A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was asking questions about several topics, one of them was regarding our school libraries and book choices. I know several parents have concerns about these books because, as a parent also, we don’t know what books our children are exposed to at school. When my oldest son was in kindergarten 15 years ago, I’ll admit that I didn’t really think about the library books. I had full trust in the choices that the school staff had made. However, today’s culture and views are different, and it seems we see more evidence of books available to our children that most parents I know are concerned about. This week I watched a recording of an 11 year old boy reading to his district’s school board from a book that was on a special display at his middle school library. He read aloud the sex acts between 2 boys. At the end of the reading, he mentioned that the librarian asked him if he also wanted the graphic novel of the same book. This is shocking to me, but also not completely surprising. My first thought is just to question the reality and truth of it. Then I wonder, who ARE these adults and educators that believe books like these should be in public schools (or even the public library, maybe just at the Lion’s Den!) Because of these stories, parents are feeling worried, frustrated, and angry, especially because it’s just not realistic for parents to review ALL curriculum and library books, in all schools, for all of our children. We are left having to trust the adults in the schools, the adults that we don’t know, and that we don’t know their values and morals. Many are left asking, can we trust, and at the same time have no choice but to trust.

Listed below is information that I was able to search and summarize to help others understand the processes involved in book selection for our schools. This information can be found on the Owatonna School District website. Superintendent Jeff Elstad and Assistant Superintendent Michelle Krell are available for discussion if you have concerns about books or resource materials in your child’s school.

Material Selection

Each media center selects materials and resources that support, enrich, and help implement the educational philosophy of the Owatonna Public School District.  Considerations are based on recommendations from faculty, staff, students, reviews in reputable media (School Library Journal, Booklist, Library Journal, Common Sense Media, Junior Library Guild, etc.), material previews from vendors and publishers, and subject knowledge and expertise of the District Media Specialist.  Selection of materials and resources is based on the evaluation of the existing collection, curriculum requirements, and the diverse needs of students and staff.   

Challenged Materials 

All questions regarding suitability or appropriateness of the content of library materials or resources should be directed to the District Media Specialist.  Initial complaints will be informally addressed by the Media Specialist.  Steps taken will include:

In the event that the complainant is not satisfied with the informal explanation, the complainant will be referred to Policy 606 in which case the challenger will complete the Request for Re-evaluation form and submit it to the Director of Teaching and Learning.  The request will go in front of a committee for review and a final decision will be made. 

This is the link so that you can search each school’s library catalog for specific books.: https://owatonna.follettdestiny.com/common/welcome.jsp?context=saas042_2260150

This is the link to the district website Media Specialists page with contact information for each media specialist. https://www.isd761.org/district-services/teaching-learning/media-services

After reading about a parent’s concern regarding a certain book (outside of our district), I decided to see if this book was in Owatonna school libraries. Interestingly, it was in the middle school library, but not the high school library. Because this book is recommended only for older teens and adults, I was able to connect with the district media specialist and the book will now be available at the high school only. Using the links above, I was able to research the book and find out how to address my concerns. If you are wondering, this is the book: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/extremely-loud-and-incredibly-close.

Hope this helps. Please be in touch with questions or concerns. Take care friends.

The “regular school board meeting” was held in the small group forum room at the high school. The agenda was long, I tried to summarize the main points here. Mr. Elstad used “Mission Moment” to recognize the Shrek directors and staff. With opening weekend behind us and 2 more performances, this weekend, we heard lots of wonderful compliments from those that have seen the musical already! My family loved the show as well, laughed a lot, but especially loved the dragon. We are biased since this beauty lives with us; we are so proud of Cali!

The OHS principal, Mr. Kath, as well as the 3 assistant principals, gave a presentation including a basic outline for the transition to the new high school this summer with upcoming online registration for classes. They presented information regarding Compass days that occur 2 times monthly. This is a school day with dedicated time offered to students who need to meet for advisement or intervention (counseling, tutoring, catch-up work), but allows for flexibility and freedom to those students who are caught up, giving them opportunities to join club activities. The volunteer groups DECA and Key Club have seen increased member numbers since Compass began. Mr. Kath stressed the benefits of helping students with the 3OTs: On Time, On Task, On Target. The WIN group meets every Compass day and consists of those students that benefit from a daily check in with Mr. Wanous. This group has seen a 41% decrease in failure grades for these students.

No one presented for the public forum at this meeting. No significant concerns were noted during the board forum. Our student rep noted that this is a very busy time of year for many students, many great accomplishments were noted among our students.

