Category Archives: Schools

COVID-19, Fort Scott, Government, Schools

USD 234 Students Start Aug. 19: Masks Are Required

Leave a comment
Ted Hessong. Submitted photo.
This week USD 234 students will start school on August 19.
Today and tomorrow are professional development days for teachers, followed by a work/plan day on August 18.
There is mandatory wearing of masks guidelines in the district due to the recent surge in the COVID-19 virus in the county.
There are three new USD 234 Teachers hired in July and August:
Johnna Walls, who will teach 4th grade,  Justin Robinson who will teach middle school and high school band and Carlee Campbell-McCullough who will teach preschool.

Below are the USD 234 – Fort Scott School Operations Guidelines for school year 2021 – 2022, provided by Superintendent Ted Hessong:

Masking
● Mandatory masking of K-12 students and staff starting August 16th while indoors. USD 234 School Board reevaluate at monthly board meetings
● Federal order – masking on buses or other group modes of transportation
● Masks will be available for students and staff
Hygiene Measures
● Hand washing emphasis will continue
● Hand sanitizer will be available in all classrooms
● Social distancing (3 feet) when possible
● Cover coughs and sneezes
● STAY HOME WHEN FEELING ILL (2 or more symptoms)
○ 100.0 ℉ = Must be fever free w/o medication for 24 hours to
return to school
○ No attendance based incentives
● Signage will be present
Cleaning of Facilities
● Cleaning regimens and protocols are established
● Cleaning solutions that are rated to eliminate COVID will be used
● All classrooms and buses will have cleaning supplies
Contract Tracing and
Quarantines
● Contact tracing and quarantines will be done in cooperation with Bourbon County Health Department
○ Positive or symptomatic = 10 day isolation
○ Close Contact at school (3 feet more than 15 minutes)
■ High risk – unmitigated = 10 day quarantine
■ Low risk – mitigated = do not have to quarantine
● Staff and students who are vaccinated (must have proof) and
asymptomatic will not have to quarantine if they are a close contact.
Diagnostic Screening and Testing
● Screening and testing options are available to parents from the Bourbon County Health Department and Community Health Center. Over the counter COVID-19 test kits will not be accepted as valid.
Vaccinations to school communities
● Vaccination opportunities are available to students, parents, and staff from the Bourbon County Health Department, Community Health Center, Walmart, or Walgreens. CHC has vaccinations for students 12 years of age and older.
● Vaccinations were made available to all staff last Spring
Accommodations for children with disabilities
● Students with an IEP, 504 Plan, and other documented student supports will have all appropriate accommodations and supports made available to them.
Coordination with state and local officials
● USD 234 School Board will consider all state and local health guidance.
Continuity of Services
● Academic needs will be met through continued full-time, in-person
instruction. Summer learning opportunities were offered. Virtual learning opportunities are available.
● Social, emotional, and mental health needs will be met through social and emotional curriculum and counselors.
● Student health and food service needs will be available for all students. All students will have access to free breakfast and lunch daily as well as school nursing services.
● The USD 234 Operations Guidelines could be changed at any time, with school board approval, to ensure the safety of students and staff.
Updated: Aug 9, 2021
Fort Scott, Schools

Kansans Can Meeting This Evening

Leave a comment
JOIN US TONIGHT!
Education officials announce
Kansans Can Success tour coming to 50 locations & Fort Scott is on the list!
Everyone, including educators, parents, legislators, members of the business community, and members of the media are invited to attend!
MONDAY, AUGUST 16TH!
Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson and Deputy Commissioner Dr. Brad Neuenswander are conducting 50 community conversations.
The Kansas State Board of Education’s outcomes for measuring progress toward achieving that vision were also derived from information gathered during the tour. Outcomes include social-emotional growth, kindergarten readiness, Individual Plan of Study, graduation, postsecondary success, and civic engagement.
Watson and Neuenswander will share success stories, as well as challenges, discuss the Kansans Can School Redesign Project, answer questions, and gather information during the tours.
Kansas, Schools

Give Input on Future of Kansas Education on August 16

Leave a comment

Kansans Can Success Tour will be in Fort Scott at 6 p.m. on Monday, August 16 at the River Room, 3 W. Oak, directly above Luther’s BBQ.

