(Radio Iowa) – The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa has filed a federal lawsuit that seeks to overturn parts of a new state law that forbids instruction about sexual orientation in elementary classrooms. It also requires schools to remove books with graphic sexual content and school administrators are to notify a parent when a student asks to be known by a different name or pronoun at school.

The lawsuit is filed on behalf of Iowa Safe Schools, a group that advocates for LGBTQ youth, and seven families with students in Iowa schools. Berry Stevens, a student in West Des Moines, spoke during an online news conference late this morning. “I am participating in this lawsuit because this law hurts all kinds of kids and it hurts many of my personal friends,” Stevens said. “We deserve to be able to express ourselves safely at school and we deserve to see ourselves in media, especially in books.”

Joe, Berry and Brigit Stevens, plaintiffs in the lawsuit (Lambda Legal photo; used with permission)

Percy Batista-Pedro of Waterloo, the leader of his high school’s gay-straight alliance, called the law blatant discrimination. “I’m scared of being harassed if I wear pride apparel or if I talk about my identity in class,” the 16 year old said. “This fear, which is shared by many of my transgender friends, is why I have chosen to be a plaintiff in this case.”

Belinda Scarott, Percy’s mom, said the law is unnecessarily cruel. “This law only serves to make life more perilous for him and more terrifying for me,” Scarott said. “…I spend my days worrying about what potential damage the school day might do to my child’s physical or mental well-being.”

Thomas Story, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, contends the state law violates free speech and equal protection provisions in the U.S. Constitution. “This law is deeply confusing and schools have been at a loss on how to comply, even after consulting with their attorneys,” Story said. “This law has thrown the school year into chaos.”

Lambda Legal, which represented same-sex couples who successfully sued for the right to marry in Iowa, is also representing the students and parents who’ve filed this lawsuit.

“Protecting children from pornography and sexually explicit content shouldn’t be controversial,” Governor Kim Reynolds said in a written statement released early this afternoon. “…Books with graphic depictions of sex acts have absolutely no place in our schools.”

Atlantic, IA – Cass Health officials said Tuesday (Today), the newest DAISY Award winning nurse is Michelle Gelner, RN, BSN. Her nominator wrote, “I came to the emergency room at about 12:30 am and was seen immediately by the nurse. Her professional manner, knowledge, and care were exemplary. She stayed with me in every respect – her calm manner and kindness relieved my anxiety, which came as a result of convulsive coughing and inability to catch my breath. She accompanied me and helped me through a number of exams, including blood work and x-rays. I felt so cared for an I really appreciated it. She was focused, professional, patient and caring.”

Gelner commented, “It is an honor to be selected for the DAISY Award. I didn’t go into this career looking for gratitude and recognition. When I decided to leave the Army, I wanted a career that would positively impact people’s lives. I also wanted a career that was challenging, flexible, and had diverse opportunities. Nursing also allows you to build a family with your patients, coworkers, and community. I loved hearing that my patient felt at ease, cared for, and valued while in the Emergency Department. This award is not just for me, it is for the team effort to provide that best patient care possible.”

Michelle Gelner, RN, BSN

Since joining Cass Health in 2019, Gelner has lead the way in delivering high-quality clinical care and exceptional patient experiences in many departments – among them, OB, inpatient, emergency and as a house supervisor. Gelner recently took on a leadership role and is now the Director of Cardiac Rehab.

Chief Operating Officer Amanda Bireline presented the award to Gelner and said, “As expected, she is already shining as a leader – gaining the trust of her teams and the patients they serve. Michelle is level-headed, collaborative, steadfast and, more than many, understands the value of the human relationship,”

Nurses at Cass Health are honored twice annually with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.® The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate care nurses provide to patients and families every day. The DAISY Award committee at Cass Health thanks all nominators for their submissions. Each nurse who was nominated will be presented with a special pin and a copy of the nomination.

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

This is one initiative of The DAISY Foundation to express gratitude to the nursing profession. Additionally, DAISY offers J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, The DAISY Faculty Award to honor inspiring faculty members in schools and colleges of nursing, and The DAISY in Training Award for nursing students.

More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org. An online nomination form is available at https://www.casshealth.org/daisy.

Atlantic, IA – The December session of Cass Health’s Healthy U lunch-and-learn series will feature cardiologist Dr. John Henry. The session will be held on Tuesday, December 5 at noon in Conference Room 2 at Cass Health.

Space is limited! A free boxed lunch is provided for all attendees, so reservations are required. Call 712-243-7479 to reserve your seat. For more information about Healthy U, visit casshealth.org/healthyu.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic School Board will hold a regular, Annual meeting beginning at 5:30-p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29th, in the High School Media Center (On YouTube, HERE). On their agenda is the Final Meeting of the Retiring board, and Organizational Meeting of the New Board. Those respective agenda’s are as follows: (Updated agenda as of 3:34-p.m. 11/28)

Final Meeting of the Retiring Board
1. Call to Order, Board President
2. Roll Call, Board Secretary
3. Approve agenda
4. Welcome Visitors/Communication from the Public
5. Unfinished Business
a. Approval of November 8, 2023 Board Minutes
b. Highlights from Iowa School Board Convention
c. Presentation of IASB Award(s)
d. Resignations and/or Recommendations to Hire
i. Resignation: Kelli Evans, High School Nurse
ii. Resignation: Tori Brummer, Freshman Volleyball Coach
iii. Resignation: Megan Andersen, Kitchen Staff
iv. Recommendation to Hire: Kelli Evans, Director of Health Services
v. Recommendation to Hire: Megan Andersen, Media Center Para
e. Modification consideration for Early Retirement Plan for Certified Staff
f. Consideration of Early Retirement for Non-Certified Staff
g. Review 2022-2023 fiscal year
h. Review of Election Results, Abstract of Votes
i. Recognition to Jenny Williams and Nick Hunt
6. Adjournment of Retiring Board

Organizational Meeting of the New Board
Board Secretary as President pro tem will preside over meeting until new board president is elected
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Oath of Office to new Board Directors (Gini Jordan & Jodi Stowater-Goodrich)
4. Election of a President for the Board, Ask for nominations. Nominations do not need seconded
a. Administer Oath of Office to new Board President
5. Election of Vice President, President asks for nominations. Nominations do not need to be seconded
a. Oath of office to new Board Vice-President
6. Appoint Board Secretary and Treasurer
a. Oath of office to Board Secretary/Treasurer
7. Appoint Cass County Conference Board Representative
8. Determining dates, time and location for regular board meetings
9. Establish Official Publication
10. Designate Legal Counsel
11. Appoint signers for District checks
12. Resolution for District’s Depository Institution and maximum deposit amount
13. Adjournment of Organizational Meeting