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Question centered around St. Theodore, Hollandale Christian students getting into district events with ID

A recent email and social media post garnered the attention of Albert Lea Area Schools Superintendent Ron Wagner. 

The post was a copy of a letter sent to Wagner in which a parent of a student currently attending St. Theodore Catholic School asked why students and families of the private school were not considered students of the district and therefore not given the privileges of other public school students.

“We live in and pay taxes in the district (most of which our children do not benefit from as private school students),” the post read. “Our children participate in District 241 extracurricular activities and athletics. We show our tiger pride with attendance and support of our student athletic competitions, clubs and performances. We cheer on our students and paint our faces and hair cherry and blue.”

The post went on to ask why students with St. Theodore student IDs did not have the same value as regular student IDs, and that because the school was a private school students were not afforded the same privileges, which included being able to attend school-sponsored events for free with student IDs.

“My initial reaction [to the post was], as a new superintendent, I need to be asking questions,” he said. “I need to be asking questions with curiosity, and I need to be asking questions for understanding.

“And then I need to bring it back to the information I receive. Is it centered in the values, and is it aligned with the values that we have here in Albert Lea?”

And if those values were not aligned, he wanted to ask what could be done differently to ensure what was said was practiced in the community.

So after speaking with leaders at both St. Theodore and Hollandale Christian School, he took action after learning about the comments. 

“It was a wonderful conversation,” Wagner said. “We started with the values that I have and we have here in Albert Lea, and that’s the value of students and the value of collaborations and community.”

He asked leaders at both schools what their past understanding was of the rules. He then asked what they could do moving forward to ensure support for students living within Freeborn County and those who would eventually become Albert Lea school district students.

“We came to the conclusion that the students will be identified at the gate as a St. Theodore student, and they will be admitted just like a student if they were going to any of our elementaries,” he said.

The procedure for St. Theodore students became effective as of Sept. 23.

After listening to Hollandale Christian Principal Susan Kozelsky earlier this week, the same procedure was implemented immediately.

“We will permit the students of Hollandale Christian, once they identify themselves as a student there or a staff member, to enter our activities free just as we would the students that attend Albert Lea schools,” he said.  

According to Wagner, Kozelsky planned to send an email out to families of students at Hollandale Christian.

The new procedure will apply to all school activities that Albert Lea students can already attend for free.

“But when you start getting down into an elementary school performance or some of the things that are … not under our school activities practice that we presented to the board, then it wouldn’t fall under that,” he said. 

He said the decisions were made because of the district’s focus on family and community, and that he knew students at both schools would eventually transition over to Albert Lea schools and felt those students were part of the community.

“In 2012, the board, there was a proposal that… students in 241 would receive — with their student ID — would receive free entrance into student activities,” Wagner said. “2012 was when that was initiated, so since then students in District 241, with their IDs, have been able to get into events.”

At Homecoming, the issue came up.

And that was an issue for families of children at St. Theodore and Hollandale Christian, who felt their children should be allowed free admittance.

He also wanted to clarify there was no new policy, with the ticketing procedure now a decade old and that nothing had changed.

“This was just voted in a consent agenda that there has been no new change in our procedure,” he said. “That was… back in Aug. 16, it was resurrected again.”

According to Wagner, St. Theodore and Hollandale Christian felt like they should also be afforded the same privilege, despite not being enrolled in Albert Lea Area Schools. 

He further added nothing was isolating either school.

“It’s stated very clearly that students that are in District 241 can get in with their student IDs,” he said. “So somehow that’s become a concern.”

Amanda Irvine has children at St. Theodore, and after reading the original Facebook post said she wanted to know why students at St. Theodore weren’t notified about the rule until Homecoming, despite having numerous games in different sports that already occurred and never having the issue. Because she has children who were too young to be affected by the rule when it was implemented, she also admitted she didn’t know the rule existed and was surprised to learn there was one.

“There were kids that still got in for being a kid in Albert Lea in the Albert Lea district,” she said. “St. Theodore’s and Hollandale Christian schools only go through fifth grade, and then they go to junior high at the district, so I guess my thoughts on that is that they eventually bleed into the district and are future Tigers. Why would you not want to support that and encourage these young kids to be part of cheering on the older kids in the district?”

She also noted some of them have older siblings already in the district.

“It’s important, I think, for our district,” she said. “It’s shrunken a lot over the years and I think it’s important to encourage these youth to participate and participate in things that are positive. So why wouldn’t you want them out at a football game cheering on their peers?”

She said it was important for Albert Lea to draw as many fans as they could, and said it looked good to see stands full and that younger children seeing older athletes mirroring a good example was good and that it could encourage them to participate in athletics or extracurriculars.

“It looks good when the stands are filled with red and blue,” she said. “Just the positive, good athletes that are in the district showing, setting good examples for the younger kids, and the younger kids getting excited to [think] maybe they’ll be a future Tiger athlete, or star band member or whatever.

“And with a shrinking district, I think it’s important to get kids involved. And just for the community to work together and be inclusive to all.”