By Carleen Wild
Moody County Enterprise
Sisters Tiffany and Terissa Taylor are grateful the Flandreau School Board voted to include their late brother Tobys name on a new memorial plaque for the schools main lobby.
But it still isnt quite the closure they were looking for.
The two attended the most recent school board meeting for Flandreau Public Schools. At issue was their late brother Tobys football number returning to the field this fall.
The family says that when Toby died, the football coach and several teammates told them his number would be retired.
Terissa, in particular, appealed to the district, saying the shock of seeing Tobys number in action again has retriggered a lot of trauma and mental health concerns. She still hoped that even if it was only for a defined time, his number might be retired.
District officials apologized previously for any misunderstanding and did so again Monday, October 14. However, board members emphasized that the school has never retired a number a practice uncommon in many schools.
Instead, the board clarified, it was Tobys jerseys the coach and team intended to retire and gift to the family.
Board member Morgan Kontz thanked the sisters for their courage in addressing the board.
I want you to know you are being heard, Kontz told Terissa. Regardless of any outcome thank you for coming, thank you for being vulnerable.
Kontz requested that the board revisit the issue and draft a clear policy should a similar situation arise in the future. She assured the Taylor family that they all want to do their best moving forward, for them and others.
Tobys mother, Becky Cramer, expressed the following after the school boards decision: I want the 2018/2019 football team to know how much it meant for them to give us Tobys jerseys. That act of kindness gave us something to hold onto when we felt we didnt have anything. It gave us a little bit of relief and a little bit of bright light during some of our absolute darkest days. We will be eternally grateful for them, letting us know that Toby mattered to them, too.
Also heard at the most recent meeting of the Flandreau Public School Board:
Megan Severtson presented information on her Instructional Coach position. She has been meeting with first year, or new to the district teachers, on a weekly basis. She said after the first nine weeks of school, they are settled in and eager to try new teaching ideas and techniques. Professional development sessions are also part of her job and so far this fall she has led three sessions with teachers.
Board members approved Avel eCare Crisis Care, a way to effectively respond to mental health calls. The program is already used by the Moody County Sheriffs Department for crisis care situations.
How it works using a tablet, school staff is able to call a crisis team who will talk to individuals and make assessments on what kind of further care a child might need.
A parent is called first and can be in the assessment if they choose, but the child has the option to say they would like to talk to a counselor without their parents.
Parents will need to either sign a form stating they give the district consent to use Avel eCare for their child, or opt out if they dont want this service.
This can be a time saving measure, School Resource Officer Gabe Frias told the board, adding that many times a parent cant be contacted right away to tell them their child is in crisis.
The service is free. The board was assured parents would be told about the call as soon as they can be contacted.
Elementary Principal Baylee Hemmer said kindergarten through sixth grade students have all completed Literacy Screenings. Elementary Title instructors, Susan Damm and Heather Oleson, are now working with the results and have set up intervention groups.
Its truly a team effort, and all staff have been committed to refining our literacy instruction, said Hemmer.
Supt Rick Weber had a note of appreciation for retired custodian and groundskeeper John Wiese as he returned to fill in for Dave Feske while he was on medical leave. Wiese mostly helped with grounds work on the football field.
The board hired Jennifer Harpestad as a paraprofessional.
The Department of Health inspected both school kitchens and gave the elementary a 100% rating and the high school a 99%.
SRO Frias was given approval to attend the National SRO Conference in July with the county sharing in that expense.
The surplus auction brought in $8,944.50.
The School Board earned an ALL Award from the ASBSD for board development, training and leadership during the 23-24 school year.
A change in date for the November board meeting to Wednesday, November 13 at 6:00 pm.
Leave a Reply