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District support remains among Bettendorf parents in wake of petition to remove superintendent

Quad City Times - 7/20/2022

Jul. 19—Support for the superintendent of Bettendorf schools has not vanished, despite recent efforts by some to oust her.

The school board last week reviewed a petition bearing about 1,200 signatures that sought to remove Michelle Morse.

In response to the petition, one Bettendorf parent is asking others now to focus on what they have in common, rather than their disagreements.

"If these parents really do care about all students, teachers and the climate within the schools like they say they do, they can somehow find common ground and we can all move forward and stop trying to pick apart ways that divide everyone," Andrea Proksch said. "If everyone really cares that much about the students, this isn't the way to go about it."

The petition was titled Save our Schools and was circulated by a group of parents and community members calling themselves Bettendorf Parents United. It cited complaints about Morse's leadership, the departure of district administration and staff and stated Morse has, "completely failed in her legal duties to provide a safe learning environment for all students and staff."

It followed considerable complaints about conduct problems and disciplinary responses that have been on the rise at the middle and high schools.

The board unanimously voted to decline moving forward on the petition after it was ruled invalid by District Counsel Wendy Meyer, as the electronic signatures could not be verified as district voters and because the petition's request conflicted with Iowa Code section 279.

Proksch, who has four children in the district, first saw the petition circulating on Facebook.

"My initial reaction was 'I'm not sure what purpose this has to serve,'" she said. "I opened it up and looked through and it seemed to be the parents who were fighting the rules put in place during COVID, and now they were saying 'Why aren't you enforcing rules?' So it seemed a little hypocritical."

Amy Swearingen's kids have graduated from the district, but she's kept tabs on school news due to her background in education. She said she knows many parents who support Morse.

"I just think they don't want to come forward due to the political climate in the district," she said. "I feel like we need to be supportive as community members; that's what attracts families to come to the district."

Proksch said she didn't think the petition would pass as valid after seeing that many of the online petitioners were not from the Bettendorf community.

"I knew signatures had to be from the community for it to be valid," she said. "A lot of the comments were 'I don't live here, but,' — but these are people who it doesn't really concern."

Proksch said part of the current conflict between some parents and the district started with COVID-19, specifically, the board's mitigation efforts. This came up during the meeting's public communication session Thursday.

"It sounds like you're all aware of the lack of discipline in the schools, which is surprising to everyone because you all proved you could execute military discipline during COVID. One-hundred percent compliance with every restriction, but now, there's nothing you can do?" community member Matt Shaw said. "If only we had some experience implementing strict discipline that would modify behavior to a compliance level that was expected. Sounds like you had a year and a half experience."

Shaw said the district should focus its energy on "real world things" and execute similar disciplinary haste on student behavior.

"Forcing masks on kids isn't what any teacher or parent signed up for, but you guys somehow had that down to a science. It's unbelievable," he said. "Apply it to the real things in school that matter — not perpetuating the panic over breathing through a cloth. Put that into practice. You've proven you can do it. Just apply it to what parents truly expect for all the kids there."

Though Proksch doesn't have kids in middle or high school yet, she has personal ties to the topic of behavioral conduct.

"I do have a child that has a behavior plan, and that seems to be their focus of the children that need to be held accountable. That's why it's personal to me," she said. "We already have enough that we're trying to maneuver through school. It just seems like some want to pick a group to blame things on."

After the legal department and the board reviewed and declined the petition Thursday, Proksch said it was "unfortunate" that time and resources were spent on the process.

"I was happy that hopefully now it's being shut down, but so much time, effort and money was wasted on everyone's part on something that wasn't really going to move forward," she said.

Jeanice Goldsberry, a grandmother in the district, said she knew of parents looking to move out of the district in response to its perceived lack of disciplinary action.

"My grandson is going into fourth grade. If things don't change by middle school, I'm going to have to encourage my daughter to move out of this district for his safety and for his education," she said Thursday, addressing the board. "I know people who are selling their houses to leave this district because of what this administration and this board have allowed to happen to our schools."

Proksch, however, made a choice to return to the district after open-enrolling her kids in a Connections Academy online program last school year.

"I wouldn't bring my kids back if I felt it was terrible," she said. "We think it's a good district and we've had good experiences here. When we were there for Dr. Morse's first year, we had good experiences with her. I think she's trying her best and we all need to move together and help this process."

Proksch said it's important to recognize that Bettendorf, like all districts, faced problems well before Morse's term.

"I think that part gets overlooked and she was expected to come in and clean everything up," Proksh said. "You can't clean something up in five minutes that took five years to create. Changing leadership isn't going to fix that because you have someone coming in from ground zero."

She feels if more people gave Morse and the district time, they'd start seeing and recognizing their improvements.

"I don't always agree with everything Dr. Morse does ... you're never going to fully agree with anyone on everything. But she came in during a time that would have been difficult for anyone, and I feel like she's really tried putting things in place to move things forward and find better outcomes," Proksh said.

Swearingen seconds this.

"I think she and the board are responding, making sure we have solutions in place that are long-term and not reactionary," she said.

Morse was one of 10 superintendents selected by the Iowa Department of Education (IDOE) to serve on the 2022-2023 Superintendent Advisory Council.

"Obviously the IDOE thinks she's doing a good job, so I just don't understand the goal of having her removed," Proksh said.

Swearingen said the priority should be moving forward.

"This is an exciting time," she said. "We are not alone. Nationwide, statewide and locally, we're all trying to do that. I think Morse is really trying to build that foundation for us."

The Bettendorf Parents United group organizers did not wish to go on record in response to specific questions about the petition but did say that their main concern is this: "The school board is deflecting and looking for loopholes to avoid addressing the superintendent's failed leadership head on."

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