Superintendent's Message for September 2026

SUPERINTENDENT MESSAGE 

September 2026

Hello, Chargers!!

A Great Start to the 2026–27 School Year!

Dear Chariton Community School District Families,

What a great start to the 2026–27 school year! Our buildings are full of energy, our students are settling into routines, and our staff has worked incredibly hard to make the opening of school a positive experience for everyone.

I want to thank our parents and families for the role you play in making our schools successful. Your partnership with our teachers and staff is an important part of helping our students learn, grow, and thrive.

Attendance Matters!

As we get further into the school year, I want to emphasize one of the most important things families can do to support student success: make school attendance a priority.

Every school day matters. When students are in school consistently, they have more opportunities to learn, build relationships with teachers and classmates, participate in activities, and stay on track academically. Even occasional absences can add up over time and create challenges for students.

Please make every effort to have your child at school and on time each day. We also understand that illnesses and other circumstances sometimes make absences unavoidable. Our goal is to partner with families and support students when attendance becomes a challenge.

Iowa continues to place a strong emphasis on reducing chronic absenteeism. Under Iowa's attendance requirements, schools are expected to work with families when attendance concerns arise, including holding student engagement meetings when non-exempt absences exceed 15% of scheduled school days or hours during a grading period. These conversations are intended to identify barriers to attendance and determine how the school and family can work together to support the student.

Our goal is simple: We want every student in school, ready to learn, every day they possibly can be.

Four Day Week Conversation

This topic remains on both my radar and the School Board’s radar. We want to make sure we take the time necessary to thoroughly review the information and feedback we have received and have a thoughtful, informed conversation about what a four-day school week could mean for our students, staff, families, and the district as a whole.

Thank you for your patience and, most importantly, for continuing to share your thoughts and perspectives. Your feedback matters, and I will keep you informed as we move forward with this discussion. 

New Iowa Education Laws

This school year also brings several new Iowa laws that impact our schools. Our administrative team and staff are working through the requirements and determining how they will be implemented in the Chariton Community School District.

I want to provide a brief overview of three laws you may hear more about this year:

Senate File 2428 — Student Behavior and Discipline

This legislation expands and clarifies procedures schools use when students cause violent or nonviolent disruptions. It establishes processes for removing a student from a classroom when a disruption occurs and includes additional requirements related to special education, IEP teams, professional development, and student behavior supports. We are working through the requirements to ensure our practices continue to support both a safe learning environment and the individual needs of our students.

House File 2676 — Iowa Make America Healthy Again Act (MAHA)

This legislation includes several provisions affecting schools, including requirements related to school foods and beverages and student instructional technology. One provision limits digital instruction for students in kindergarten through fifth grade to no more than 60 minutes per school day, with certain exemptions. School districts are also required to adopt and publish a Student Instructional Technology Use Policy for grades K–5.

Senate File 2220 — Instructional Quality

This legislation includes several changes related to instructional quality and student opportunities. Among the changes, districts must develop middle school advanced mathematics pathways designed to help students be prepared for and master Algebra I by the end of ninth grade at the latest. Beginning in 2027, students in grade 4 and above who demonstrate advanced performance on statewide assessments in English language arts and/or mathematics will be automatically enrolled in the next most rigorous course or program, with families having the ability to opt out. The law also changes the administration of the high school science assessment and strengthens gifted and talented program requirements.

These are just brief summaries of some of the changes. Each piece of legislation includes additional requirements, and some provisions have implementation timelines extending into future school years.

Our administrative team and school board are working through these changes carefully with our staff and using guidance from the Iowa Department of Education. We will continue to provide more information to our families as implementation details develop and as these changes directly impact our students and classrooms.

Thank You for Your Partnership

As we move into the heart of the school year, I want to thank our parents, grandparents, guardians, and community members for your continued support of our students and our schools.

A successful school district is built on strong partnerships between students, families, staff, and our community. We are fortunate to have so many people who care deeply about the success of Chariton students.

Thank you for trusting us with your children and for being an important part of our school community.

GO CHARGERS and THINK BIG!

Mr. Baker
Superintendent
Chariton Community School District
#LBE Office: 641-774-5967  Cell: 641-202-1316

Please visit our website at https://www.charitonschools.org/ for additional information about our school district. 

GO CHARGERS and THINK BIG !!!!  

Mr. Baker, #LBE

Phone - 641-774-5967

Email- brad.baker@chariton.k12.ia.us