The Ames Community School District is officially undergoing a “leadership change” at Ames High School.
An email that was sent out Wednesday to parents of students that attend AHS stated that the move was initiated by the District.
The October 6 email can be read below:
“Ames High students, staff, and families,
Effective immediately, the District has initiated a leadership change in the high school lead principal role. We have made arrangements to continue to provide building support to Ames High during this transition. District leaders, including Assistant Superintendent Dr. Hawkins, will be present at Ames High for the remainder of this week. We are working to finalize a longer-term solution for the building, and we will communicate that with you as soon as possible.”
District Spokesman Eric Smidt told StoryCounty.News Wednesday that Dr. Valerie Nyberg, who was hired in July 2020, is no longer serving as lead principal at the school. However, Smidt added that Nyberg has not been terminated and is still an employee of ACSD. “At this time, Dr. Nyberg’s continuing role with the District is yet to be determined,” he said.
Reports of increased student violence at the school this semester have surfaced recently, with district administrators addressing the issues via an email to parents dated October 2. The email, which was signed by the District’s Interim Superintendent Dr. Paula Vincent and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jeff Hawkins, indicated that staff was in the process of implementing practical adjustments to alter the school’s climate. Included in such adjustments were changes to “study hall and lunch routines”, as well as a greater emphasis on students displaying their school IDs.
The October 2 email can be read below:
“Dear AHS parents, the district has heard questions from several parents in response to the recent events at the high school about what steps are being taken to support the building, to ensure student safety, and what role can parents or community members play in this process. We thank you for your passion and investment in our high school.
The district office has partnered with building administration and teacher leaders to identify needed structures and procedures, including those around attendance and behavior expectations. Teams of teachers and administrators began meeting this week and will continue to meet to put in place and refine structures and procedures. We have collaborated to identify ways to increase safety by decreasing hallway traffic, increasing supervision in areas in which fights have occurred, and to provide individual responses and support to students whose behavior is not meeting expectations. Changed routines will be implemented beginning Monday, October 11 after lessons have been taught with students over these expectations and routines.
Next week during homeroom, AHS students will have some attendance and behavior expectations reintroduced an clarified. They will get information about changed routines that will impact lunch and study halls in decreasing hallway traffic. They will hear information about changed routines for accessing restrooms in order to provide greater supervision and decrease acts of vandalism. The following is the anticipated schedule of lessons to be taught:
– Monday – No school due to teacher professional development
– Tuesday – Attendance expectations and goal setting around attendance
– Wednesday – General behavior expectations and processes
– Thursday – Changed routines for study hall and lunch; importance of wearing/displaying your student ID
– Friday – AHS culture: how to embody in everything we do, the motto “Ames Hi, Aims High”
Also beginning next week, some additional support and programming will begin. We have partnered with YSS to identify mentors from the community to work with selected students. A Wellness and mental health center has begun with a community partnership to serve students.
Some questions have been raised about general approaches to student discipline and how these expectations are managed. A team of district and building administrators have created and refined the Ames CSD Discipline Guidance document in order to outline parameters for behavioral responses to allow for the context of the individual student and behavior situation to be applied to a framework for consistency.
Again, we thank you as a community for your desire to support our high school. Talking with your student about aligning behaviors to the expectations taught, reducing hallway traffic, and communicating any safety concerns with high school staff would be greatly appreciated.”
Dr. Paula Vincent, Superintendent of Schools; Dr. Jeff Hawkins, Assistant Superintendent
It is currently unknown whether recent fights at the school contributed to the District’s decision to remove Nyberg as lead principal.
Attempts to reach Nyberg for comment were unsuccessful as of Wednesday evening.
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