Durant (Iowa) Community School District

The Durant School District is a public school district in Cedar County, Iowa. Based in Durant, it spans areas of southeastern Cedar County, northeastern Muscatine County and western Scott County.

Durant consists of a high school, a junior high school and elementary school, all located in a centrally located building in Durant. The district is governed by a five-member board of directors, which meets monthly at the district's administration center in Durant. The superintendent is Duane Bennett.

The district is a participant in a whole-grade sharing agreement with the nearby Bennett Community School District.[2] Each district is responsible for its own elementary school, while Bennett sends its junior high and high school students to Durant. This agreement has been in place since the 2005-2006 school year.

The school district is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and the Iowa Department of Education.

In the fall of 2009, Durant High School principal Monica Rouse was placed on administrative leave, beginning years of turmoil in the Durant community. Durant school officials cited a failure on Rouse's part to maintain accurate student records, a lack of professional judgement and inability to be a positive leader or role model; and the school board agreed to consider firing Rouse.[1] Rouse had the case appealed to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, and in March 2010 an administrative law judge issued an 86-page decision declaring Rouse should keep her job.[2] On March 30, the school board agreed to terminate high school principal Monica Rouse's contract; Iowa law allows entities such as school boards to reject administrative law judges' rulings, since they are non-binding.

Rouse appealed the Board's decision in Cedar County District court. On March 11, 2011, Judge Nancy Tabor sided with Rouse and ordered the district to reinstate her as principal, saying, "Ms. Rouse was a competent and devoted principal". The courts re-affirmed this ruling on May 11, 2011.

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