The safety and well-being of those within our schools remain a top priority as we welcome back students and staff for the 2022/2023 school year. We thank everyone who participated in the District’s Parent/Staff Work Session on May 25, 2022. We had approximately 320 participants and gathered a great deal of feedback. The posters created at the Work Session are available on the District’s website at https://bit.ly/MS-
As many of you are aware, prior to the Work Session, some parents and staff had brought forward concerns in relation to student conduct. The concerns were shared with the Board and were the subject of local media stories. The May 25 Work Session was to provide a forum for parents, staff and interested community members to come together to discuss with each other the District’s strengths, weaknesses, solutions, and barriers. The intent was to facilitate open discussion and to allow participants to share freely about their students.
The District was informed today that the Iowa Freedom of Information Council along with local media outlets have filed a lawsuit and issued a Press Release claiming the Bettendorf Community School District is in violation of Iowa’s open meeting laws, claiming a failure to allow journalists to document the Work Session. We do not believe there is any validity to the claims, but did want you to be aware of the lawsuit as it will most likely be in the news.
The District has presented the information obtained at the Work Session to the School Board at its open meetings and will continue to do so. We remain committed to an open process in addressing concerns and appreciate the input as we continue to work on supports and improvements for our students and staff. We look forward to the start of a new school year!