News

The Davenport Community School District’s annual Kindergarten Roundup begins this Thursday, March 4, for many District schools and will be hosted virtually this year. All eligible Kindergarten students living in the District will be able to learn more about the specific school they will be attending, and the necessary registration materials needed. Parents and guardians will also get to see what a typical day in the life of their 2021 Kindergarten student will be like.

Additional information provided in the Roundup presentations includes:

• • Meal services
• • Before and after school programming
• • School assessments and calendars
• • Education screenings and delays
• • PTA general information
• • Q&A session with principals

While this event is virtual, the District is hopeful that parents or guardians will be able to physically visit classrooms with their Kindergarten student(s) this summer before the 2021-2022 school year begins.

Families may register their incoming Kindergartener online for the 2021 – 2022 school year by visiting www.davenportschools.org. Students enrolling in Kindergarten must be 5 years old on, or before, September 15, 2021. A parent or guardian’s home address is used to determine which Davenport Community School boundary they reside in for enrollment. To find a student’s “home school,” please visit www.davenportschools.org and click the “Find Your School” link in the right-hand column. Families of incoming Kindergarteners should plan to register at the Elementary School shown in the search results.

Kindergarten Roundup Dates & Links, by School:

• • Eisenhower
  • • March 4, at 12:30PM
  • • google.com/mkc-xcbg-xad
• • Fillmore
  • • March 11, at 3PM
  • • google.com/fkk-skyz-wms
• • McKinley
  • • March 4, at 1PM
  • • google.com/nge-vqim-taf
• • Walcott
  • • March 4, at 10AM
  • • google.com/myn-cyea-exv
• • Washington
  • • March 4, at 4PM
  • • google.com/nzk-iovn-tpa

Kindergarten Roundup information for Adams, Blue Grass, Buchanan, Buffalo, Garfield, Harrison, Hayes, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Truman, and Wilson will be available on the individual school’s websites and www.davenportschools.org as it becomes available.

• • Traducción Española
• • Traduction Française
• • Tafsiri ya Kiswahili
• • Bản dịch tiếng việt

Turn on Closed Captioning for the video by clicking the CC button in the lower right-hand corner of the video. View transcripts in additional languages below.

DCSD Families:

I want you to know, I’m proud of the progress that our District is making. We have all had to make changes in our lives as we’ve weathered the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve all learned to wear masks, wash our hands more, and maintain social distance. Vaccines are available, but the solution to this health crisis will take time. We must continue to work together to stay safe and healthy.

I want to thank the District’s families and students, and of course, all of our teachers and staff members, as we work together to Return To Learn. Some students have chosen to return to 100% In-Person Learning, while others have chosen 100% Online-Only. In either case, the District is committed to making this the best possible experience for everyone.

For students who are returning to classroom learning, we hope they will enjoy seeing old friends and meeting new ones. These students are required to wear their masks at school, all day and at all grade levels. They are also required to take home their school materials and Chromebooks each day, in case of bad weather.

For students riding our school buses, we will continue to make this experience safe and convenient. Unless students are contacted by the transportation department with new information, their pick-up times and locations remain the same. However, end-of-day drop-off times will take place 25 minutes later than usual. 

Again, I want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding, as we all Return To Learn. Be sure to visit our website regularly for updates on issues that affect our district families.

Thank you so much for being part of the Davenport Community School District.

Thank you,
TJ Schneckloth
Superintendent

Find the District’s full Return To Learn plan and resources here.

• • Traducción Española
• • Traduction Française
• • Tafsiri ya Kiswahili
• • Bản dịch tiếng việt

DCSD Families:

Beginning Monday, February 15, Davenport Community School District will welcome many students back to 100 percent in-person learning. As these students return to their classrooms, we hope they will enjoy seeing old friends and meeting new ones. There are a few details we would like to share with students and their families prior to Monday.

• • Mask wearing will be required at school, all day, and at all grade levels.
• • Students, please take home your school materials and Chromebooks each day in case of bad weather.
• • For those riding the school bus, unless you are contacted by transportation with new information, your pick-up time and location remain the same; however, end-of-day drop-off will take place 25 minutes later than usual. 

We look forward to seeing you on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Thank you,
TJ Schneckloth
Superintendent

DCSD Families: On February 8, 2021, the Davenport Community Schools Board of Education voted to enact a plan to offer virtual learning/remote learning to provide required student instruction during inclement weather days or other emergency days.  This applies when an entire day is impacted; early releases or late starts will not result in virtual learning being activated.  Through February 12, hybrid learning is still being offered; thus, we will require…
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DCSD Families:

Our families have through tomorrow, February 5, to decide which learning format is appropriate for their child(ren), either 100% online or 100% in-person.  To help you make your decision, we have outlined some very essential information.  There is detailed information on the Return to Learn Plan that discusses our many mitigation strategies, and we will continue to utilize those successful strategies. 

