Bettendorf board certifies election results; boundary‑policy debate raises language question
Summary
The Bettendorf board unanimously certified Scott County auditor results for the recent school board election, then debated final boundary‑policy language including an exchange about whether to remove language referencing gender identity; a roll call on the policy recorded mixed yes/no votes in the captured transcript.
The Bettendorf Community School District board on Nov. 13 voted to accept the Scott County Auditor's certified results, which the motion listed as certifying Eric Ingalls, Jessica Witter and Brian Hanson as elected directors and identifying Michelle Bruning (as spelled in the motion) to fill a vacancy.
A motion to accept the auditor's certification was moved and seconded; the board conducted a roll‑call vote and the chair recorded "Motion carried 7 0." The motion text read in the meeting transcript: "move that we approve the Scott County auditor's office as the official results of the school board election certifying Eric Ingalls, Jessica Witter, and Brian Hanson as the elected directors, and Michelle Bruning as elected director to fill the vacancy." (Motion and second were recorded in the meeting transcript.)
Later in the same meeting the board considered a final boundary policy. One board member raised a question about whether wording referencing "gender equity" or "gender identity" should be removed from paragraph 7 of the policy, calling it a "good catch" and asking whether the board should amend the language. Staff answered that the wording in front of the board reflected IASB (Iowa Association of School Boards) recommended wording, that the board could discuss adding or amending language, and that some boards have adopted policies with the wording included.
The board took a roll call on the boundary policy; the recorded sequence in the transcript shows mixed answers (for example, Director Larkin and Director Lynch recorded "Yes," while one roll‑call entry shows Director Madyne Brink "No" and Director Castro "No"). The transcript capture contains duplicate or unclear name entries during the roll call and does not show a clear declaration of the final motion outcome in the segments provided.
The boundary‑policy discussion included no textual amendment recorded in the captured transcript; no statutory citation or ordinance number was introduced during this exchange. The board proceeded to other communications and planned a short break before reconvening.
