Update: April 6, 2023 - Return to Regular Locations

Hello, 

 

I am pleased to announce that all classrooms impacted by our mechanical fire and smoke damage are ready for our return.  All classrooms and students will return to their normal locations on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.

 

We appreciate your understanding and assistance over the past week and a half.  Your efforts helped minimize disruptions to our students learning opportunities!

 

I also want to thank our staff effectively created normalcy in an adverse situation!  Thank you and Great Job!

 

Respectfully,

 

Mr. Darin Jones

Superintendent

AHSTW Community School District

Update April 5, 2023: AHSTW Community School District 2023 Renovation and Addition Project

Hello everyone,

 

AHSTW Community School District is excited to announce that our 2023 Building and Renovation project is set to begin as bids have been accepted and contracts are being signed.  The project has taken us time to finalize, but we are extremely excited to begin moving forward this spring.

 

The initial design estimated our project cost to be $12,900,000.00.  This cost was brought to our communities through a referendum vote in the fall of 2021.  We were extremely thankful the support as the referendum passed allowing us to engage in and finalize the full design process.

 

The process allowed us the opportunity to add five new classrooms on the west side of our high school facility to help us relocate our Industrial Technology, Family and Consumer Science, Agriculture, Business Education, and High School Music and Band classrooms.  The new construction also allows for the renovation of the interior sections of the high school creating five new classroom spaces along with office space for our high school and intermediate guidance counselors, as well as our instructional coaches from our teacher leadership program.

 

In addition to the above projects, AHSTW Community School District will install LED lighting throughout our facility creating a cleaner more efficient light.  This includes our elementary and middle school sections of the  building.  Substantial renovations to our facility will also require us to upgrade our fire safety system and we will do so by installing a fire suppression system across the PK-12 facility.

 

As the design process concluded in January, we requested bids for project.  We understood material costs had increased since the inception of the project and we anticipated a potential increase in overall costs.  The anticipated increases were realized after bid submission.  At that time, we evaluated our options moving forward and decided to reject bids associated with portions of the project and to rebid those sections with the electrical portion of the project, as no bids were received for electrical services.

 

Our second bidding session, in January and February, provided us time to review various funding mechanisms in the event costs remained over the $12,900,000.00 referendum.  In late February, the process concluded and we were able to realize a cost savings of nearly $750,000.00 from the first bidding process, but the total project remained over the original amount with the project now costing a little more than $16,000,000.00.

 

Due to our solid financial standing, AHSTW Community School District is able to support our project at the new amount and will do so with the support of Physical Plant and Equipment Levy [PPEL].  Please know the use of the PPEL funds will not impact our tax rate at all, as the levy amount of $1.00 / thousand dollars of taxable valuation is already in place after the Voter Approved PPEL election during the 2020-2021 school year.

 

In the end, I am excited to share that the construction portion of the project is beginning and you will see physical signs soon!  

 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have on our building project and get ready for updates!

 

Mr. Darin Jones

Superintendent

AHSTW Community School District

Update: Saturday, April 1, 2023

 Update:  April 1, 2023

Well, the last week has been interesting to say the least.  After Tuesday night’s fire in one of our air exchange units there has been a lot happening at school and I hope the following sequence of events helps you understand our current reality and plan to move forward.

Tuesday, March 28: 

• An ERV unit started on fire causing extensive smoke damage in sections of our Early Childhood pod.
• We want to thank everyone who assisted in minimizing the event and limiting any damages to only smoke.  We are fortunate that no structural or water damage occurred to our facility.

Wednesday, March 29:

• ServiceMaster arrived on scene around 12:45 AM on Wednesday morning.  Air mitigation units were brought in to begin cleaning the air and reducing the smell of smoke in the Early Childhood section of our building.
• AHSTW cancelled school on Wednesday to begin understanding the situation and to provide access to any groups assisting in clean up or review.
• We also needed time to determine how we might be able to plan for upcoming days.
• It was determined that we would be able to hold school in all sections of our building other than the early childhood pod.  
• We also determined that an extended amount of cleaning would be needed in the impacted area and AHSTW staff would not have access to their area and classrooms on Wednesday.
• This realization led us to cancel school on Thursday and Friday for grades PK, TK, and Kindergarten.
• We also determined that the amount of cleaning needed for a safe return to the building would require us to find alternate locations for learning in the future.
• Kindergarten will be held in the AEA Building near Casey’s.
• TK and PK will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Avoca.

