School Board votes to approve Wednesday night practices at Decorah Middle School

On Monday night the Decorah Community School Board changed a long standing policy and voted to allow after school practices on Wednesday afternoons at the middle school level.  The policy makes Decorah similar to all other schools in their Area Education Association. However, the vote included an end time of 5:00 p.m., which is earlier than the 5:30 p.m. of other districts, and the 6:00 p.m. "out of building" time set for high schools. The vote passed on a 3-2 margin, with John Hjelle and Cindy Schissel voting against the proposal.

In an open hearing at the beginning of the Board meeting, St. Benedict's Coordinator of Youth Ministries Jenny Murphy spoke against the proposal citing activities they run at 5:00 p.m. and 6:45 p.m., family time issues, medical appointments, and music practices that are important to students and families. Middle School Athletic Director Randy Iverson spoke in favor of the proposal, hoping that some sort of compromise position could be reached. Iverson and High School Activities Director Adam Riley both addressed the difficulty of scheduling, noting the specific example of Tuesday and Thursday games/events with no time in between for students to regroup on their efforts.  Officials also said they have the responsibility  to provide opportunity for students who wanted to improve on skills, rather than have them face locked buildings.

Two Board members said they had more contact from the public on this issue than any other during their tenure. There was also some sentiment that club sport activities not promoted by the schools provide a much bigger intrusion on family and religious activities by operating not only on Wednesdays, but throughout the weekend while including long distance travel. Board member Hjelle, who voted against the proposal, said it was obvious Decorah had plenty of success because of the 44 championship banners exhibited in the High School. Middle School Principal Leona Hoth supported the proposal but agreed that students needed to be out by at least 5:00 p.m.