“We are happy to host Dr. Watson and Dr. Neusenwander in Fort Scott,” USD 234 Superintendent Ted Hessong said.  “USD 234 is very supportive of the Kansas State Board of Education’s Vision that Kansas can lead the world in the success of each student and the outcomes they have chosen to help define a successful Kansas high school graduate.”

Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson is facilitating community conversations across the state to gather feedback on the state’s vision for K-12 education, according to https://www.ksde.org/Agency/Fiscal-and-Administrative-Services/Communications-and-Recognition-Programs/Vision-Kansans-Can/Success-Tour

“The Kansans Can Success Tour is a 50-city event that kicked off July 26. Commissioner Watson, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Brad Neuenswander and members of the Kansas State Board of Education will gather community input on the current direction for Kansas K-12 education and share progress made toward achieving the vision established by the Kansas State Board of Education,” according to the website.

“The 2021 tour is a follow-up to the Kansas Children. Kansas’ Future. community conversations tour that took place in 2015. Using the feedback gathered from more than 2,000 parents, educators, legislators, school board members, business community members, and more, the State Board created a new vision for education: Kansas leads the world in the success of each student.

“Now, nearly six years later, we are again asking you to lend your voice to the conversation.

“Please plan to join one of the 50 events scheduled across the state. If possible, attendees are asked to bring a laptop, cell phone or tablet for an interactive portion of the presentation.”

 
Fort Scott, Government, Schools

U234 Press Release on BOE Meeting Aug. 9

Leave a comment

NEWS RELEASE

 

Monday, August 9, 2021

 

Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at the Fort Scott High School Cafeteria on Monday, August 9, 2021, for their regular monthly meeting.

President James Wood opened the meeting.  The board approved the official agenda.

The board approved the consent agenda as follows:

 

A.    Minutes

B.    Bills and Claims

C.    Payroll – July 20, 2021 – $1,206,738.56

D.    Financial Report

E.    Activity fund accounts

 

Several patrons spoke in the public forum.

Brenda Hill, KNEA President, gave a report.  In addition, Ted Hessong,

Superintendent, and Gina Shelton, Business Manager/Board Clerk, shared information with board members.

The board approved an operational plan for the 2021-22 school year.  Board members discussed homeschool students participating in district activities.  The board also approved:

 

·       Addition of high school boys’ and girls’ swimming to the supplemental salary schedule for the 2021-22 school year

·       Addition of a Possession of Firearms policy for the 2021-22 Employee Handbook

·       New Generation contract for the 2021-22 school year

·       No Limits Rehabilitation for physical therapy service for the 2021-22 school year

·       CHC Contract for the 2021-22 school year

·       2021-22 Classified Salary Schedule

 

Board members shared comments and then went into executive session to discuss employee-employer negotiations for the 2021-22 school year.  The board returned to open meeting and returned to executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel and returned to open meeting.

The board approved the following employment matters:

 

A.    Transfer of Sabrina Cady, van driver, to middle school paraprofessional for the 2021-22 school year

B.    Leave of absence for Katie McGee, Winfield Scott kindergarten teacher

C.    Leave of absence dates for Natalie Kitsmiller, Winfield Scott paraprofessional

D.    Leave of absence for Becky Howard, middle school paraprofessional

E.    Employment of Johnna Walls as a Eugene Ware fourth grade teacher for the 2021-22 school year

F.     Increase in contract days and gas stipend for Krista Gorman, instructional coach for the district, for the 2021-22 school year

G.    Resignation of Ken Klassen, high school head boys’ golf coach; resignation of Kourtney Harper, high school assistant volleyball coach; and resignation of Allison Gorman, high school assistant softball coach, effective at the end of the 2020-21 school year

H.    Employment of Eugene Ware supplemental employees for the 2021-22 school year

I.      Employment of Gordon Harris as a 10-month middle school custodian for the 2021-22 school year

J.      Additional work hours for Dee Peters, Winfield Scott paraprofessional, to include a two-hour regular route bus driving position for the 2021-22 school year

K.    Employment of Madeline Martin as the high school head boys’ and head girls’ swimming coach for the 2021-22 school year; employment of Kenny Hudiburg as high school assistant girls’ tennis coach for the 2021-22 school year

 

The board adjourned.

