Rumor Has It

Lakota takes seriously its obligation to be transparent when it comes to communicating public information to the larger community. Some of the ways we fulfill this responsibility include: 

• Regular district publications that report on curricular updates, financial standings and other district initiatives, including but not limited to the district's Quality Profile, Financial Prospectus, monthly e-newsletter and other community mailers.
• A robust district website, and 22 school websites, that make available news, events, financial reports, policies and procedures, and more.
• Lakota Listens is an online tool to help our community get accurate information and answers and also resolve problems in a caring and professional manner. 
• A clear process for requesting and receiving public records about the district and its activities.
• Online learning platforms, like Canvas and Seesaw, which allow parents to access specific lessons and assignments our teachers use to follow Ohio's learning standards. 
• About 70 active social media accounts for sharing daily news and happenings within our schools and district.
• District-level parent engagement groups, like the District Parent Council and President's Council, that keep the district accountable by asking questions and taking information back to their school communities. 
• Regular Community Conversations and board committee meetings, as well as regular monthly board meetings with an opportunity for public comment (not required by law). 

This is neither true nor possible. With the fast-paced world of internet reporting, it should be noted that news outlets utilize something that is referred to as iterative reporting. This means that the initial story that is posted to a website will include very little information and will be updated as more information becomes available. Typically, a reader can see “updated” and a date or time under the journalist’s name on articles updated in this way. Additionally, when updated, a journalist or the media outlet may choose to change the story’s headline as they see fit.

The district's social media platforms, which include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIN, are spaces we created to celebrate our students and staff and engage with our community in a positive and productive manner. We encourage our community to comment, like and share our posts to help communicate the great things that are happening in our district.

In order to keep the spirit of the pages in tact, we ask that our visitors follow our social media terms of use. When any of the terms of use are violated, we reserve the right to hide or delete the comment or post. We will ban users if comments are repeated, frequent violations of our terms of use or if they endanger others.

For district-level inquiries, feedback and concerns, we encourage our community to visit our Lakota Listens webpage.

The traditional Lakota logo was established in 2001. Historical documentation confirms that the most iconic part of the logo - the lines coming from both sides and meeting in the middle as a swirl inside the "O" of Lakota -  is intended to depict "coming together," which is the meaning of the word Lakota. Additionally, the graphic has a Native American feel, which represents the heritage that Lakota has adopted. 

In more recent years, the district has honored the logo's longstanding definition with the frequent use of our district motto (and hashtag), "WE are Lakota," established by community-wide social media poll in 2017. In its graphic form, "WE are Lakota" retains the logo's swirl to emphasize the message of unity between our Eastside and Westside schools.

Critical Race Theory, commonly referred to as CRT, is a graduate-level course and is not part of the Ohio Department of Education’s kindergarten-twelfth grade curriculum that Lakota must follow. 

Our curriculum team, along with our superintendent, has addressed specific concerns from parents in the past and will continue to do so. This relates to CRT and any other concern a parent may have with regard to specific lessons and assignments.

As an added step to ensure that CRT is not being taught in our schools, the Lakota Board of Education has approved a curriculum audit that will focus on CRT. The parameters of how the audit will be conducted have not been finalized at this time. However, the district will share this information, along with the results of the audit, with the community as it becomes available.

Questions regarding curriculum should first be directed to the specific teacher or building administrator. If further questions or concerns arise, please contact our curriculum department through Lakota Listens.
 

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has been a part of Lakota's health curriculum for many years. In 2019, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released its strategic plan, through which SEL was identified as one of “four equal learning domains'' along with Foundational Knowledge & Skills, Well-Rounded Content, and Leadership & Reasoning. At the time, ODE also adopted Social Emotional Learning standards for K-12 schools to follow like they do all the core learning standards. Ohio’s SEL standards lean heavily on the framework developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

Decades of research studies demonstrate that SEL improves students’ social emotional skills, attitudes, relationships, academic performance, and perceptions of classroom and school climate.  Studies also show that SEL causes a decline in students’ anxiety, behavior problems, and substance abuse.

For our younger students, SEL is part of the specials rotation for all early childhood and elementary students. Through this program, Lakota students acquire and apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals. They also learn to feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. 

At the secondary level, SEL supports like in-school therapists, mental health and wellness groups, and college and career readiness tools, for example, focus on the self-awareness subset of ODE's SEL standards. 

Learn more about Lakota's approach to Social Emotional Learning at all grade levels. 