The enrollment report was noted, with no current concerns.

The first reading of policy review (policies 540, 619, 701, 702, 705, 706, 707, 710, 711, 712, 714) was done and no significant changes or discussion was noted. Revisions made by the policy committee are related to updated language and statutes, but no major changes. Board members received this information before the meeting in order to review the large amount of information ahead of time.

The administrative report included a summary by Ms. Krell on behalf of the American Indian parent advisory committee and there were no concerns. Mr. Elstad reported that bills are moving quickly through the legislature right now, one of them being a Universal Meals bill. He is also working toward equalization, meaning that all districts receive equal funding, which could mean lower taxes for Owatonna community members in 2024.

The board voted 6-0 to approve the new start and end times for our schools. Mr. Elstad assured that there will be supervision for our elementary students given that the later start time of 8:10am could be very difficult for parents with work commitments beginning at 8am.

The Resolution for Acceptance of Gifts was approved. Due to 2 snow days, the middle school’s Husky Pride day had to be postponed and ultimately cancelled. Families that gave money toward this were given the opportunity to receive a refund or give the money to the school. This month’s “gifts” list include many families that chose to donate this money to our schools. Thank you!

Lastly and maybe most importantly, I’d like to highlight the policy revisions that were approved. The second reading for policy revisions (policies 213, 420, 506, 509, 516, 528, 529, 534, 709, 721, 950) were presented for discussion and then approved. The main changes that I’d like to mention are regarding policy 950, Public Data Requests. The new policy title will be Public Data and Data Subject Requests. The additions to this policy include several definitions, including that for “Individual.” This definition is based directly off of the MN Statute 13.02 subd 8, which means that our district is required to follow this as law. The definition reads as follows:

“Individual” means a natural person. In the case of a minor or an incapacitated person as defined in section 524.5-102, subd 6, “individual” includes a parent or guardian or an individual acting as a parent or guardian in the absence of a parent or guardian, except that the responsible authority shall withhold data from parents or guardians, or individuals acting as parents or guardians in the absence of parents or guardians, upon request by the minor if the responsible authority determines that withholding the data would be in the best interest of the minor. ”

As I read this, it means that if your child confides in a school staff member and the staff member believes that it is in the best interest of your child to keep that conversation from you, they have the right to withhold information from you the parent or guardian. Now, I’ve been told, and I do believe, that our school staff will do their best to include parents/guardians in difficult conversations. However, by this statute and now our district policy, they are not required to share with you. In light of this, I urge you to connect with your children. Connect in the way that they need you to (The Five Love Languages books by Gary Chapman are great for help with this!) Parents, let’s put down our phones and talk to our children. Even if they don’t say anything, just be present. Pat them on the head, shoulder or back, even if they pull away. Give them a hug, leave them a sticky note, tell them you love them (even if they need a shower or just made a really bad choice.) As humans, we are sorely lacking human interaction, eye contact, and genuine presence with each other. Our kids NEED this from us. Love each other, even when we are unlovable. THIS is true love.

The results of the student and family survey are now posted on the district website.

Here is the link! https://sites.google.com/isd761.org/dde-survey-reports-public/home

Our school board meeting was at the district office, and I enjoyed sitting around the U-shaped tables, hearing the discussions and questions among members attending. I was especially impressed by one of our student representatives who made several thoughtful comments. He was well spoken and seemed comfortable speaking to all of us at the table. Well done!!

There was a presentation regarding our preschool programs, Little Learners and Bright Beginnings and several challenges were noted given their current spaces (divided between 2 buildings) and what the future may hold for them. Further consideration of possible changes for them will be forthcoming.

We also had a presentation regarding a survey that was developed specifically for Owatonna students and families. This survey was given last fall (and will be given every fall), and all the results will be posted soon on the district website. Rather than use the standardized surveys or the student climate survey that has been used in the past, our district developed their own to better assist us in determining what is going well and what may need to be changed. We saw just a bit of the results at the meeting, and I look forward to seeing the full report soon.

Mr. Elstad gave a report regarding the bussing challenges next year with the location of the new high school, thus potentially adding 700 more students to the bus routes (however we don’t know yet how many of those students will actually need bussing which presents another challenge). Because purchasing several more busses would be very costly, and switching to a one-tiered bussing system would also be very costly, he presented the option of slightly adjusting start and end times for the schools. Good questions were asked regarding the options and the effect on families, and this will be discussed further at a future date.