Thursday, March 30 & Friday, March 31:

• Cancelling school allowed AHSTW staff members to meet with representatives from ServiceMaster and our insurance company to better understand the amount of cleaning needed before a return is allowed.
• Findings:
• Ceiling tiles were removed from the most impacted classrooms. 
• It was later determined that all ceiling tiles would need to be removed from the early childhood pod. [This was completed on Saturday morning.]
• Our building has ductwork wrapped in insulation and it was determined that the insulation would need to be removed and ductwork rewrapped. [This will be in the upcoming week.]
• Classroom items would need to be discarded in highly impacted areas and then also from other classrooms in the area to an extent.
• Paper [Student journals, classroom books, wall charts that students would be able to touch, and even laminated papers that may hold and odor overtime needed to be evaluated and potentially discarded.]
• Small toys such as Legos, math manipulative, etc… were also removed from classrooms.
• Other items were recommended to be discarded based on the ability to be fully mitigated for smell or due the fact that debris from the smoke may not be able to be completed removed.
• Crayons, markers, pencils were also discarded.
• It is also recommended that student water bottles and headphones were are to be removed.  
• Contact with families will be made and each family will be able to come pick personal items up to discard at home or clean reuse based on personal choice.
• Thursday and Friday were difficult days for our EC staff, as many items that had been created or personally purchased, over what I am sure is over 200 years of teaching experience, were thrown away.  I cannot express how hard this was!
• Inventories of items to be thrown away were required to assist in knowing our total loss and what purchases will be needed in the future.
• On Friday, staff members also began to look at our alternate areas in attempt to begin making it home to our students while it is necessary to be away.

Saturday, April 1 and future:

With all of that said, there is still work to do!  

• ServiceMaster will continue to clean classrooms.  This includes washing walls, carpets, and ceiling grids.
• Our ductwork will be cleaned over the weekend.
• The air quality of the impacted areas will be checked to help us determine when a safe return is allowed.
• The insulation on wrapped ductwork will be removed and replaced.

We hope this work will be completed in an efficient manner allowing for a return to classrooms, as soon as possible.

I end today by expressing my gratitude for our EC staff who are working diligently for a return to school through a tremendous amount of adversity.  They are doing a wonderful job!

Respectfully,

Mr. Darin Jones

Superintendent

AHSTW Community School District

Update: March 29, 2023

 Update:  March 29, 2023

Progress has been made in our return from our most recent disruption in learning, but I do need to share that our Pre-school, Transitional Kindergarten, and Kindergarten classrooms will not be ready for class this week.  We are currently making plans to provide classes beginning on Monday, April 3, 2023 for students in these grades.  The delay is due to the fact that our EC staff members do not have access to their rooms at this time.  This means they are not able to gather materials for instruction or gather student supplies.  However, we will gain access over the next two days making a Monday return possible.

With that said, AHSTW Community School District will be in session on Thursday, March 30 and Friday, March 31 for students in grades 1 – 12 on our regular schedule, with classes resuming for our early childhood classrooms on Monday, April 3, 2023 at alternate locations.  

A detailed plan discussing our EC classrooms locations and schedules will be shared by Mrs. Kock tomorrow or Friday.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation,

Mr. Darin Jones

Superintendent

AHSTW Community School District 

***Information regarding updates will also be posted at:  https://darinjones-updates.blogspot.com/ ***

Update: Events of March 28, 2023

 Hello,

On Tuesday evening around 9:00 PM, I received a phone call indicating our fire alarm system was sounding and that staff members saw smoke in the PK-TK-K pod.  This led to fire units being dispatched from both Avoca and Walnut.

Once on scene it was determined that a rooftop air handling unit appeared to have overheated and ignited filters in the unit causing smoke to move through our early childhood pod.  The smoke also left a small amount of soot on tables, chairs, and other classroom items in multiple classrooms.  

ServiceMaster arrived late Tuesday evening or early morning Wednesday to assess our facility and determine the necessary actions needed to appropriately clean and improve the overall air quality of the elementary section of our building.  Although cleaning has begun, it will not be finished in time for school.  At this time, we will cancel classes on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 to allow ServiceMaster the opportunity to complete a deep clean of classrooms and air ducts for a safe return.  

All after school activities for March 29, 2023 will be able to continue as scheduled.

