HIGHLAND SCHOOLS

Highland seeks new alarms and bells for schools

District to apply to Washington County Riverboat Foundation for grant

By Paul D. Bowker
Posted 6/1/21

RIVERSIDE

The Highland Community School District may have new weather alarm, bell and intercom systemsinstalled in its buildings by the time the 2021-22 school year begins or soon afterward.At its …

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HIGHLAND SCHOOLS

Highland seeks new alarms and bells for schools

District to apply to Washington County Riverboat Foundation for grant

Posted

RIVERSIDE

The Highland Community School District may have new weather alarm, bell and intercom systems
installed in its buildings by the time the 2021-22 school year begins or soon afterward.
At its meeting held Monday, May 24, the school board unanimously approved moving ahead with the
plan after a state fire marshal said the current system needs to be updated. The system will cost approximately $49,500 and include a requested grant of up to $25,000 from
the Washington County Riverboat Foundation.
The deadline for a grant application is the first week of June.

School board members were told that the new system could be installed over the summer although
grants may not be awarded until August or September, which would delay the installation.
Warning systems would be linked to fire alarms and weather alerts, including tornado warnings.
The new system would have the ability to accommodate recorded messages, and also allow district or
school administrators to delay bells and recordings from home because the system will be web-based. In
the case of a two-hour delayed start on a school day, for example, the new timing of bells could be set
remotely.
Earlier this month, the Washington County Riverboat Foundation approved grants of $59,610 for the
Ainsworth Elementary School playground; $30,000 to Highland schools for wireless projectors; and
$6,300 for Highland band and choir equipment, among other grants.
Ken Crawford, Superintendent of Schools, updated the board on the bidding of a proposed waste water
project. High bids caused discussion to be tabled from a May 10 meeting, and the discussion has again
been delayed to June while district administrators consider the different options.
Bids have approached $900,000, although that amount may go as low as $400,000 based on a possible
agreement with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which would require permits, Crawford
said.
Woodruff Construction of Iowa City is one of three bidders for the project.
In another matter, Crawford expressed his displeasure with the short amount of time the state legislator
and governor have given school districts in respect to late-night decisions about mask mandates, or not,
in the middle of the Covid-19 global pandemic.

After a legislative move was carried out late one night before a school day last week, Crawford said,
“There we are trying to figure it out.”
After Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law early on the morning of May 20 a bill that prohibits school
districts from mask mandates, districts were scrambling to determine if that also meant they could not
mandate students to wear masks on school buses. A federal law requires masks to be worn on public
transportation.
Highland schools removed their mask mandate the same day.
Board retreat: Crawford scheduled a school board retreat meeting for June 16 at a site still to be
determined.

Highland, schools