KEARNEY — It was announced that 32-year Kearney High School teacher Jeff Shield will retire at the end of the 2023-2024 school year during the Kearney school board meeting on Monday, Oct. 9.
Shield is the Skilled and Technical Science Teacher, Construction Technology Teacher and SkillsUSA advisor at KHS.
Melissa Herrmann, Human Resources with KPS said Shield will leave “big shoes” to fill.
As the teacher of Construction Technology, Shield has helped his students build at least 32 houses in the community.
The school board members moved to accept Shield’s resignation at the end of the year “with regret,” and thanked him for his years of service to Kearney students.
During the presentation sections, Tracy Schall, Glenwood Elementary principal, spoke about the STEM carts that had been created for the elementary students.
Schall said grant funds had been used to purchase the STEM items from CR Toys in Kearney. She said they have been a “huge hit,” with the students.
Teachers and staff worked to fill 20 plastic totes with the materials over the summer. The totes are passed between the different schools, so everyone has access at some point in the year.
In addition to the hands-on skills the students learn, they also get the benefits of cooperation and collaboration with their classmates as they problem solve and think creatively.
During regular agenda items, the board approved an option enrollment resolution for the 2024-2025 school year.
There were also two executive sessions held, one for negotiations and strategy discussions with respect to 2024-2025 collective bargaining and the other to prevent needless injury to the reputation of an individual.
During the public comment period, Kearney resident Brooke Ritter alleged that certain books on the shelves of Kearney Public Schools libraries contain what she considers pornography.
The only book title Ritter referenced was “Lawn Boy,” a 2018 novel by Jonathan Evison that tells the story of Mike Muñoz, a young adult Mexican American who has faced hardship ever since his childhood and is now going through a phase of self-discovery.
The book has been the target of controversy and censorship in the United States. In 2022, the American Library Association reported it was the seventh-most-banned and challenged book in the country due to its inclusion of LGBT+ content and being considered by some to be sexually explicit.
Ritter referenced no other titles but said these types of books shouldn’t be available to Kearney students.
In December 2022, the KPS board voted unanimously to deny two book ban requests.