The learning standards that Lakota teachers follow is available for anyone to review on the Ohio Department of Education’s website. Parents have access to view specific lessons and assignments our teachers use to follow these standards at any time through our online learning platforms, such as Canvas or Seesaw.

Questions regarding curriculum should be directed to the specific teacher or building administrator to start. If further questions or concerns arise, please contact our curriculum department through Lakota Listens.
 

The timing for a potential bond issue has not yet been determined.

A ballot initiative in the form of a bond issue - different from an operating levy - will eventually be necessary to help secure the local funding required to carry out the Board-approved facilities plan. Requesting new resources from our community through a ballot initiative requires significant due diligence. The timing will be dependent on many different factors and a lot of work remains before taking this step. 

Now that the Board has approved a final plan, the committee is working on the logistics and the specific design of its facilities alongside its architects - all factors that will further fine tune the total project cost. A timeline for securing funding will be established after the completion of this work. 

In anticipation of the District’s facilities plan, Lakota’s finance leadership has also been laying the groundwork to ease the burden on the taxpayers as much as possible when the time comes to secure local funding. The last time the district was on the ballot was in 2013.

Visit the Master Facilities Plan website for more information, including a comprehensive FAQ. 

Implementation of the facilities plan cannot begin until funding has been secured and a detailed plan and timeline has been approved by the Board. 

The original timeline for Lakota's Master Facilities Plan noted phase one of the multi-year implementation would take place in 2024 through 2026, with phase two taking place from 2027 through 2037. This timeline would be adjusted according to the timing of a passed bond issue, which is dependent on many different factors and will be determined by the Board.

The approved plan to be implemented over the span of 10+ years does call for the decommissioning of 10 total schools, in accordance with the ratings and recommendations of the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC). It also includes the construction of two new high schools and one new K-6 school. Following the Board's decision to pursue this option, the logistics and timeline for executing this massive plan are now being discussed and built out in detail by the MFP committee.

Visit the Master Facilities Plan website for more information, including a comprehensive FAQ. 

As a public school district, Lakota cannot collect more money in taxes for our general operating and permanent improvement funds, called millage, than our voters approve. In fact, Lakota’s taxpayers paid less tax millage to the schools in 2021 than they paid in 2012 for the operating and permanent improvement funds.

The last time Lakota was on the ballot was in 2013. 
 

Lakota Local Schools has not been on the ballot since 2013. Additionally, the most recent five-year forecast does not include the need for a general operating levy.
 

House Bill 290, better known as the "Backpack Bill," was introduced in May 2021 and is currently under review by the House Finance Committee. The bill proposes that state funds to support public education instead follow each K-12 student to the chartered or non-chartered private school of their choice or to receive home instruction beginning in FY24.

The education scholarship, or "voucher", would be issued in the amount of $5,500 for a K-8 student and $7,500 for a high school student via an Education Savings Account (ESA). Preliminary estimates indicate that the voucher program would cost more than $1 billion annually for just those students currently homeschooled and attending private schools.

This will undoubtedly impact Lakota's total revenues without proportionately eliminating expenses associated with students attending other schools, forcing the district to rely more heavily on our local tax base to help make up the difference. Furthermore, there is no indication that the proposed bill would require non-public schools to meet the same state mandates, such as testing and special services, that is required of public schools to qualify for state funding. 

Sponsor testimony and Q&A from the hearing is scheduled for Feb. 15, 2022. 

The Lakota Board of Education considered all the facts and went to extreme measures to thoroughly review allegations made against the superintendent. The Board first learned about the allegations on Aug. 17, 2022. These allegations were made by a third party and relied heavily on second- and third-hand information and did not come from an eyewitness. In addition, the documents provided could not be verified, nor were they presented in full or in context.

Following the investigation by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, who consulted with the county prosecutor and concluded no criminal charges, the Board hired an independent agency to conduct its own investigation. This included a complete forensic examination of the superintendent’s professional and personal devices. No evidence of wrongdoing was found.

Finally, the superintendent was evaluated by an independent psychiatrist for a fit for duty evaluation. The psychiatrist concluded that he is unreservedly fit for duty.

It should also be noted that the additional steps taken by the Board in this matter were fully supported by the superintendent. The complete statement, which the board president read at the Nov. 21, 2022 school board meeting and was supported by four of the five board members, can be found on our website.
 

One of the district’s attorneys requested that Hennes Communications consult with the district in the fall of 2020 regarding a situation involving a former school board member. The district did not hire the firm, nor has it consulted with or utilized the services of Hennes since then.