Iowa City Community School Board candidates discussed issues surrounding staff safety in schools and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, protocols, at a public forum hosted by the Johnson County League of Women Voters at the Iowa City Senior Center on Wednesday.
Candidates answered questions submitted by attendees and shared their opinions and insight on these different policy issues.
There are five candidates running for three seats in the upcoming Nov. 4 election. Out of the five candidates running, four were in attendance at the forum. Ruthina Malone, current ICCSD school board president, was unable to attend, due to illness, according to the moderator of the event.
Candidates present at the forum included Jennifer Horn-Frasier, Dan Stevenson, Jayne Finch, and David Noerper.
ICE protocols
Concern has heightened around the presence of ICE in Iowa City after the arrest of Jorge Elieser Gonzalez Ochoa at Bread Garden Market in Iowa City on Sep. 25. Since then, the public has voiced concerns over the threat of ICE entering schools in the district.
On Jan. 20, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security made a change to their previous policy on police access in schools. The new rule allows for ICE to enter schools and removes previous guidelines stopping ICE from going into “sensitive locations” like churches and school buildings.
Horn-Fraiser, a former educator in the district, emphasized the importance of open communication with staff regarding procedural knowledge.
“All staff in a building should be very clear on what should and can be done in the event that there is some attempt by ICE to enter a school,” Horn-Frasier said. “It’s a tricky situation.”
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David Noerper has been an Iowa City resident for 18 years, and also has a background in education as a science teacher, working with diverse groups of students including special education and refugee students. Noerper said he supported the district for their handling of the issue, and said it is important to respect law enforcement.
“These people are not playing games, and we need to be respectful of all parties involved,” Noerper said. “I know that our administration has already addressed this issue, and from what I have heard they have been very thorough in their directions.”
Teacher safety
The safety and wellbeing of teachers was also brought up as a concern from attendees at the forum. In a recent school board meeting, Aspen Lohman, an elementary school teacher of 29 years, gave a statement to the board about how she recently made the decision to leave the district after experiencing three separate assaults by students in her classroom
“[The district] not only didn’t support me, but attempted to sweep my issue under the rug. I was made to feel like the assaults were my fault,” Lohman’s statement said.
Dan Stevenson, an educator who has taught in the West Liberty school district for 18 years, said administration plays a role in the issue of keeping staff safe. Stevenson has served as the West Liberty teacher’s union president for the last seven years.
“A big part of that is from the district’s comprehensive behavior approach, and as a district we are focused on resources and giving students the support they need,” Stevenson said. “When issues do arise, the need for administration response is incredibly important.”
Jayne Finch, ICCSD school board member, is running for re-election. She is a physician’s assistant, and has chaired the ICCSD Equity Advisory Committee.
Finch advocated for transparency from staff.
“The board is not getting reports on violence against teachers. That is something we need to be getting information on, and we need to make sure that our teachers are aware of all of the channels of reporting,” Finch said.