“We’re using technology to really honestly combat technology that’s causing our heads to spin at times. This will help us get more of a grasp on what’s going on.””

RFHS Principal Josh Fiege

RIVER FALLS – River Falls High School is planning to combat technology with, you guessed it – technology.

During a strategic plan progress update at the March 20 River Falls School Board meeting, RFHS Principal Kit Luedtke shared how administration is developing school-wide behavior expectations that align with school district values.

“The day and age of me passing a note to Nicole Langlois to skip from class or hang out in the hallway isn’t there anymore. But I can text, right?” Luedtke said.

SmartPass implementation will be used during instructional time when kids ask to go to the bathroom or a locker, things of that nature. It’s an AI (artificial intelligence) system, but does not use GPS tracking. Students will have an account and they’ll use their Chromebook or the app on their phone to say they’re going to the restroom. They will be given a time limit. The system can prevent two students from being allowed out of their classrooms at the same time, if they have a history of causing trouble together. It will prevent “frequent flyers” by setting a limit on the number of passes. If vandalism or vaping complaints occur, staff will know who was in the bathroom at certain times.

“It can set some quotas for us because we have 1,200 in our building, so I can set it where I can say, I only want to see 50 kids in the hallway at any time during instructional time,” Luedtke said. “Or if Cindy and I are troublemakers together all the time, AI technology will tell us that Cindy and I skipped class or left class at the same time during second block six times last week and it’s going to tell us that we shouldn’t be out at the same time anymore.

“We’re using technology to really honestly combat technology that’s causing our heads to spin at times. This will help us get more of a grasp on what’s going on.”

Luedtke said while the kids are not excited, staff is all for ensuring a level of accountability. School admins are still in the process of developing a cell phone policy.

“I still have the philosophy that at the high school level, we have to find ways to show or teach levels of responsible use; however, it is becoming more and more of an addiction or a distraction for kids,” Luedtke said.

While developing a policy, administration plans to have conversations with the school board and hopes to find out what the community is looking for. His research has not found a school of 1,200 kids banning cell phones, though some smaller ones have.

“Our teachers are competing against something in their pocket that can entertain them for weeks and months and years on end,” Luedtke said. “We’re seeing it far more on the addictive behavior side of it.”

The plan is to have the policy in places for Fall 2023.

Board member Alan Tuchtenhagen said parents need to have a level of responsibility in regulating student cell phone use.

“They just want me to take them all away and solve that problem for them Alan, I’m not going to lie to you,” Luedtke said.

Calendar 2023-24

The updated calendar for school year 2023-24 not only added important dates, such as open houses and parent-teacher conferences, but will add five minutes to the end of the school day next year, said Board President Stacy Johnson Myers.

The proposal adds instructional minutes so the district can have more flexibility to meet the state mandated requirements for instructional time, she added.  

“If we have another winter and spring like we’ve had this year, we’ll be very happy to have a bit more leeway, a bit more flexibility,” Johnson Myers said.

The minutes will add three more days of instruction for Meyer Middle School, RFHS, and the Ren, and five more days at the elementary schools and 4K programs.

“The hope is to protect students from having makeup days far into June or virtual learning days, which no one particularly likes,” Johnson Myers said.

Board member Todd Schultz said the board has had to add snow makeup days to the calendar two or three times in the last four years. He likes the proactive approach.

“Families will like not having to make mid-year adjustments,” Schultz said.

Johnson Myers said it will also allow teachers to have common collaborative planning time at the high school, which has been a need for a long time.

Girls’ hockey co-op

The board tabled approving the Fusion girls’ hockey co-op, which includes students from River Falls, Baldwin and St. Croix Central high schools. Athletic Director David Crail said he had received a request to add Prescott (one student) to the co-op, which he was all for. However, the Big Rivers Conference athletic directors all said no because the program currently has 33 participants and is self-sustainable.

“Co-ops are established when a school district has a few players interested in a sport but not enough to field a team,” Crail said.

He said he has received requests from other schools to co-op with RF’s swimming and diving and gymnastics teams, which have always been denied. Talking to the conference’s ADs made Crail rethink his willingness to add another school to the hockey co-op.

“If we open the door to them when we are sustainable, what is our response to people who want to join the other teams when they are already sustainable. What would be our rationale for saying no?”

The situation will be considered at a later date.

K-8 virtual school

The board voted to suspend in indefinitely the district’s K-8 virtual school due to low enrollment.

“We had a lot of students at one point and now, as we’re doing in-person learning, enrollment is really low,” Johnson Myers said. “We can’t allocate those dollars to that program anymore.”

High schoolers will still have the virtual option.

“This is because of budget and it’s the first of many conversations we may be having over the next couple of years,” Tuchtenhagen said. “Especially if the legislature doesn’t change how it funds schools.”

All families with students in the program were notified before the board vote.

Personnel

The school board approved the following personnel changes:

• Lance Westberg as a full-time RFHS math teacher effective Feb. 27 (replaced Jacob Langer). Westberg earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Northwestern and his master’s degree from Concordia University-Irvine. He has four years of experience (River Falls).
• Theresa Riewestahl as a full-time long-term substitute Children’s House teacher at River Falls Public Montessori Elementary, effective April 29-June 8 (for Amy Mitchell).
• Hiring the following short-term on-call substitute teachers Steven Lagoon, Robyn Pfeifer, Mary Putzier, Kyla Kainz and Siobhan Cherry.
• Resignation of Haley Dunn as a full-time first grade teacher at Greenwood, effective at the end of the school year.
• Resignation of Amy Maes as a full-time kindergarten teacher at Greenwood, effective at the end of the school year.
• Resignation of Karl Erickson as full-time physical education teacher at Rocky Branch, effective the end of the 2022-23 year. Erickson will retire after 36 years of service with the district.
• Resignation of Caroline Davenport-Henk as a full-time kindergarten/first grade teacher at Rocky Branch, effective at the end of the year. Davenport-Henk will retire after 32 years of service with the district.
• Resignation of Doug Steinbronn as a full-time math teacher at Meyer Middle School, effective at the end of the year. Steinbronn will retire after 31 years of service with the district.
• Resignation of Jenny Jerry as full-time an alternative education teacher at Renaissance Charter Academy, effective the end of the 2022-23 year. Jerry will retire after 15 years of service with the district.
• Resignation of CeCe Gillis as a full-time RFHS special education teacher at, effective the end of the 2022-23 year. Gillis will retire after 33 years of service with the district.