What's New at Dubuque Community Schools

Thomas Jefferson Middle School Student Abigail Schmitt is among three students in the state awarded scholarships from the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation (IALF) and funded by the Iowa Pork Producers Association to support student research of pork and swine.

Abigail Schmitt

Schmitt was awarded $400 to support her research and present her work at one of the four science fairs and symposiums hosted in Iowa. A sixth-grader at Jefferson, she is researching animal behavior and moving pigs efficiently. Schmitt will research safe and proper ways to move pigs from one facility to another. She will study animal behavior to get an understanding of what triggers pigs to move and the best practices to direct pigs in a safe manner. Through this research she hopes to create a new system to move pigs on the farm.

Two other scholarships were awarded by IALF – one to senior Silvia Poor from Des Moines Public Schools and one to the team of Brody Moeller and Ward Fraise, both seventh-graders at Central Lee Middle School in Donnellson.

Jefferson Middle School sixth-grader Abigail Schmitt (right) celebrates her recent scholarship award with her teacher Mrs. Emily Canfield.

“We are excited to support these students,” said Joyce Hoppes of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. “Good science helps propel responsible pork production forward. As the nation’s top pork-producing state, it’s in every Iowan’s interest to keep pork and pork by-products as an important part of farming and the food supply.”

Students will compete with their research projects at one of the science fairs and symposiums hosted in Iowa including: the Junior Science & Humanities Symposium (March 2-3, 2021 in Iowa City); the Western Iowa Science and Engineering Fair (March 5-20, 2021 virtually); the Eastern Iowa Science and Engineering Fair (March 8-20, 2021 virtually); or the State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa (March 26-27, 2021 in Ames).

On Thursday, Feb. 4, the Dubuque Community School District is implementing its inclement weather meal delivery plan.

No-cost meal service will be available at four Grab n’ Go meal sites to any individual 18 or under (with no infant formula or food served), regardless of whether or not they are enrolled in a district school:

• Fulton Elementary School (located in the bus drive up lane): 11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
• Prescott Elementary School (located in the bus drive up lane): 11-11:30 a.m.
• Washington Middle School (located at the south side main building entrance): 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
• Hempstead High School (located next to the softball fields): 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

All “Grab n’ Go” meal bags will consist of a breakfast meal and a lunch meal that meets USDA meal guidelines.

Dubuque, Iowa – Hempstead High School has earned the College Board AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science A. Schools honored with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have expanded girls’ access in AP Computer Science courses.

Out of the 20,000 institutions that offer AP courses, 1,119 achieved either 50% or higher female representation in one of the two AP computer science courses or a percentage of the female computer science examinees meeting or exceeding that of the school’s female population during the 2019-20 school year. That’s nearly 37% more than the 818 schools recognized last year. In 2020, Hempstead was one of 232 recognized in the category of AP Computer Science A. Hempstead is the only Iowa school recognized in the Computer Science A category.

“As a school, and as a district, we are dedicated to breaking down barriers for all students – real or perceived – to help them discover the opportunities in front of them,” said Lee Kolker, principal of Hempstead High School. “We are proud to receive this recognition while knowing that our continued work in this area is important.”

Read More about “Hempstead High School Earns AP® ‘Computer Science A’ Female Diversity Award”

As we prepare for the return to fully-in person instruction, we are hoping to answer some common questions from families to assist in making the choice of which learning model to select moving forward.

In order to provide the time to make an informed decision, we are EXTENDING the deadline for those wishing to change learning models until THURSDAY, FEB. 4.

REMINDER: For planning purposes, we are assuming that students in the hybrid model will move to fully in-person learning, and students in the fully online model will remain in that learning option.

IF YOU PLAN TO STAY IN THE LEARNING MODEL AS NOTED ABOVE, NO ADDITIONAL ACTION IS NECESSARY.

If you wish to make a change to your learning model, COMPLETE THE FORM IN PARENTSQUARE.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Below are some of the most commonly asked questions regarding the return to fully in-person instruction.

VIEW THE COMPLETE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE

How will social distancing work in school?

While social distancing in classrooms, lunchrooms, buses and other common spaces will be reduced with students returning to fully in-person learning, we are working to reconfigure and maximize our learning spaces to provide distancing to the extent possible.

