Cedar Rapids schools within the districts are expected to increase security on Election Day

CEDAR RAPIDS — Security will be increased Tuesday at six schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District that serve as polling places on Election Day.

Linn-Mar and Iowa City counties opted not to hold schools on Election Day to accommodate increased traffic at schools that county auditors designated as district locations.

Cedar Rapids district spokeswoman Heather Butterfield said the district wants students to be in the classroom as much as possible, including on Election Day. Placing districts in public schools – required by law because they are taxpayer-funded facilities – is also an opportunity for students to see civic engagement in action.

“We see this as an incredible learning opportunity for them to be able to connect what they learn in the classroom around elections to real life,” Butterfield said, adding that one of the district’s goals is to engage students in community education and registered voters after they graduate studies.

“We hope that these children will grow up, see voting take place, see the community come together to make decisions, and when they turn 18, register to vote and maybe even return to their school as a polling place to vote. ”that civic engagement,” Butterfield said.

The Linn County Auditor’s Office will place a sheriff’s deputy at each of the six schools to provide an “additional level of security,” Butterfield said.

Cedar Rapids schools serving as districts are Wright Elementary, Maple Grove Elementary, Erskine Elementary, West Willow Elementary, Cleveland Elementary and Washington High.

The district also canceled evening classes Tuesday, with the exception of before- and after-school care provided by Champions.

Linn County Auditor Joel Miller said the law requires election officials to prioritize government buildings as districts because they are taxpayer-funded and don’t cost the county additional dollars. To ensure accessibility, precinct locations must meet the latest requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. That excludes many school buildings that were compliant when they were built but no longer met today’s standards, Miller said.

Miller expressed his desire for districts not to close schools on Election Day to “free up additional schools that could serve as polling places” and reduce security concerns. He estimated that 1,500 people could pass through any given area.

“It’s even more important when parents bring their children to vote,” Miller said. “It’s one thing for a government teacher to talk about voting, but the most effective way to engage and engage students is for students to lead by example and fulfill their civic duty to vote in elections,” he said.

“Linn-Mar took the wise route and decided on working days on November 4 and 5,” he said.

Linn-Mar spokeswoman Renee Nelson said this is the first year the district has changed its calendar to align with Election Day.

Four of the buildings — Excelsior Middle, Indian Creek Elementary, Boulder Peak Intermediate and Linn Grove Elementary — are district land, as opposed to only one building used as district land in the past.

Monday and Tuesday will be staff professional learning days and student-free days in the Linn-Mar district.

“This change allows us to limit student presence in our buildings at a time when voters and the general public have broader, more unfettered access to our buildings,” Nelson said.

Iowa City County spokeswoman Kristin Pedersen said this is the third year the district has not held activities on Election Day.

“We made this decision because most of our schools are district schools,” she said.

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