IASB Convention 2024

There is no better window into a community than sportsmanship. It's deeply woven into a district's culture, and is a reflection of everyone from athletes and the student body, to coaches, school staff, and the community. It only takes one incident to see that improving sportsmanship takes a community-wide effort. In recent years, Waverly-Shell Rock has taken steps to do just that. Come hear from board members, students, coaches, and local broadcasters on how their district took actionable steps to improve sportsmanship within their community.

No one expects to be the site of the next school shooting, and no one believes it could ever happen in their district. What happens when it does? Proactive preparation for such an unlikely event is essential. The journey beyond the event and the question of "Where do we go from here?" has become all too familiar for school districts. The Recovery Journey for Perry Schools offers key strategies and steps that schools can implement to navigate this difficult path. By the end of the session, participants will be able to identify proactive training and approaches to manage a tragedy, including recognizing key areas of support, implementing communication strategies, and adopting strategies to support social-emotional needs of students, staff, and the community.

A high-performing district has a clear purpose: ensuring high levels of learning for all students. When everyone shares a passion for education, how can we build team synergy to align agendas and ideals, so our district functions as a cohesive unit? Join Keynoter Anthony Muhammad as he explores the theoretical framework he designed for developing a collaborative culture.

Despite the deconstruction of Chapter 20 and increasing political pressures, Iowa City Schools has been able to maintain strong employee–management relationships through collaborative bargaining practices that focus on taking care of people while also being fiscally responsible. During this session, gain knowledge and perspective on how the importance and positive impact of maintaining a robust collective bargaining agreement benefited their school board and district, even when not required under state law.

Discover how you can harness the power of social media to build connections with your stakeholders, improve transparency and trust, and share the successes of your school district. Join Waukee Community School District's Executive Director of Communications Kayla Choate and Board Member Armel Traore dit Nignan as they talk about the role of the district and school board members on social media. They will share practical strategies, best practices, and real-life success stories. You will learn actionable steps and tools to build your personal social media presence while supporting your district and engaging with your community.

Welcome to IASB's newest resource for districts, the IASB Student Handbook Toolkit! This free resource for IASB members is a template for customizing a student handbook for your school district or school attendance centers. The handbook is updated yearly and responsively to reflect recent changes to state and federal laws. In this session, IASB Legal Services Director Anna Harmon will explore the toolkit and how to use it to best meet your district's needs.

Safety and security of students and staff are among the highest priorities for school districts today. To create a safe environment, school security must go beyond the basics for a holistic approach that blends security strategies with technology. A holistic approach evaluates everything from school layouts, to visitor management systems, to districtwide security strategies. In this session, you'll learn how to understand the difference between safety and security and gain valuable strategies to help mitigate vulnerabilities and manage your campus footprint. Get ready to approach school security with a plan that considers your districts facilities, environment, culture, and community!