North Shore News Hour

An emergency page went out to the Lutsen and Tofte fire departments and the North Shore Ambulance at 5:11 p.m. on Sunday, March 28. A caller had reported seeing smoke coming from the Isak Hansen Hardware store. 

The first Lutsen firefighter on the scene reported smoke coming out of a light fixture on the upper part of the two-story building, but no fire. There were remnants of a burned lightbulb on the ground. 

Lutsen firefighters erected ladders to reach the light fixture and removed a sign below the light to find that the siding was smoldering. The Tofte Fire Department arrived with its ladder truck and assisted. Firefighters worked together to remove the siding and discovered a small fire in the building's insulation. 

Lutsen Fire Chief Paul Goettl said the siding and insulation covered a cinderblock wall, so firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the flames. 

Firefighters entered the store to ensure there was no smoke and fire inside the building and there was not. Goettl said the only damage to the interior of the building was some water that came through while the exterior fire was being extinguished. 
Once the fire was extinguished, the Lutsen Fire Department used its thermal imaging camera to ensure there were no "hot spots." 

The fire was out and all emergency responders were clear of the scene by 6:15 p.m. 

School District 166 held a special meeting yesterday (March 25) with one agenda item: strategic planning.

In light of the recent closed meeting held on March 10, WTIP contacted School Board Chair Dan Shirley, asking if there would be further discussion of the decisions made then. Shirley said this latest meeting was to focus solely on strategic planning.

The March 10 meeting was held to consider “allegations or charges against individuals subject to the School Board’s authority.”

When the school board reconvened, there was only the briefest statement made. At that meeting, Shirley stated simply that the school board is working on this issue and will continue to do so. He did not explain what he meant by “this issue.”

WTIP followed up with School District 166, asking for more information in accordance with MN Statue 13.43, which states that information conducted in a closed meeting regarding staff is public once an investigation is completed. The statute states what information may be released:  The existence and status of any complaints or charges against the employee; whether or not the complaint or charge resulted in disciplinary action; the final disposition of any disciplinary action; the specific reasons for the disciplinary action.

Principal and Acting Superintendent Megan Myers referred the question to School Board Chair Shirley, who wrote to WTIP:

“I did receive your inquiry and appreciate you asking these questions. There are many complexities around the questions you ask as they pertain to Minnesota Statutes.

It's my obligation to protect the privacy of individuals as much as the statutes provide for. It is my duty to insulate the school district from any legal liability for not following these same statutes.

I also understand there is significant public interest in the answers to the questions that you ask, so I will do my best to provide as much information as I can at this time. On or about January 14, 2021, the School District received complaint(s) about Mr. Dorr.

The School District conducted an independent investigation into the complaint and the investigation is now complete. At the present time, there is no further data classified as public about the complaint pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 13.43, subdivision 2.

During the special Board meeting on March 10, the Board closed the meeting to consider preliminary allegations against Mr. Dorr. At the present time, there are no documents about the investigation that are public.

The strategic planning session scheduled for March 25 is not related to this matter in any way.”

That was the case, as the March 25 special meeting focused specifically on the administrative structure of the school in light of Superintendent Dr. Bill Crandall's extended leave of absence due to health issues. The school board spent over two hours in a work session using the SWOT method, looking at current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the school district. There was considerable discussion of pros and cons of a number of topics, but was primarily focused on whether or not the school district wanted to continue with the current administrative set-up, which is sharing a superintendent with Lake County schools.

The school board agreed to each come up with their ideas of the best model for the administrative roles at the school. 

The board agreed to have another special meeting to enable the board to make a decision on this at the April 15 regular school board meeting.

School District 166 held its regular monthly meeting Thursday, March 18. WTIP's Rhonda Silence spoke with  Principal Megan Myers about actions taken at the meeting, noting the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in Cook County. WTIP asked Principal Myers what impact this will have on the school's current education model. 

Myers said she appreciated the opportunity to explain why the school can continue in the hybrid model, despite the uptick in COVID-19 cases. She said the school looks at more than the number of cases in the county. Myers said there are other factors because the state "Safe Learning Plan" guidelines have changed.