What happens if an individual in a school exhibits symptoms, is awaiting test results, or tests positive for COVID-19?

Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, Iowa Department of Public Health and Dubuque County Public Health Department:

• Individuals with ANY high risk COVID-19 symptom or TWO OR MORE low risk COVID-19 symptoms should stay home and contact a healthcare provider.
  • If the individual receives an alternative diagnosis by a licensed medical healthcare provider, they will be asked to provide documentation of the diagnosis to the school.
  • If the individual does not receive an evaluation by a licensed medical healthcare provider, they will be instructed to self-isolate for 10 calendar days following the onset of symptoms.
• Individuals who have been tested for COVID-19 should stay home while awaiting test results.
• Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will be instructed to self-isolate for 10 calendar days following the onset of symptoms OR 10 calendar days from the date the positive test was administered if the individual is asymptomatic.

For more information, including the district’s COVID-19 Response Protocol and a guide to how the number of quarantine or isolation days are calculated, visit www.dbqschools.org/return-to-learn.

If there is a positive case at school, who will be notified and who will be required to quarantine for 10-days?

Per guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health:

• Individuals who are exposed to a positive case with both parties wearing a face mask will be instructed to monitor for symptoms for 10 calendar days after last exposure to positive case. If symptoms develop within the 10 days, individuals should stay home and contact a healthcare provider. Parents/guardians will receive an email notification including the date of exposure and instructions on monitoring for symptoms.
• Individuals who are exposed to a positive case with one or both parties not wearing a face mask will be instructed to self-quarantine at home for 10 calendar days after last exposure to positive case. Parents/guardians will receive a phone notification including the date of exposure and instructions on quarantining.

For more information, including the district’s COVID-19 Response Protocol and a guide to how the number of quarantine or isolation days are calculated, visit www.dbqschools.org/return-to-learn.

Will school bus transportation change from how it is currently operating in the hybrid model?

Yes. Social distancing will be most impacted depending on the number of students riding each day. All other mitigation strategies will remain in place, including:

• All buses will be sanitized daily.
• Students will be required to wear face masks while on the school bus.
• Sanitizer will be available for students upon boarding.
• Seats will be assigned.
• Based on the recommendation of public health experts, windows will be down following the district’s temperature and weather guidelines to increase ventilation.

As always, families may choose to arrange their own transportation to and from school at any time.

How will meal service work?

Many of the protocols used during lunch in the hybrid model will continue to be in place when we transition to fully in-person learning, with a focus on maximizing our spaces to the extent possible.

• Space for cafeteria lines will be maximized to allow for as much social distancing as possible.
• The number of serving lines will be increased to reduce the number of students using each line, as needed.
• Additional common spaces will be utilized for lunch to reduce the number of students in one area as possible, if needed.
• Students will continue to wear masks in the serving lines and when not seated at their table.

In addition to these practices, seats in dining areas will be consistent from day to day. Seats will be assigned to ELEMENTARY and MIDDLE SCHOOL students, and self-selected by HIGH SCHOOL students.

• Seating in dining areas will be structured in a way that maximizes social distancing, and seating at tables will be limited as follows:
  • A maximum of six (6) students at a 12-foot rectangular tablE
  • A maximum of five (5) students at a 10-foot rectangular table
  • A maximum of four (4) students at a round table.

My child already knows their teacher, will that change?

Students moving from the fully online model to the fully in-person model will be assigned a teacher at their home school. While our goal is to maintain consistency in teacher assignments for both learning models, there may be some students who are reassigned teachers as part of our efforts to reduce class sizes and maintain social distancing to the extent possible.

Last night, both chambers of the Iowa Legislature passed a bill requiring schools to return to fully in-person instruction on Monday, Feb. 15, and this morning the Governor signed the bill into law. Given this, we are moving forward with plans to resume fully in-person instruction on that day. As you know, we have been actively planning for this transition.

SAFETY MEASURES

As a district, we remain committed to providing the safest possible environment for our students and staff. We will maintain many of the significant mitigation efforts that have been in place throughout the school year, including:

• Consistent and correct use of masks
• Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette
• Cleaning and disinfection
• Contact tracing in collaboration with local health department

Our ability to maintain one of our other key strategies – social distancing – will be most impacted by a required move to fully in-person learning. While we will continue to maximize our spaces and provide social distancing to the extent possible, it is important to know that our ability to do so will be greatly reduced when students return to school daily. This includes classroom setups, lunch configurations, and while on school buses, among others.

