It was a crowded meeting at Two Harbors High School the evening of February 10th. After approving the agenda, a moment was taken to cover the school’s Staff Spotlight focus on the maintenance staff, steadfastly working to keep the grounds safe and clean for all. A bulletin board located in the main office showcases those in the Spotlight with positive posters and quotes. This was followed by one of the two parties scheduled for the open forum slot, Girl Scout Troop 4240. The troop requested greater availability of menstrual products at both Two Harbors High School and Minnehaha Elementary. Currently, students who are in need of menstrual products need to go to the nurse, an arduous and potentially embarrassing process for such essential items commonly used by about half the population. The troop noted that Minnesota Statute 121A.212 states that school districts “must provide students with access to menstrual products at no charge[…] in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12.” To smooth the way for this update, the troop is willing to help develop a plan with the district, as well as pay for four dispensers for Two Harbors High School and two dispensers for Minnehaha.
The Board approved seeking additional funding for the construction of the new Northern Lights Academy Facility, as well as hiring an assistant golf coach for Silver Bay’s student athletes so they won’t have to bus down to Two Harbors for practice. Two Harbors currently has a head golf coach and a volunteer assistant golf coach.
Superintendent Kleive covered the upcoming retirement of Steve Wasko, highlighting his popularity with students both while working in the arts and coaching. He will be retiring as of June 5th and will be greatly missed.
The second open forum participant, Amy Jordahl, arrived shortly after. Her message to the Board was clear: Make a better plan to protect children in the school district from possible harm by fellow students, because the current methods are insufficient. “Quite frankly, I feel like the reaction that we get [to handling potentially dangerous students] is stonewall. One of defense,” she said. She spoke with measurable distress about her child receiving multiple verbal threats from another student involving shooting and stabbing and the district’s lack of a follow-up leading to a situation that could have been deadly but, with proper attention, could have been avoided entirely. Jordahl followed up by providing the Board with a packet documenting her research into possible improved methods to handle problem scenarios. “11 families reached out to me about why they left the district,” Jordahl said. “They left […] because of harassment and bullying.” She continued on to state that, in her opinion, “they left because there was lack of action, zero accountability, and consequences that are inconsistent.” In terms of improvements, she continued by asking for a plan that is “accountable, measurable, sustainable, and actionable.” Her request to get a new plan formally on the agenda was supported by Board member VanHouse: “I want this to happen,” he insisted. He suggested setting up a policy committee before the end of March to assess possible improvements to their current methods. “I’m only one-seventh of this board,” he commented, “but I think we’ve stuck our head in the sand on a lot of issues. […] Why are we taking six months to try and approach the safety of our children?” The Board voted unanimously to support the motion.
Reports from local schools were largely positive.
Minnehaha Elementary Principal Shane Johnson congratulated all 345 students at her school for each earning at least five “Caught You Being Good” coins, awarded through being “responsible, respectable, and safe”.
William Kelley Schools Principal Dan Johnson stated that interior construction work on the Silver Bay bus garage is going well, and work on the exterior will begin once winter conditions are over. They are also looking into more mechanical upgrades to improve failing equipment.
Two Harbors High School Principal Mike Emerson noted that many of the students using the school’s DECA program had qualified for state. DECA prepares students for entering many business-related fields, including marketing, hospitality/tourism, business management and administration, and finance. The school also congratulated its one-act play for taking first place in the Minnesota State High School League 7A Section Tournament.
Community Education Director Brett Archer mentioned issues with funding the Little Mariners Child Care Center, not surprising given that funding for childcare facilities was currently a common problem not only state-wide, but country-wide.
Superintendent Gina Kleive’s report was the final one of the session. She congratulated all for students posting significantly higher scores on benchmark testing for both literacy and math, but noted that absenteeism among staff was an ongoing issue. She also offered a follow-up to Amy Jordahl, stating that they were aware their current methods weren’t ideal, but that they had followed policies and were actively searching to make a better plan for problem students. “[It’s] important to me that we say what we do and we do what we say,” she stated firmly. “There isn’t anything more important than the safety of our students and staff.”
