcast the specifics of the case in the public forum nor she did name the accused, but she did express her belief that there was a systematic failure by the administration when it came to the states mandatory reporting rules as outlined by the Department of Children and Families.
When instances like this and other forms of abuse take place in our schools, there needs to be an open line of communication between school administration, the superintendent, school board members, and the law, as required, said Lowell, who, visibly shaken, read from a set of prepared remarks. The decision to come to this meeting and to address this issue was not taken lightly. My son has been profoundly affected by the actions of someone who should have had a positive role in his life. His trust and confidence have been violated and broken, and that is not acceptable here or anywhere else. … I hope that here on out an appropriate course of action is followed, and that we teach our teachers and our administrators and our principals and our paras about mandated reporting, and about reporting those instances appropriately and swiftly.
Superintendent of Schools Stacey Fager was among those who heard Lowells complaints, and though supportive of Ms. Lowells right to air her case, he disagreed with the characterization of the districts response as anything but vigilant in investigating the content of the mothers allegations. In a conversation with the Register during a break in Tuesdays meeting, the superintendent vowed that the district has been proactive in pursuing the complaints brought forward by Ms. Lowell, and said that the district has worked and will continue to work in cooperation with the Iola Police Department to investigate every facet of the grievance.
The board did not offer a response during or after Lowells comments but did meet with Lowell in an executive session later in the evening.
TYPICALLY A barren few seconds at the top of most public meetings, the public forum portion of Tuesdays board of education meeting bristled with comment and concern.
Prior to Lowells appearance, there was the happy recognition by school officials of Iola Highs 2018 state champion baseball team as well as Iolas top performers at the state track meet namely, two sophomores, Elysia Kunkler and Elka Billings.
Finally, Iola resident Larry Walden after first urging the board to display the flag (state and federal) in their meeting-room and to henceforth open their meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance repeated his appeal to the board to move their official meeting dates so as not to conflict with Iolas City Council meetings. Both groups meet on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.
We as taxpayers have five big tax burdens that we have to support, said Walden, name-checking the other three other entities the local hospital, the county, and the local community college but youre the only two that conflict, you and the city. The USD 257-City of Iola double booking makes it impossible for the taxpayer to attend both meetings. Youre forcing us to choose one, said Walden. Its not right.
Walden then pointed to the perceived confusion surrounding the boards recent decision to move the districts preschoolers from Windsor Place to McKinley Elementary, thus ending the age-to-age experiment begun less than a decade earlier. He cited Windsor director Linda Milhollands May 19 letter to the editor of this paper in which she registered her objection to the relocation of the preschool as further evidence of the perturbation that attached itself to this issue. He then went on to fault this reporter for not providing more comprehensive coverage of the issue.
Finally, Walden urged the district toward a greater clarity in discussing the financing concerning a potential upcoming bond issue aimed at a new school, and then went on to register his opposition to any project that doesnt prioritize fixing the districts current infrastructure over buying new. Its not the building; its what goes on in the building, said Walden. Im of the old school. I say you fix it, because it is fixable.
ENTERING INTO the nights business, the board voted to renew its contract with OPAA Food Management Inc. for the year. The board then in an effort to remain in compliance with new OPAA guidelines approved a 10-cent increase in student meal prices.
USD 257 technology coordinator Jeremy Meyer presented the board with his recommendations for filling the districts technology needs. The board signed on, voting to accept 1) the bid from CDW-G for 40 teacher laptops priced at $750 per unit ($30,000); 2) the bid from Zones for 220 student Chrome-books for a grand total of $46,466; and 3) the $3,300 bid from Zones for the appropriate number of cases for those Chromebooks.
Finally, the board approved a bid from McPherson-based Wray Roofing Co. for $17,300 for repair of the districts roofs.
