District passes compliance visit with ?flying colors?

Following a compliance visit by the Iowa Department of Education, the Fairfield Community School District has maintained its state accreditation.

A six-member compliance team visited the Fairfield school district April 19-20 to assess the district?s progress with its Comprehensive School Improvement Plan, to provide a general assessment of educational practices within the district, to make recommendations for improvement and to determine compliance with state accreditation standards and applicable federal program requirements.

During the visit, the team met with several groups of stakeholders, including school board members, administrators, teachers and community members, and the team?s findings were presented to the school board last month.

?We thought it was a very good report,? said then-superintendent Don Achelpohl. ?We passed with flying colors.?

According to Achelpohl, Barbara Byrd, a school improvement consultant and a department of education representative on the visiting compliance team, had said she wished Jason Glass had been on the inspection team because Fairfield would have been a good example of what the state would like to see a district doing.

Glass was named the new director of the Iowa Department of Education Dec. 29 by Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds.

The site visit team?s findings noted strengths and offered recommendations in seven different categories: vision, mission and goals; leadership; collaborative relationships; learning environment, curriculum and instruction; professional development; and monitoring and accountability.

The team found the district was in compliance for federal programs: teacher and principal training and recruiting fund; enhancing education through technology; English Language Learners; safe and drug-free schools; and education of homeless children and youth.

The team did note two non-compliance issues with Chapter 12 of the Iowa Administrative Code. Chapter 12 outlines the requirements for Iowa public education in grades pre-k through 12.

The first issue identified in the report states the protected classes of religion, creed, age, gender identity and SES were not included in the non-discrimination statements in the parent and student handbooks.

The second issue states the district doesn?t have an initial student registration form that identifies the student?s primary home language.

The district had 45 days to submit a plan for corrective action.

The district also must review and revise its Comprehensive School Improvement Plan and submit it to the state to be recertified by Sept. 15. Schools or school districts are required by law to submit a revised five-year plan by Sept. 15 of the school year following the comprehensive site.

School board member Jeri Kunkle thanked everyone for their hard work to prepare for and participate in the comprehensive school improvement site visit.

?This was truly a learning community project,? said Achelpohl.