Upon returning to 100% face-to-face learning, the additional staff and students in our buildings will not allow us to maintain 6-foot social distancing in classrooms, hallways, and lunchrooms. As you make your decision about the best learning platform, it is essential that you understand that we will maintain the maximum social distancing possible and require mask-wearing at all times in classrooms and hallways.  We will also continue other mitigation strategies such as hand washing, hand sanitizing, and surface cleaning which have proven to be successful.

As we enter into the face-to-face learning model, we will continue to meet weekly with the Scott County Health Department.  They will help us determine if we need to request permission of the Iowa Department of Education to go to a remote learning model. The points to be considered when making that decision are community transmission rates, student and staff attendance, and our ability to provide high-quality face-to-face instruction.

We are very excited to see our students return to buildings.  I know you have been reaching out to building principals with your questions; please continue to do so.

Be well,
TJ Schneckloth, Superintendent

• • Traducción Española
• • Traduction Française
• • Tafsiri ya Kiswahili
• • Bản dịch tiếng việt

DCSD Families:

Learning Model Update:
The Iowa Legislature passed a bill Thursday evening requiring all Iowa schools to offer parents the option to choose in-person learning five days per week.  

Beginning February 15th, DCSD will shift from the hybrid learning model to 100% in-person learning.  The 100% online learning model will continue to be available to students currently in the program, and any new students who select this as their preferred learning model.

The Davenport Community Schools Board of Education will hear plan specifics at the Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, February 1, 2021.  An updated Return to Learn Plan will be released Tuesday discussing more details, such as bell schedules and health and safety guidelines, to help inform your decision.   

I suggest you spend some time this weekend considering what learning model is best for your student(s), either 100% in-person or 100% online.  You will have through February 5 to choose a learning model.  Please contact your child’s school to verify your learning model preference.

Thank you,
TJ Schneckloth, Superintendent

• • Traducción Española
• • Traduction Française
• • Tafsiri ya Kiswahili
• • Bản dịch tiếng việt

As the superintendent of the Davenport Community School District, I wanted to share a few thoughts regarding the pending HSB64 legislation, which renders us incapable of carrying out voluntary diversity plans. Diversity plans do not abolish open enrollment out. Rather, they work to balance open enrollment out, to discourage economic departure. Not allowing a district to implement a voluntary diversity, or desegregation, could inflict a negative impact upon the DCSD demographically, educationally, and fiscally. The current voluntary diversity policy is in effect for 5 districts within the State of Iowa, Davenport, Burlington, Des Moines, Waterloo, and Postville.

Each year, Davenport Community School District offers voluntary transfers within our district. This ensures that students have a choice in which schools they wish to attend. However, analysis of open enrollment out requests show that they are slanted toward students from families with high socio-economic status. If our ability to balance open enrollment requests is removed, we will become less diverse, with adverse socio-economic percentages. We are continually striving to improve the economic status of our school district and the community. We are proud of the efforts of our schools to place students on strong, reliable career paths – in such fields as manufacturing, engineering, computer science, health care, and more. The stability that we are working so hard to build within our district may be disrupted should the pending legislation pass.

 Moving forward with HSB64 legislation will bring additional challenges in an already challenging time. However, our district team is confident in our ability to continue offering real-world demographics and experiences in the Davenport Community School District.

Thank you

T.J. Schneckloth, Superintendent
Davenport Community School District
(563) 336-7407
schnecklotht@davenportschools.org

On Monday, January 25, 2021, the Davenport Community School Board approved a recommendation to have TJ Schneckloth serve as Superintendent of the Davenport Community School District, effective immediately.

A Message to Davenport Families from the Davenport Community School Board:

TJ Schneckloth grew up in Davenport, graduated from this District, and has a tremendous passion for ensuring this District is the best place for children to be educated in a safe and caring environment. He has taken on this challenge previously and is energized, committed and ready to take on the role.

Our biggest priority is and always has been our students. We have made many great strides over the past year and this work continues after last night’s Board decision.

TJ will continue to work swiftly and diligently to complete our corrective action plan and do everything that needs to be done to have a fresh start in the District. Every member of the District’s professional staff is 100% committed to this process and moving forward with diligence, accuracy and promptness with the full support and guidance from the Iowa Department of Education, as well as the State Board.

As of today, Tuesday, January 26, 2021, TJ Schneckloth will be taking over the role of Superintendent. He will be responsible for day-to-day operations and oversight of the District, but his primary focus will remain on taking action to complete the corrective action plan from the State Board.

TJ will continue to be open and transparent with Davenport families and with our community as a whole as we continue to Grow Excellence in the Davenport Community School District.

Thank you,
Davenport Community School Board