 

Bourbon County, Fort Scott, Government, Kansas, Schools

Free Meals Available For All American Students

2 Comments

Free school meals are available for all students
during 2021-2022 school year

The National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option (SSO) waiver allows all Kansas students the option of free breakfast and lunch each school day during the 2021-2022 school year – ensuring students are fueled and ready to learn.

The waiver allows the SSO to operate when school is open during the regular school year – through June 30, 2022. It is a continuation of a commitment to provide safe, healthy meals free of charge to children as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten food and nutrition security of the most vulnerable – our students, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The waiver also will help schools continue to plan for a safe opening in the fall. For example, it will eliminate the need to collect meal payments. This speeds up the service of meals, which reduces contact and potential exposure to COVID-19.

The USDA’s National School Lunch Program SSO is typically only available during the summer months. However, extending it allows for a strong emphasis on providing fruits and vegetables, milk, and whole grains while allowing schools to serve the meals for free.

Schools that choose the SSO option will receive higher-than-normal meal reimbursements for every meal they serve, which will support them in serving the most nutritious meals possible while managing increased costs associated with operational and supply chain challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The USDA covers the cost of the meals for all students. There is no need for families to fill out an application.

Every meal that is served helps USD 234 foodservice program financially and keeps local food service staff members employed.
The free meals, which are safe, nutritious, and delicious, help extend family food budgets, too.

For more information, contact USD 234, 424 S. Main, Fort Scott, KS. Phone 620-223- 0800.

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities may contact
USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

Additionally, program information may be made
available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information
requested in the form.

To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2) Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3) Email: [email protected].

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
###

Bourbon County, Fort Scott, Schools

Community Conversation on Kansans Can Succeed Aug. 16

Leave a comment
Education officials announce
Kansans Can Success tour coming to 50 locations & Fort Scott is on the list!
Everyone, including educators, parents, legislators, members of the business community, and members of the media are invited to attend!
Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson and Deputy Commissioner Dr. Brad Neuenswander are conducting 50 community conversations.
The Kansas State Board of Education’s outcomes for measuring progress toward achieving that vision were also derived from information gathered during the tour. Outcomes include social-emotional growth, kindergarten readiness, Individual Plan of Study, graduation, postsecondary success, and civic engagement.
Watson and Neuenswander will share success stories, as well as challenges, discuss the Kansans Can School Redesign Project, answer questions, and gather information during the tours.
Fort Scott, Government, Schools

U234 Press Release July 30

Leave a comment

NEWS RELEASE

 

Friday, July 30, 2021

 

Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met in the Fort Scott High School Cafeteria at noon on Friday, July 30, for a special board meeting.

President James Wood opened the meeting.  The board approved the following employment matters:

 

A.    Employment of Gwen Skaggs as a middle school paraprofessional for the 2021-22 school year

B.    Employment of Shawn Judson as a 12-month custodian for the 2021-22 school year

 

Gina Shelton, Business Manager, gave a budget presentation.  The board adjourned.

 

Ascension Via Christi, Bourbon County, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, COVID-19, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Community College, Fort Scott Police Department, Health Care, Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, Schools

Center Honors Fort Scott’s Frontline Workers

Leave a comment
The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes is located a 1 S. Main, Fort Scott.

On July 28, the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes began a new exhibit entitled”Fort Scott’s Frontline Workers”, highlighting groups of local COVID-19 workers.

Hours at the center, located on Main Street at Wall Street in downtown Fort Scott are  Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The exhibition is pictorial with text that honors first responders from four local agencies, health care workers from five local agencies, and educators in five local public and private schools.

Lowell Milken Center’s Frontline Workers Exhibit, July 2021. Submitted photo.
“Contacts were made to all the different agencies, we received input from several administrators and staff,” Cathy Werling, spokesperson for LMC said.
Cathy Werling is a children’s book author at the Lowell Milken Center For Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, who has published several books depicting unsung heroes at a young child’s level of understanding.

This new exhibit has been made possible with funds received from a Fort Scott Area Community Foundation grant, according to an LMC press release.

“Work began on plans for the project in October of 2020 after we knew we received the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation grant,” Werling said. “Contacting and interviewing all of the various frontline worker’s staff began in January of 2021.”