A governance book was given to all members of the school board, and we will be discussing sections at future work sessions. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the concept of “governance” and how that is different from “fixing things” or “working on things.” It is my intention to use this blog to inform, but also to provide alternative resources of information, purely out of care and concern for our students so that families can make decisions together. As I compare this to the medical world where I’ve worked for 20+ years, the more I learn, the more I realize what I don’t know. As I stated in my campaign, and now again after visiting all the schools, I truly believe that we have staff and educators that care for students, sometimes we just disagree about what is the best way to do things. Ultimately, I am not telling anyone what to do, you need to make those decisions for yourself and your children. That’s all folks… for now!

I’ve learned a few things and thought I would pass along the information. School board meetings are always open to the public and as part of this, the district staff are required to follow Open Meeting Laws. All meetings are to be posted ahead of time, with the exception of emergency meetings. The work session school board meetings do not have a public forum, but anyone can come and listen. The regular school board meetings do offer a public forum in Owatonna, but school boards are not required to offer the public forum. The school board committee meetings are also open to the public (committees are for policy, facilities, and finance). The notice for public meeting dates and times is posted on the district website, the district calendar, and on the school board meeting website. Meetings are also posted in the People’s Press.

The district has committees also, one of which is the District Curriculum Advisory Committee (https://www.isd761.org/district-services/teaching-learning/dcac). The district committees are not open to the public; however, they do include community members by application. Michelle Krell, the assistant superintendent, is leading this committee. She can be reached at MKRELL@isd761.org. One role of the school board is to approve curriculum; therefore, this committee should be advisory in nature only. I am not sure yet how curriculum is chosen and presented to the school board for approval.

The following are questions I recently emailed to our superintendent Jeff Elstad and our school board Chair Mark Sebring. I will be meeting with Mr. Sebring on 2/13/2023 and Mr. Elstad on 2/27/2023 to discuss:

1. Curriculum review: where do we find the curriculum information for our schools?  As I become familiar with MN Statutes, the school board is responsible for choosing curriculum…

2. How do we know what books are in our school libraries?  Who is in charge of this?  Who approves books that may be controversial?

3. Staff education: As there are a variety of topics and sessions when I attend a medical education conference, I’m wondering what types of training our educators and staff are doing on their work days.  Is this information posted anywhere? 

4. With all the talk (and confusion) regarding SEL and DEI these days, I’d like to find information about Owatonna’s social emotional learning plans/goals and our plans/goals for diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

In addition to the above information, I was notified by a parent that the middle school offers an elective class called LGBTQ+ and Friends.  This is offered to middle school students as part of the SOAR program. The concerns regarding this are that the parents did not know this was an elective option, they were not aware that their child chose this class until after it was chosen, there was no information about the discussions that were planned for the students or if there were any books or curriculum used/recommended. The other concern I have is regarding why this type of class is offered in public school, especially without parents’ permission. I will plan to discuss this in the meetings I noted above with Mr. Sebring and Mr. Elstad.

Next school board meeting is a work session at the District Office on February 13, 2023!

My first official board meeting was held in the small group forum room at OHS, lasted approximately one hour, 5:30 -6:30pm. Our school board chair, Mark Sebring, read through an oath of office and then I read through my part of the oath and wa-lah! It’s official! Here I am, and so very honored to be sitting in this chair!

Recognition was given to 4 students from OHS for their outstanding achievements, earning them the ExCEL Awards and the Triple A Awards. As mentioned previously, I am so glad that Owatonna continues to recognize the efforts and successes of our students (one male and one female student for each award), honoring each of them and thus encouraging them to continue to work hard and ultimately continue their efforts as strong, capable, kind adults.

For the public forum, we had an announcement regarding the successes of our OHS Magnet team in the community. Also, a community member expressed concerns regarding land conservation and our carbon footprint, noting that he is hopeful that our students are learning these concepts in science classes and through the FFA. Personally, I am wondering what the follow up is to this gentleman’s concern. Are his comments passed along to our science teachers? Will the curriculum committee save these comments and consider them when choosing the next science texts? Will there be a discussion amongst board members regarding his concerns and how to move forward? I have yet to figure this out, especially as more comments come forward in future public forums.

