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Waterloo Local officials say school year is off to a strong start; October county drill planned
Summary
Superintendent and principals reported a smooth opening week, praised improvements to arrival/dismissal and a new cell‑phone policy, and said a large October safety drill with Portage County EMA will take place on a staff day.
Superintendent said the district is “off to a good start,” thanking families for patience with revised drop‑off and pick‑up procedures and reporting that students have largely complied with a new cell‑phone policy that has increased student‑staff interaction in common spaces.
The junior/senior high principal described a recent fire drill that cleared the building in roughly three minutes and announced a larger October drill — on a staff day with no students present — to be coordinated with Portage County EMA and local first responders. The principal said the county exercise will simulate a more serious event, allow mutual assistance between nearby schools and help standardize responses across the county.
“We always practice fire drills, tornado drills; the last drill of the year they will simulate something bigger so we know what to do,” the junior/senior high principal said, describing previous experiences where lack of practice caused confusion.
Elementary leadership echoed the focus on safety and reported arrival/dismissal improvements: more than 100 cars and about 125 students are being moved in roughly 20 minutes, the principal said, calling the process “a huge collaborative effort.” The elementary principal also thanked the school counselor, Mrs. Nicely, and staff who read to classrooms and reinforced the district’s expectations for student behavior.
Both principals outlined other early‑year programs. The junior/senior high principal said the district has launched a two‑year AD career pathway (six juniors are enrolled), started CBI placements for hands‑on job training, and continued credit‑recovery options through the Jefferson County BLA to reduce costs. The elementary principal announced school picture day (Sept. 24), a Camp Fitch trip for sixth graders (Oct. 27–29) and bus‑evacuation drills scheduled Sept. 17–19.
District leaders said they debrief after each drill with first responders to identify strengths and areas for improvement and will communicate follow‑up actions to staff and families.
The discussion closed with administrators urging continued community support and readiness as the school year progresses; no formal board action was required for these operational updates.
