A statement was released this (Tuesday) morning by Atlantic Community School District Business Manager Mary Beth Fast regarding the a settlement in the strip search lawsuit.  The statement reads quote “After the investigation of all the facts involving the searches of several girls at the Atlantic High School several years ago (Aug. 2009), the Atlantic Community School District has determined that the searches violated the school’s policy and state law regarding school searches. The school district acknowledges that the involved girls did nothing wrong.”

The district’s attorney, Gregory Barntsen of Council Bluffs, declined to elaborate or discuss any financial terms of the settlement. The statement, according to Barton, is what both parties agreed to be issued as a press release, and  is part of the recently settled lawsuit that followed the search. The families of three of the searched girls filed it in 2010 against the district and two school officials involved in the incident. Iowa law bans strip-searches of students by school employees.
The plaintiffs alleged that Paul Croghan, then Atlantic High School’s assistant principal and athletic director, ordered guidance counselor Heather Turpin to search five female students after another student reported $100 missing.  Court documents indicate Turpin had at least four of the girls individually strip to varying degrees in a locker room while Croghan waited in an adjacent room. No money was found. Croghan resigned in November 2009. He is now the principal and athletic director of East Mills High School in Malvern. Turpin remains a guidance counselor in Atlantic, according to the school district’s website. The families had alleged, among other things, that the girls’ state and federal rights against unreasonable searches had been violated.

In related news, the ACLU of Iowa’s related open records case has reached the Iowa Court of Appeals. The civil-rights organization says the case will be argued Thursday. The American Civil Liberties Union has been trying to find out what discipline, if any, was imposed on school officials involved in the search. The organization lost its bid in district court, but appealed.

Cass County Republican Party Chair David Wiederstein has announced delegates to the County Convention for Atlantic Wards 2 and 3 convened Monday night (Sept. 19^th), to select a Republican nominee to appear on the November 8^th Special Election ballot for the District 2 position on the Cass County Board of Supervisors. The seat was left vacant by the recent death of Supervisor Chuck Kinen. Nominated by convention was Atlantic resident Gaylord Schelling. Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman reported late Tuesday afternoon, that Jeff J. Richter had also been nominated by petition, for the seat.

Sunderman said earlier this month, that while the County Republican and Democratic Conventions may select their own candidates for the seat, the nomination is also open to all interested persons who are residents of Cass County, who file a nomination petition by 5-p.m. Friday, September 23^rd.

Several area Boards of Education meetings were held Monday, and for many members of those boards, it was the first time they took their seats following the September 13^th elections. In the Atlantic Community School District, two new board members were sworn in, and a new Board President and Vice President were elected. Superintendent Dr. Mike Amstein said Glen Smith, who has a total of about nine-years of the board and was filling a vacancy position, retired from the board, along with Jon Martens, who served for the past seven-years. Amstein says Josh McLaren and Rodney Hartwig were sworn-in to replace Smith and Martens. Kristy Pellet was elected President of the School Board during Monday night’s session, while Denny Davis was elected Vice President.

Phil Hascall had served as President of the Board for the past five-years. The Elk Horn-Kimballton School District saw no change in leadership on its Board of Education, with Mark Smith being re-elected President and Kevin Peterson Vice President. EHK-Exira Superintendent Dean Schnoes said Joel Schulter was sworn-in as the board’s newest member. Schnoes said also, the Board discussed school lunch prices, which will be going up during the second semester, due to a new formula the district is required to use as part of the “Child Nutrition Act.”  He says the information was sent out in June, after the district has already established its prices for the year. The created a conflict, because the school lunch prices are different for both the EHK and Exira Districts.  Schnoes says the formula required them to change their prices. Letters will be going out to parents in both districts, explaining the reasons behind the change.

In other business, Schnoes said the EHK Board also approved a contract with Warren Watson, as the Junior High Boys Basketball Coach. At the Griswold School Board meeting, Monday, Mary Perdue, who served as Board President for the past 12-years, and three-year board member Angie Amos retired from the board. Scott Peterson from Elliott, and Doug Lembke, who lives near Griswold, were elected by the voters to succeed them. Superintendent Dana Kunze (coon-zee) said the new board elected Steve Baier  as President, and Tom Moore as Vice President.

Kunze said with the Revenue Purpose Statement being approved by the voters last Tuesday, the district can move forward with plans for improvements to their facilities, including the engineering and financing aspects of those projects.