Next on the agenda was the Board Forum which included reviewing Policy Revisions. Our policy committee has 3 board members (Tim, Jolayne, Lori) who review sections of policy, make revisions, and send this to all board members. The policy committee is advisory only, the full school board continues to have the final say in policies. We review these revisions prior to the board meeting, ask questions as needed, and then present them for final approval at the meeting. There were several policies up for review, the longest one being Student Discipline. I was encouraged to see written policy stating that our students are expected to be respectful, including refraining from obscene language. The policy is too long to list here, but it includes the action steps for students who break the policies. Ultimately, the principal sets the “rules and regulations” for each school, the superintendent gives “guidelines and directives” to the school staff, all of which are subject to school board approval. As I visit the schools in the coming weeks, I will be asking about policies and behaviors to get a better understanding of how much this has been a problem in our schools. Also in the review was the addition to the Student Medication policy. Our district will obtain Narcan, and training for how to use it, for “each school site.” Narcan is given when it is strongly suspected that someone is overdosed on opioid medication. This is the world we live in now, when opioids (especially Fentanyl) are finding its way into our schools and we need to be prepared to save a child’s life. While there were several other revisions reviewed, the last policy revision I’m noting here is only because I found it surprising and encouraging. For some time now, the state of MN has mandated schools to have a prevention program for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). From the state of MN, and also stated in our policy, we are required to have “curriculum that includes helping students to abstain from sexual activity until marriage.” What?! Isn’t that refreshing in today’s “free” world where some will say that anything at any age is okay. I’m grateful we still have this language in our policy.

Jeff Elstad gave an Administrative Report. This included Michelle Krell’s discussion of 10 new electives that will be offered next year. Two of those will be at OMS, including sign language and unified PE (combining special ed students with other students). The other 8 courses will be at OHS, including a fire fighter course 1 &2, Emergency Care, Web and Computer Animation, Husky Hut school store for young entrepreneurs, AP PreCalculus, Intro to Plants, and Human Performance (health and wellness based). I believe these new electives are great opportunities for our students! Mr. Elstad is also working with Riverland College to combine labs and work spaces for health science classes with OHS, there is a $1 million bond discussion and I’m not completely clear on how this will move forward yet. He is on the search committee for their new president as well.

Finally, there was a long list of gifts given to the district, from a sled donation to Wilson school, up to an $85,000 donation from the Thelma Rice Estate (which Mr. Elstad explained will be discussed for best use of these funds). Many generous givers are in our community, thank you!

That wraps up the meeting. The video recording should be available soon, check the district website! Moving forward, the work sessions (second Monday of each month) will now be held back at the district office. Anyone is still welcome to attend, but there is no public forum then. Please keep in touch!

As noted previously, I was not able to attend the board meeting on 1/9/2023 but have made some notes in the Decision Updates tab. This week, a family brought to my attention the recent ruling for future teacher licensure. Here is the link to an article through the Child Protection League and another link from the MN Professional Educator and Licensing Standard Board. Remember that parents can opt out of curriculum that they don’t approve of by using the Opt Out Form included.

https://mn.gov/pelsb/board/rulemaking/licensing-academic-standards/

ALERT: Most CRT Teacher Licensing Standards APPROVED

OPT OUT FORM https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:82e0be5a-0026-33ab-af55-d75727b3d569

This next article came to parents recently with an update on Equity in our schools. As I listened and understood what Matt Berg-Wall was stating, it seemed to me that we could just as easily say “equality” instead of “equity.” I don’t think anyone would argue that our students should have fair and equal treatment, and access to public education. However, the true definition of equity states that there are equal outcomes for students, which is confusing! If the goal is complete and true equity, then our students come out equal at the end, with no consequences and no rewards, there is no motivation to work hard and achieve success. I’m thankful that our district still rewards students for high academic scores, successes in sports, and talents they bring into our schools. This helps our students to set goals and work hard, and ultimately sets them up to be successful in life beyond OHS!

/https://www.youtube.com/embed/_tqofywUrC8?autoplay=1

I am looking forward to my first official board meeting January 23, 2023!

Happy snow day Owatonna! Please stay safe if you have to drive or go outside today. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend my first ever board meeting which is scheduled for January 9, 2023. Due to unexpected circumstances that I cannot change, I have to miss the first meeting. However, I will be reviewing the meeting agenda and video and will update this blog next week. I fully expect to be attending the meeting on January 23 and if I understand things correctly, there will be a small ceremony to formally induct me onto the school board! Looking forward to many more posts and developing new relationships and friendships. Take care and God bless!

Welcome to my new blog! As a new school board member, my goal is to improve communication between the school board and members of the Owatonna community. I plan to use this site to summarize board meetings, document school board decisions and voting, and provide news articles from around Minnesota and other states in order to inform our community about events occurring in schools that could affect our district. My goal for this site is to be informative while always being respectful, honest, and kind.