Mid-Prairie hires new middle school principal, discuss mask mandate

By Molly Roberts
Posted 3/23/21

Of the eight candidates interviewed for the Mid-Prairie Middle School principal position, Rob Hruby was the number one choice of each interview group, including parents, teachers, associates and …

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Mid-Prairie hires new middle school principal, discuss mask mandate

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Of the eight candidates interviewed for the Mid-Prairie Middle School principal position, Rob Hruby was the number one choice of each interview group, including parents, teachers, associates and administrators, superintendent Mark Schneider said. About 48 people were involved in the interview process.

On Monday, March 22, the Board of Education voted unanimously to offer the position to Hruby, pending the completion of background check and other administrative matters.

Hruby has never been a principal before, but Schneider said he feels confident in what Hruby has to offer to the district. Of the final two candidates, one had more experience than Hruby, but Schneider said he sees great potential in Hruby. 

“I am impressed with his enthusiasm, his perceptiveness, he’s very intelligent. I think there is a lot of potential in Rob and that’s why he’s the not-so-safe choice because I am betting on his potential,” Schneider said. “He has not been principal before, he will make mistakes and I just hope everyone is patient with him and helps him succeed.”

Schneider said that Hruby is the twelfth principal he’s hired in his tenure as a superintendent; six have had experience as principal and six haven’t.

Hruby graduated from Solon High and attended the University of Northern Iowa. From there he worked in Des Moines Public Schools as a middle school science teacher before moving back to eastern Iowa to be closer to family. For the past four years, Hruby has worked for the Cedar Rapids Community School District. For three of those years, he worked as an instructional coach at McKinley STEAM Academy and for the past year as a second grade online teacher because the district needed someone to fill the spot due to COVID-19 shortages.

Hruby will start as Mid-Prairie’s middle school principal next fall.

During the work session portion of the meeting, during which no action can be taken, the school board members discussed the current state of the district’s mask mandate. At the March 8 school board meeting, several parents spoke during public forum, asking the board to reevaluate the mandate.

“What I struggle with [regarding] removing the mask mandate is that I look at the ‘higher powers,’ such as the Washington County Public Health Department and the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Iowa Board of Education and I don’t see any of those groups saying that masks shouldn’t be mandatory,” board member Gabrielle Frederick said. “Different boards are in place to help guide people when it’s not their expertise… I take into consideration people’s opinions and people’s feelings, but I also look at those types of boards.”

Board member Jeremy Pickard said he goes back and forth between wanting families to be able to choose whether or not to mask their child, but he also wants to avoid as many quarantine absences as possible.

“I struggle with the freedom of choice, I believe that’s a strong part of what I prefer to lean on, but if I allow that to happen, in the blink of a second you can take out a significant portion if not an entire class if a student tests positive for COVID and they’re not wearing a mask,” he said.

Board president Jeremy Gugel said he will put a reevaluation of the mask policy on the next business meeting’s agenda, which will take place April 12 at 7 p.m.