“The Lowell Milken Center’s Fort Scott’s Frontline Heroes project highlights frontline professions within our community who have been directly dealing with pandemic issues in order to provide safe and direct action for our citizens,” according to the press release.

Law enforcement photo from the exhibit.

The following are recognized: firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency medical services workers, health care workers from Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Ascension Via Christi Emergency Department, Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department, and long-term care facilities, assisted/independent living facilities, and local teachers/administrators at schools.

Educators. Photo from the exhibit.

“The LMC believes these groups of workers are truly Fort Scott’s unsung heroes, as they have given so much of themselves to our community’s citizens during the pandemic and continue to do so,” according to the press release. “We encourage all Fort Scott area citizens to support these heroes by viewing the new exhibits at the Lowell Milken Center, sharing words of gratitude and support in the LMC guest book and through the LMC’s social media pages on Facebook – www.facebook.com/LowellMilkenCenter, Twitter – https://twitter.com/LowellMilkenCtr, and Instagram – www.instagram.com/LowellMilkenCtr.”

Emergency Medical Services workers. Photo from the exhibit.

 

About the Lowell Milken Center: The Lowell Milken Center is a non-profit 501 © (3) that works with students and educators within a range of diverse academic disciplines, to develop projects focused on unsung heroes. Once their projects are finished, the student’s unsung heroes are shared in the Hall of Unsung Heroes or on the website, encouraging people all over the world to discover their individual influence and obligation to take actions that improve the lives of others. The Hall of Unsung Heroes is proudly located in Southeast Kansas and showcases some of the top projects developed in collaboration with the Center.

 

Fort Scott, Schools

Colt Lipe Attends National Youth Leadership Forum

Leave a comment
Colt Lipe is attending a youth leadership forum this week in North Carolina. Submitted photo.
Colt Lipe, 11, was nominated by his Eugene Ware Elementary School Fifth-grade Teacher Abby Steppes to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum in Colorado this week.
“They are nominated for being a good role model and having leadership skills,” Steppes said of the nomination.
The forum is the Pathways to Science, Technology, Engineering, and  Math Program by Envision LLC.
Envision is a for-profit, tuition-based education company that creates, markets, and runs career exploration and leadership development programs for students in elementary school through college, according to its website.
“What an opportunity for him,” said his mother Tina Lipe.
Colt’s father is David Lipe. The Lipe’s own both Sharkey’s Pub and Luther’s BBQ Restaurants in Fort Scott.
At the forum, Colt will learn the leadership skills of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and goal setting.
In addition, he will explore crime-solving skills, face a design challenge in engineering, and as a prospective medical student explore the anatomy of the heart and lungs and examine the medical needs of a patient then present a plan of care.
“Kids this age are figuring out who they are and what their passions are,” Steppes said.
A letter his parents Tina and Dave Lipe received to explain the forum. Submitted photo.

Steppes said flyers are sent out to teachers nationwide for teachers to nominate students.

“The hard part is it costs money,” Steppes said. “There are grants for money you can apply for or do fund-raising.”

 

Fort Scott, Schools

U234 Starts Summer Sesson Today

Leave a comment
Dalaina Smith, USD 234’s Director of Academics. Submitted photo.
The pandemic and the loss of class time in 2020, spurred the decision of the USD 234  school administration to provide a  summer session this year.

“Following the loss of classroom time in the Spring of 2020, USD 234 recognized the need for additional support to be given to our students as they prepare to return to school this fall,” Dalaina Smith, director of academics for the district said.

“Teachers and students worked incredibly hard to overcome the gaps that occurred when schools were shut down in March 2020, however, this push has left some students needing a bit more support to prepare for their next academic year,” she said.
“We want students to come into school in August feeling confident and ready to learn,” Smith said.  ” For some students, ‘Summer Camp’ …. is just what they need to jump-start this upcoming year.”
“Summer school and ESY opportunities will allow students to work towards mastery in areas they may not have achieved during the previous school year,” she said.
“At the elementary level, this looks like additional opportunities for exploration and practice, while at the high school students have an opportunity to recover credits not earned during the school year,” Smith said.
Smith said more than 20 teachers and numerous paras and teacher’s aids are available to help the students invited to Summer Camp 2021.
The school district has a Focus on Learning theme for the 2021-22 school year.
“It made sense to provide an additional opportunity for students to do just that,” she said.
“We cannot wait to have our Tigers back in the buildings,” she said.
Students will be provided a FREE breakfast and lunch.
“This is an opportunity available to all area youth 1-18, with no registration or identification required, students will need to be present to pick up the meals,” Smith said.

