CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) will be discontinuing the use of seclusion in all buildings and programs after reaching an agreement with the Department of Justice. The agreement was reached following an investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which included a collection of over 10,000 documents, numerous interviews with District administrators and staff, and site visits to several District schools. The DOJ did not identify any specific incident, complaint, child, or school as being the source of the ongoing review. The District will also be making significant changes to limit the use of physical restraint and to rethink how student behavior is analyzed and responded to. The District said it believes this agreement will lead to further improvements that will benefit all students. The changes take effect on October 10.
MARION, Iowa (KCRG) – A federal judge has denied a request that would have temporarily blocked Linn-Mar from following its gender support policy. The school board passed the policy last April after heated school board meetings with parents and community members on both sides of the issue. At those meetings parents expressed anger at what they saw as being cut out of their child’s education and health decisions. Critics argued those views were transphobic and that the policy protects transgender students who might not otherwise feel safe expressing their identity and emotions. Linn-Mar has said the policy simply formalized what school staff were already practicing to support transgender students in order to comply with state and federal laws. That policy allows students to create a gender support plan that, among other things, requires staff and students to address a child by a new name or gender identity pronouns, change the child’s name on government documents, use the restroom and locker room matching the child’s gender identity, and participate in sports programs that match their gender identity. Part of the policy notes that staff would not notify parents of this gender support plan or gender identity without the student’s consent. The lawsuit asserts the policy violates the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of students who hold beliefs about biological sex by forcing them to affirm the beliefs of administrators and fellow students. It also notes examples of students with special needs where parents worry the students could be confused and start a gender identity plan without parental knowledge or be punished for not following the policy. It also claims the policy violates the 14th Amendment of parents in regards to their right to know what actions Linn-Mar is taking with their child.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Following an investigation, Cedar Rapids Police have made an arrest in connection with the April shooting death of 36-year-old Dustin Frondle. On April 25th, 2022, officers responded to a report of gunshots in the area of 12th Avenue SW and Auburn Drive Southwest where they found Frondle unresponsive and lying in the intersection with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Now, police have arrested 43-year-old Marlon Jackson. He’s been charged with Involuntary Manslaughter, Possession of Firearm as a Felon, Giving False Information when Applying for a Permit to Acquire. Giving False Information when Acquiring a Firearm, Reckless Use of a Firearm, and Use of a Dangerous Weapon in the Commission of a Crime. This is an ongoing investigation.
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (KCCI) – A Marshalltown man said he was wrongly detained and a stun gun was used on him by a police officer. Now, he’s suing the department. In court filings, Elder Soto Tejada said in March, Marshall County police Officer Ryan Dehl followed Tejeda to his home to discuss a traffic violation. Documents show Dehl tased Tejada twice after he walked away from the officer. Tejada’s lawyers said he was not threatening or hostile to the officer during the encounter, and argues Dehl violated Tejada’s civil rights. Criminal records show Tejada was ticketed for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.