With social distancing ability reduced, our collective diligence in maintaining the safety measures listed above will be essential in our continued mitigation efforts.

LEARNING OPTIONS

With the move to fully in-person learning, the district will discontinue its hybrid learning option. Beginning February 15, the district will offer two learning options for the remainder of this school year:

• Fully Online
• Fully In-Person

IMPORTANT NOTE: For planning purposes, we are assuming that students in the hybrid model will move to fully in-person learning, and students in the fully online model will remain in that learning option.

IF YOU PLAN TO STAY IN THE LEARNING MODEL AS NOTED ABOVE, NO ADDITIONAL ACTION IS NECESSARY.

If you wish to move from fully in-person (previously hybrid) to fully online, or from fully online to fully in-person learning, COMPLETE OUR LEARNING TRANSITION REQUEST FORM NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, FEB. 3.

As we move forward, the safety of our students and staff remains at the forefront of our decision making and we will work hard to make the transition as seamless as possible.

The Iowa Legislature is currently debating proposed legislation that would create a school voucher program in Iowa (being referred to in the bill as Student First Scholarships).

The bill may be debated in the senate in the next few days and could move to the house sometime next week. Now is the time for action.

If passed, this fund would siphon dollars from the state’s already underfunded public schools and would further create a system in which the playing field is not level for all PreK-12 educational institutions.

The Dubuque Community School District strongly opposes this legislation and we hope you will consider advocating in opposition to it as well.

KEY TALKING POINTS

• Student First Scholarships are the wrong public policy for Iowa and an inappropriate use of public tax dollars.
• Parents should have the choice to enroll their child in a private or religious school, but not with public taxpayer funds.
• Use public dollars for public schools, period. The public’s investment should be used to support public community schools which are open to all students regardless of race, religion, gender, socio-economic status and disability. These same expectations do not exist for private educational institutions in our state.
• This bill allows for outside entities and private organizations to charter a school in our district, without consent of our locally elected School Board. The charter school is then given freedom from regulations that our school district must follow. Why not instead give our public schools flexibility and funding to be innovative?
• Public funds require public accountability and transparency. Public schools are overseen by a publicly elected citizen governing board, are required to report academic results to the general public, have an annual public financial audit, and are transparent with all expenditures and decision-making. Private and religious schools are not held to that same public standard. Taxpayers have a right to know how their funds are being used, but are left in the dark about the use and impact of voucher funds.
• A slippery slope toward a costly and expansive voucher program: This voucher program may start small, but as we’ve seen in other states, once a program is established, it is easy to expand. This will pull more resources away from public schools.

View the Iowa Association of School Boards Vouchers Toolkit for additional information and tips for advocating in opposition of school vouchers.

CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR

The following legislators represent areas served by the Dubuque Community School District. For a complete directory of legislators, view the FIND YOUR LEGISLATOR tool on the Iowa Legislature website.

• Sen. Carrie Koelker, Iowa Senate District 29
• Sen. Pam Jochum, Iowa Senate District 89
• Rep. Lindsay James, Iowa House District 99
• Rep. Steven Bradley, Iowa House District 58
• Rep. Chuck Isenhart, Iowa House District 100
• Rep. Shannon Lundgren, Iowa House District 57

You can also register your opposition with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.

On Tuesday, Jan. 26, the Dubuque Community School District is implementing its inclement weather meal delivery plan.

No-cost meal service will be available at four Grab n’ Go meal sites to any individual 18 or under (with no infant formula or food served), regardless of whether or not they are enrolled in a district school:

• Fulton Elementary School (located in the bus drive up lane): 11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
• Prescott Elementary School (located in the bus drive up lane): 11-11:30 a.m.
• Washington Middle School (located at the south side main building entrance): 11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
• Hempstead High School (located next to the softball fields): 11-11:30 a.m.

All “Grab n’ Go” meal bags will consist of a breakfast meal and a lunch meal that meets USDA meal guidelines. Hot dogs are on the menu for today!