Extended School Year and Summer School:

ESY and Summer School starts today, Tuesday, July 20, and runs through August 6.

Below is the schedule for these learning opportunities:

  • Preschool – 8:00 – 11:00 @ Preschool
  • Jumpstart at Winfield Scott – 8:00 to 11:00
  • Primary (K-2) at Middle School – 8:00 – 10:00
  • Intermediate (3-5) at Middle School – 10:00 – 12:00
  • Middle School at Middle School – 8:00 – 12:00
  • High School at Middle School – 8:00 – 12:00 (credit recovery)
  • ESY K-5 at Middle School 8:00-10:00
  • ESY 6-12 at Middle School 10:00-12:00

—

Fort Scott, Schools

U234 New Hires: Yasmina Query and Justin Robinson

Leave a comment
Yasmina Query. Submitted photo.

Yasmina Summer Query, 36, is the new Eugene Ware Elementary School Principal, replacing Stephanie Witt, who resigned.

Query has taught five years in fourth grade at Eugene Ware Elementary and prior to that nine years at Truman Elementary School in Nevada, MO.

She earned a Bachelors’s in Elementary Education and a Masters’s in Educational Leadership.

Her hometown is Fort Scott.

She is married to  Joshua Query owner of JDQ Construction, and who also with his father, Ronald Query, owns a nutritional store in Kansas City, called the Ultimate Sports Nutrition.

They have two boys, Mason,9 years old and will be in 4th grade, and Myron, 6 years old and who will be in 1st grade.

Outside of school, she loves to read and bake.

And “I volunteer with the children’s ministry at the Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene. I help with Sunday School, and I am always a teacher for VBS.”

How did you become an educator?

“I knew in elementary school that I wanted to be a teacher. I attended Eugene Ware as a child and graduated from Fort Scott High School. My experience in school was such a positive one, that I knew I wanted to work with kids and create that positive school experience for them as well.”

 

Is there someone who inspired you?

“I don’t think I could bring it down to just one person. I had amazing teachers growing up. There wasn’t a building or grade level that I didn’t connect to at least one teacher. As an educator, I have worked for dedicated and supportive administers. I have also learned under such experienced and loving teachers. Each person who invested in me brought me to this moment, and my life is forever changed by them.”

What is the best part of teaching?

“The thing I love most about being a teacher is watching the successes of my students. My goal every year is that all of my students learn to believe in themselves. There isn’t a child out there who isn’t capable of greatness, and I want every student who has been in my class to know that they can do anything.”

What are the greatest challenges in teaching for you?

“The greatest challenges are when you feel like you haven’t done enough for your kids. Anyone who has been a teacher has had a tough kid. You want so much to help them fix everything in the nine months you have them, but sometimes you don’t see the work you have put in until years later. Teaching is full of joys but also heartaches because you care so much about your students.”

She starts her new position on July 19.

Justin Robinson and family. Submitted photo.
Justin Robinson, 41, is the new Fort Scott Middle and High School Band Director.
His hometown is Auburn, KS.
He has 18 years of experience at Southern Coffey County as a K-12 Music Teacher.
Robinson earned a BME from Pittsburg State in 2003, and a master’s degree from Emporia State in 2007,
He has been married to Angela for 18 years and has a daughter, Zoi, who will be attending her first year at Neosho County Community College this fall.

In his spare time, he likes to fish and play music.

” My family plays in a country/rock band based out of Iola,” he said.  “We also like to travel!”

How did you become an educator?
“I got a call that Pitt (Pittsburg State University)  needed a bassoon player and away I went! ” he said. ” I fell in love with music through marching and concert band in high school and it continued to grow during my education at Pitt.”
Is there someone who inspired you?
“My middle and high school band directors for sure, to get into education!”
What is the best part of teaching for you?
“When the light bulb clicks with a child and the instrument in their hands!  Then getting to watch them develop into their potential and become the best musician they can.”
What are the greatest challenges in teaching?
“Keeping the kids motivated to strive for their best with all the distractions in the world.”