The positive in this event is that there is no structural or water damage to our facility, classroom furniture, and materials in classrooms.  We are thankful for that and all of those who assisted us.

I do anticipate returning to school on Thursday, March 30, 2023 on a regular schedule, but I will share an update later Wednesday afternoon to confirm our Thursday schedule.

Respectfully,

Mr. Darin Jones

Community Night Rewind and Board Policy 804.5

 Hello everyone,

 

Recently,  AHSTW Community School District held an informational night for students, parents, and community members to learn more about the topics facing all of us in today’s society.  The information shared by Deputy Kava, Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, on internet and social media safety, and Mr. Deric Kidd, a public speaker from Carlisle, IA, on the topic of drug use, overdose and poisoning, helped us understand those challenges at a greater level in addition to the importance of recognizing warning signs to assist our students. For that, I am thankful.

 

Although, Mr. Kidd’s message shared the unfortunate and tragic consequences of drug use, he also talked about the ‘Why of Drug Use’ and how our understanding of the ‘Why’ can assist us in helping the youth of our five communities in their efforts to resist substances.  The following items are examples of the ‘Why’.

 

Reasons to begin experimentation
·       Anxiety / Depression	·       Inclusion into friend groups
·       Trauma	·       Bullying
·       Peer Pressure	·       Surgery/Pain
·       Boredom	·       Experimentation
·       Grief	·       Social Media

 

We hope that by sharing the concepts above we all become more aware situations that may encourage experimentation in order to become more proactive in assisting each other, both young and old.  

 

Fortunately, additional steps are being taken to protect students across the State of Iowa.  The first protections are coming through the development of an app to assist individuals in asking for help or reporting events or potential actions in which friends are at-risk. The hotline will hopefully be shared prior to the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

 

The Iowa State House of Representatives and Iowa Senate during last year’s legislative session determined health risks for students to be at a risk level high enough to provide Iowa School Districts with the ability to purchase and stock certain medications in our health offices.  One such medication is the opioid antagonist, Narcan.  Narcan is a medication designed to counteract the symptoms of drug overdose or drug poisoning.  This is a step that no one believed would ever be necessary.  However, the legislative action did provide us and the AHSTW Board of Education the ability to discuss, modify, and adopt an updated version of Board Policy 804.5, which we did with the hope the medications would never be needed.  In addition to Narcan, the policy also provides districts with the ability to purchase and stock epinephrine and bronchodilators for the health and safety of our students.

 

We understand you may have questions on the topics associated with this letter and welcome any conversations on the topics.  So, please feel free to contact Mrs. Lane, Mrs. Kock, Mrs. Rold, Mr. Embrock or myself with those questions at 712-343-6364.

 

Respectfully,

 

Mr. Darin Jones

Superintendent

AHSTW Community School District

AHSTW CSD Buildings Are Proactive and Safe with Radon

 AHSTW CSD Schools Are Proactive and Safe with Radon

 

Recently, AHSTW Community School District completed the process of testing our building(s) for radon. We recently received good news: Our test results came back below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) advised radon action level of 4.0 pCi/L. This means we now have peace of mind that our students, staff and community are learning in spaces that are as safe as possible from radon.

What is radon and why does it matter? Radon gas cannot be seen, smelled or tasted, and moves upward through cracks and other openings in the foundations of buildings from the soil under a building. In the United States, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers.

The State of Iowa requires radon testing at least once every 5 years for all Iowa public school attendance centers, licensed preschools and licensed child care centers.

To learn how to accurately do the initial radon testing ourselves, we saved taxpayer dollars by receiving training from the School Radon Training & Support System facilitated by Energy Association of Iowa Schools (EAIS). If we would have found elevated radon in our school, EAIS would have coached us through the process of fixing it. EAIS also helped us proactively place our school building on a multi-year rotating radon test schedule so we can continue to ensure radon safety in the future.

For most students and staff, research suggests that schools are actually the second largest contributor to radon exposure. The home is likely to be the most significant source of radon exposure. Please test your home for radon and if necessary, take action to reduce the risk of lung cancer by reducing elevated radon concentrations. 

If you have questions regarding radon testing for AHSTW Community School District, please feel free to contact Mr. Darin Jones, Superintendent, at 712 -343-6364. More information regarding residential radon testing can be found at www.epa.gov/radon.

Respectfully,

 

Mr. Darin Jones

Superintendent

AHSTW Community School District