Last night, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds updated her Public Health Disaster Proclamation, which included modifications to the spectator guidelines for high school sports.

Social distancing requirements are still in place at high school events. Based on the latest update to the proclamation, the following spectator guidelines will be in place for district events effective immediately:

• Admission will still be limited based on available capacity, with students and families of participants receiving priority.
• There will be NO general admission tickets available to the general public.
• All spectators MUST have an approved wristband to acquire admission to the event.
• Masks are REQUIRED to be worn by spectators at all times
• All spectators should practice appropriate social distancing and abide by posted signage and directions from event staff.
• Individuals are asked to stay home if:
  • Exhibiting any symptoms of illness or have a temperature of 100.4 or above.
  • Awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test, have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past ten (10) days or have been a close contact to someone who has COVID-19 in the past ten (10) days.

Thank you for your continued support of our students as we work to keep our extracurricular activities as safe as possible!

Iakwe nan baamle ko an Dubuque Schools,

Jota in juje eo ilo Educational Programs Committee an School Board, Obtait in Rool-nan-Katak kon melele ko ikijeen ewāwein im knaat bunton ko an korool rijikuul in hybrid nan fully in-person emaron bok jikin.

Elukun aurok nan jola ke ejanin wor alikar kon kōm̧akūt in, ejelok jejet in knaat eo, im ejanin wor alikar in bebe kain.

Ne ewor naan kwoj ron nu ial kon menin, rej jab mol.

Ijelokin wot, kweilok eo ej nan bebe im etale bunton in kamakut tok jikuul nan fully in-person, im lale jot data ko ikijeen keej in COVID iloan tijtrik in ilo jikuul io in, bareinwot jot melele ko ikijeen katak im progress ko an hybrid ien in jen io eo lak.

Kweilok ne ilo Mandre, Jan.11, Board eo enaaj wonmanlok kon lomnak im bebe ko-im, enwot juon public school district, melele ko renaaj bok jikier ilo kweilok ne an publik board. Mokta jen kweilok ne Mande, kom naaj wonmanlok im kakobabaiki tok data ko nan kenono kaki.

Alooje kweilok ne ilo channel 117.6 ak 16 an Mediacom, im zoom link eo nan alooje kweilok ne enaaj walok ilo webpaij e an tijtrik ilo jemlok in wiik.

Mene emaron ak emaron ejelok makitkit ko etobrak ilo kweilok ne nan komani bunton ko elik, botaab elukun aurok nan kenono kaki.

Ewor lomnak im melele ko kon rool nan katak fully in-person im ilo ad reimaanlak , elukun aurok nan kenono kaki lomnak kein nan ad maron kelet lomnak ko reman im jejet im m̧aanjāppopo jekron knaat im ien eo emaron.

Kommol kon support ko am nan rijikuul ro nejid ilo io in aban im ben.

Ilo kautiej,
Stan Rheingans
Superintendent an Jikuul ko

Dear Dubuque Schools Families,

On Tuesday night at the Educational Programs Committee of the School Board, the Return-to-Learn Update included some discussion about how and when a return of hybrid students to fully in-person instruction may be possible.

Most important to note is that there were no recommendations of when such a move would occur, no specific timeframes outlined, and no decisions made.

If you hear rumors to the contrary, they are untrue.

Instead, the meeting included discussion of the many factors and considerations involved in making a move to fully in-person instruction, and a look at some additional data such as the active cases of COVID in the district over the course of the school year, as well as some very preliminary information about the academic progression of our hybrid students compared to last year.

At its meeting on Monday, Jan. 11, the Board will continue its discussion — and, as a public school district, that conversation will occur during a public Board meeting. In advance of Monday’s meeting, we also continue to collect additional data to aid the discussion.

This meeting will be broadcast on Mediacom Channel 117.6 or 16, and view the Zoom link on the School Board webpage. 

There may or may not be action taken at the meeting regarding next steps, however it is important that the conversation occurs.

There are many perspectives and opinions regarding when to move back to fully in-person learning and as we look into the future, it is important for us to have these discussions so that we can take the many considerations before us into account and be fully prepared for a move whenever it is possible.

Thankful for your continued support of our students during this challenging year.

Sincerely,
Stan Rheingans
Superintendent of Schools