Schools are now asked to look at how cases are affecting the school--are there students, teachers, or staff in quarantine because of exposure? Has anyone affiliated with the school tested positive? As of March 19, Myers said there are no teachers or students quarantined or ill with COVID-19. 

Myers noted that the school will be on Spring Break March 22 - 26. She urged families to take care during the break. If they travel they need to do so as carefully as possible and they need to be prepared to isolate when they return, if necessary. 

No more snow days? 
In somewhat related news, the school board discussed "E-Learning Days," which will happen if there is a need to cancel school. If school is cancelled because of weather or some other issue, the school district is building "E-Learning Days" into the school calendar. Teachers will be prepared to do distance learning on those days. 

Board approves an anaphylaxis policy
The School Board heard from the school nurse, RN Alex Miller, who proposed adding an anaphylaxis policy for the school. There is currently no policy in place for students or staff who may have anaphylaxis and do not have an epi-pen with them. Miller proposed having some epi-pens on hand to be used in an emergency. The nurse's office would see that the epi-pens are monitored and kept up-to-date. The board accepted her recommendation and this policy will be enacted at the school. 

Lunch open campus for 10-12th grades
A subject that has been controversial in years past--open campus for students over the lunch hour--was discussed at length. It was noted that students have been working on their own, establishing their own schedules, and showing responsibility with distance learning. Principal Myers said it may be difficult for these students who have been very independent for almost a year to suddenly be confined to the school building over the lunch hour. 

Myers also added that allowing some students to leave the school campus over the lunch hour also lessens some of the issues with having enough space to socially distance while eating. 

The school board had many questions about how it would work. Myers explained that this is something that will be available for 10-12th grades for students in good standing. 

Assistant Principal Mitch Dorr said he had contacted the local businesses who might be visited over the lunch hour to see if they had concerns. He said none of the businesses were concerned and they would welcome the students. Dorr added that throughout the pandemic when he had seen students downtown, at Subway, for example, the students were following CDC COVID-19 guidelines. He said he was very proud of the behavior of ISD 166 students that he had seen at local businesses. 

In other business:
* The school had another report from the student School Board representative Olivia Nesgoda. 

Assistant Principal Mitch Dorr gave kudos to two Cook County athletes--Kalina Dimitrova and Arianna Poirer. Kalina went to the State Alpine meet and did very well. Arianna Poirer recently made her 1,000th basket as a CCHS Viking basketball team member. 

* Assistant Principal Dorr also asked for authorization to hire an additional softball coach for this year. He said it would be helpful to have an adult available to screen players for COVID-19 and to work with students in smaller groups at practices. 

* Principal Myers also recognized the members of the Cook County robotics team. She said "Team Ice Storm" has not been able to compete this year, but they are still meeting and building robots. She said the team will be doing a robotics demonstration for the elementary school. She commended the seniors who have been on the robotics team for several years, John VanderHeiden and Patrick Pierre. 

* Dorr also said he has been reaching out to all of the parents of seniors, to discuss plans for graduation this year. He also said a date has been set for prom. The date selected will be April 17, but he added there are still details to work out on that. 

* The school board also gave the final approval of its Indian Policies and Procedures (IPP). This has been discussed and reviewed at the last few meetings with some changes made. The Local Indian Education Committee (LIEC) has endorsed the latest draft. 

WTIP's Rhonda Silence spoke with Principal/Acting Superintendent Megan Myers about all this and more. 

At recent meetings of the Grand Marais City Council and the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority, work gets under way for an improved boat launch at the Grand Marais Recreation Park this summer. Because of that, the tiny animal shelter in the Grand Marais Campground has to be removed. 

No official action has been taken by the city, county or EDA regarding the movement of the dog pound. Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux told Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen has taken the lead on getting a new animal shelter constructed. 

The temporary plan for caring for stray animals is to house them in the garage at the law enforcement center. 

WTIP's Rhonda Silence checked in with Sheriff Eliasen, who is the county's Animal Control Officer, to learn a bit more.