Keota Board Goes Over New Handbook

KEOTA – During the July 11 meeting of the Keota School Board, the board went through and discussed the new student handbook for the upcoming school year. Superintendent Lisa Brenneman explained that, during registration online, parents will need to sign off on the handbook. The new handbook features new student intervention policies, which will require the school to frequently look at absences and grades to identify students needing interventions. The handbook has a list of approved absence excuses. Parents must advise the school at least one day in advance of an absence. Missed work for absences will be handled before or after school or on Fridays and come with an activity ban until made up.

The new handbook states that the school can reprimand student expression for being vulgar, disruptive or dangerous. Students now must be present when the school searches lockers. The handbook includes new state bullying definitions and violent threat policy. The handbook removes the previous 180 school day technology ban for internet violations, due to so much homework being done online. Parents and students will pay at least half of the cost for replacing damaged technology. Personal laptops are banned, without exception, due to fears of them corrupting the school network.

Seniors in good standing will be allowed to have their phones in the senior lounge, but will not be allowed to talk on them. Brenneman stated the district was looking into AI plagiarism policies to prevent students from using AI to cheat on homework. Due to a new truancy law, the school district is now required to work with the County Attorney's Office to handle absenteeism. The district will no longer send children with head lice home for months at a time. The new handbook requires the district to appoint Level 1 and Level 2 Investigators for sex and physical abuse.

Parents are now allowed to look over the district’s health class material and request alternate assignments.The district will help students fill out FAFSA, which changed heavily this year. Noon lunch passes to get food have been canceled. The new handbook contains tentative state-required Title IX LGBT policies, which Brenneman stated may be overturned and removed from the handbook due to an injunction from far-right political group Moms for Liberty.

The biggest change Brenneman brought up was Senior Year Plus, a way for students to take concurrent college classes through the district, even after graduating. Brenneman noted that this program was not limited to just Indian Hills or Kirkwood classes. Board member Pat Hammen asked if students would be charged for failed classes or stopped from taking classes if they get an F; Brenneman said no.

Brenneman brought up new legislation allowing teachers to carry guns on school campuses, with school approval, and asked the board how they felt about it. Brenneman noted that one staff member carries a pistol in her personal life already, but not at school. Board member Andy Conrad stated it was not appropriate to carry guns in a school. Brenneman stated that the district did not need armed staff. Hammen noted that no teachers had approached the board about this. Board member Jim Tinnes stated that, if the district were to allow guns, he would want teachers to be required to take gun safety courses and have their guns on their person at all times, to prevent a student from taking it.

The board met with Levi Lyle of the Keokuk County Childcare Network, a nonprofit working to bring registered daycares to the county and help them with management and finances. KCCN and the district are in the midst of ongoing discussions about setting up an infant-elementary age daycare in the Keota school building, to be run by KCCN although nothing has been ironed out yet. KCCN is also working to set up a daycare in Sigourney. The Richland daycare is not currently associated with KCCN.

While going over bills, Board Member Dan Redlinger asked about a $1,900 bill for a damaged electrical wire leading to the baseball light poles hit by D&N Fence while setting up the baseball fence. The location of electrical wire was marked by a previous contractor, but washed away by rain. Redlinger asked if the district should swallow this. Brenneman suggested requesting D&N and the previous contractor reduce their bills to cover the cost.

The board approved purchasing new computers for elementary staff, to replace 5 year old computers. High school staff received new computers last year. The board approved purchasing 50 chromebooks to replace old student laptops, the cost of which will be helped by a $26,000 tech grant.

Athletic Director Dan Stout discussed sharing a cross country coach with Sigourney in the fall. In the past, Sigourney and Keota have run two teams separately, but each paid for half the coach salary. Teams did not play or practice together, but did go to the same meets. Board member Billie Kindred stated that the board should go over sharing agreements during the next board meeting and iron out some issues, for example, determining how shared activities are scheduled for a four-day week. Kindred stated that last year the shared wrestling team with Sigourney changed its name from SK to the Savages, causing confusion; Brenneman stated she had spoken with the Sigourney superintendent and confirmed the name will be changed back this year. Kindred stated that the board should discuss how much it costs to run the SK football program, how much Keota pays and if Keota should receive gate money.